LET US PREY!

Some scream in horror at the mere glance of one scampering by-
           Others find them irresistibly cute and keep one, or several, as pets . . . and they also cause more than $1 billion dollars of damage each year in the U.S.

So, no matter which end of the spectrum you 

lean towards, chances are

that you have felt the effects of those little critters known as

MICE!

Like  them or not these nocturnal creatures have some amazing abilities: 
                                                                                                        *They are so flexible that they can get into your home through a crack or hole as small as 1/4".  
*They can jump as high as a foot and climb up almost any vertical surface including up smooth         vertical walls.

*They can run 12 ft per second and swim as far as 1/2 mile.
*They eat almost continuously, and will nibble or eat any available human food - as well as other
      household items.  And they don't need free water to survive.
*They have a very sharp sense of hearing and can hear and communicate in the human as well
     as ultrasonic range.
 *They are known to be very intelligent creatures and known to solve complex puzzles.

Now, while I hate to cast any doubt on their scientific research and conclusions, I find myself questioning the use of the word intelligent in describing these mighty midgets.  After all, what intelligent mouse would venture into and make themselves at home in a house full of cats?

Well - time after time we've seen this same scenario at the Sanctuary:

            

dillon

frankie

ashley

(Usually it's all fun and games for the kitties and we are left with the clean-up, but here's a fun fact: the size of an average cat dinner is nutritionally equivalent to approximately 5 mice.  That's a lot of hunting for a cat on the street.)

While the cats at the Sanctuary are usually limited to what type of prey comes their way it is interesting to note that cats do have individual differences in prey types.  They tend to prefer and are better at hunting some types of animals than others.
Most cats are specialists and prefer to hunt a certain type of prey, while others are generalists -or equal opportunity killers.

You might be wondering how this information could be of any use to your indoor kitty that doesn't have the chance to get at any real prey.
Well, indoor cats still have that hunting instinct, and using interactive toys to play with your cat can help enrich his indoor environment. Among other benefits, it will help to create a stronger bond between you and your cat.

Different types of interactive toys represent different types of prey, so you may have to go through several to determine which type of prey your cat likes best:

Cats that prefer birds will like feather type wands
Cats that prefer snakey things will prefer toys such as The Cat Charmer
Cats that prefer bugs will prefer toys such as Neko Flies or Cat Dancer
Cats that prefer rodents will prefer toys such as The Cat Catcher

It's a good idea to have a selection of interactive toys (including multiple options of each prey) as cats will get bored of the same toy before they will tire of the game itself.

And once you have discovered which toys your cat likes best, it is important to remember to move your toys like prey (don't attack your cat with the toy-prey usually runs away from it's predator).

 Find out what your cat likes best and allow your cat to use his hunting strategies.

Happy Hunting!