Can a small cat kill a rabbit?

[deadbody]

I find carcases of mice, birds, squirrels, and small rabbits in my yard all the time.

I'm inclined to beleive that my cat is killing them (as I've seen him kill the mice a few times), as the only other option is that people driving by are tossing small dead animals into my yard, and my yard is on top of a hill that slopes down to the street on 2 sides, so I'm pretty sure that's not it.

Cats will kill a bunch of things. Survival of teh fittest baby.

[Rotating Rabbit]

I opened this thread thinking the title was 'can a smell kill a rabbit?' which I thought was pretty obscure topic.

[Fast Food Knight]

Very possible, several of my cats have done this on a consistent basis.

[Ray Zee]

rabbits pretty much give up and submit when caught. cats kill them all the time.

i saw a video on one of those animal shows where the cat chased a bear out of the yard.

[kolotoure]

My last cat got into a fight with a fox which is why I no longer have that cat

[Dynasty]

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i saw a video on one of those animal shows where the cat chased a bear out of the yard.

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You can see that towards the end of this video.

[DavidC]

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Cats are unlikely to drag around dead animals they find, they mostly like to kill things. I'd say it's possible but that cat has brass ones.

NT

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This cat is unbelievably proficient at his job. He can jump onto a wire mesh fence and land on the top with absolute confidence standing upright, and there's just a crapload of dead animals around the path where I walk. I kinda respect and enjoy seeing the cat (I've never seen him kill stuff).

With mice it's irritating because you try to remember where they are in the dark and not step on them. With rabbits, it's not good, because they stink like crazy, as well as attract larger scavengers (raccoons, skunks). It's leaving the animals in a public area that I frequent and I'm curious about how to solve this problem.

Any suggestions?

Ideal solutions:
-cat becomes an indoor cat
-owner cleans dead animals from path (sidewalk and surrounding grass) every morning after the cat is let out

Possible Solutions:
-Pet Control takes the cat and sends it elsewhere
-Cat is put down

Options are listed in order of preference. One problem is that I'm not a very diplomatic guy and any discussion with the owner about the first two options makes the last two options potentially cause arguments/fights/etc.

--Dave.

[snagglepuss]

my old small cat once completetly decapitated a rabbit twice her size.

she would also climb on top of a fence, perch on her back legs, and catch bats out of the air.

[willie]

my full grown cat killed several muskrats in it's hayday.

i loved that cat but he was just a complete killer, 4 things dead everyweek only entrails left on my back porch- just nasty.


biggest muskrat measured 18 inches head to tail, dunno if you guys have seen muskrats but they're NASTY w/ pretty decent chompers and much more ill tempered than any rabbit.

so definitely a cat could kill a rabbit.

[whiskeytown]

don't see why not...though in your story he might have found it already and was dragging it home - (they love to show off for their owners)

cats seem to have the instinct to hunt almost reflexively - esp. country cats - I once shot a gopher and tossed it amongst a pile of kittens -

they spent ten minutes trying to eat the gopher - I say trying because their little undeveloped jaws couldn't break skin - it was like watching a kid try to chew a piece of fat - they KNEW they were supposed to eat it, they TRIED, but weren't even big enough yet to break skin with their teeth and claws.

so if they get big enough - heck yah - rabbits have virtually no protective skills - they just run.

Another time I tossed some chicken mcnuggets amongst some several day old kittens, and I saw one tear into it like it was a gold nugget and then when another kitten tried to go for the 2nd Nugget, the eater slapped his paw 2 inches over to the left ON TOP of the 2nd nugget while eating the first one - he also growled in a way I didn't think kittens could growl.

Cats are predators from day one - capable of being feral and with the exception of those wussy fluffy cats that sit around the house all day, are darned handy to have around.

RB