By DolphinGirl369 - 07/06/2013 04:33 - United States - Fairfield

Today, I saw mice eating from my cat's food dish, again. Where is my cat? He's busy bringing in more mice, birds, and once even an unharmed chipmunk through his cat door. FML
I agree, your life sucks 46 191
You deserved it 5 504

DolphinGirl369 tells us more.

Hi, OP here. I posted this before I had an account, and just found this again looking at random fmls. I live out in the country on a gravel road so there isn't much traffic, and my cat, (Indy for Indiana Jones), is very good with cars. Also, the cat shelter where he was raised allowed the cats outside through a cat door. At first he was an indoor cat, but he started marking different areas of the house. It stopped for a while after we started letting him outside. But then if we were asleep or about to go to bed, and refused to let him out, he started marking again. That's when we got him the cat door. There have been no problems since then. We can't just get rid of him. My autistic brother loves him very much, and is great with him. And Indy is VERY affectionate, at times acting more like a dog than a cat. (That's not an insult, Indy loves dogs.) A lot of times they sleep together with Indy at his feet, or sharing his pillow. Indy will also watch tv with my brother. They really are great for each other. As for bringing animals inside, he will kill them, and sometimes eat them, but a lot of times we notice he has something before he's hurt them. In which case we get the animal away from him, and hopefully outside. The mice sometimes run away before we have a chance to do anything. Also, once he dropped a completely unharmed sparrow in his food dish. Of course it flew all over the house before we finally got it out. I guess he thought it would stay in his food dish? Yeah, he's not always the smartest, but we love him. Oh, and the count for chipmunks, both completely unharmed, is now up to two. All told, he is one of the best pets I've ever had. I just wish he would get the mice out, not bring more in. PS the reason there are mice in the house, along with living in the country, is because the foundation for our house wasn't built properly. There was a twelve foot long area that only had styrofoam between the outside and the inside of the walls. Yeah, the guy who built our house is a moron. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for the fun comments.

Top comments

maneater8 7

He got lonely ! Wanted some friends.....

My cats have always brought live mice into the house. The theory is, that the kitties adopt us as their family and since we humans suck at catching mice they're bringing some for us to practice our hunting skills :-) It's pure love what they do, even though they look at us as their slightly dumber and larger siblings!

Comments

maneater8 7

He got lonely ! Wanted some friends.....

friedpwnadge 25

Sounds like you have an animal hoarding problem.

She eats men and sees animals as lifelong companions, seems to be legitimate.

Actually when a cat brings you dead animals they are gifts because the cat loves you. When they bring home live animals its because they like you so much they're giving you the kill so OP you're slacking and insulting your cat by not killing his offerings ... bad human

Is his name Garfield? Because that explains a lot.

hugozac88 22

He's the friendliest cat I've ever heard of.

#26 is right, sort of. At a certain point in time, all cats need to learn the hunt. The cat has decided that it's time for you to learn as well and step one is to bring you (aka: cat-in-training) the hunt and letting you kill it before graduating you to chasing and hunting on your own. It keeps happening because you're failing Test #1. So in short, after observing you for long enough, he's decided you suck at being a cat and has felt the need to intervene. On the other hand, he's showing that he loves you by taking the time to try and teach you how to be a better cat. At least he cares!

No no, what he's doing is bringing them in, letting them eat his food, fattening them up and then eats them. Clever, if I do say so myself.

kim_larsa 5
groovycrazyjoe 18

I think OP should start singing the song from Shrek

scice03 8

Easy solution: lock the cat door and he has become an indoor cat.

Inediblepeaches 15

Thats horrible. I hope no one ever asks you to take care of their animals you asshole.

But allowing said cat to kill countless numbers of creatures each day or night isn't being an asshole? There is nothing wrong with indoor cats, some breeds require it. OP could even alternatively use a lead, get a cat-run, or supervise its outside time so that it still gets some. People like you #10, are the reason cats are one of the greatest threats to wildlife and the extinction of native species. I can only hope this cat is at least de-sexed.

Scrabblestick - Threat to wildlife? Extinction of native species?? Are you absolutely ******* barking mad? Last I checked, mice and chipmunks aren't exactly endangered. Besides, cats are SUPPOSED to hunt. Do you think those claws and sharp teeth evolved just to destroy furniture? Get a clue, you AND the people who thumbed up this bullshit.

Doc, in a lot of countries feral and outdoor cats are a serious threat to native wildlife. Australia is a prime example of this, the amount of small mammals and birds that we lose to cats is ridiculous. Some cats can even take down larger birds like rosellas and small possums and bats. Hunting is instinct for cats but there's nothing wrong with stimulating that instinct in a controlled, safe environment with a variety of different cat toys. My cat used to be outdoors but he'd come back beaten up and eventually got bitten by a snake so he's now an indoor only cat. He's happy, healthy and gets plenty of 'hunting' practice with interactive toys.

Doc, he's also talking about birds (which don't breed like mice). And we imported cats into this country so please don't used the words "supposed to" as if its just nature and we had nothing to do with it. Look it up, cats kill over 20 billion animals a year in America. That's a pretty big number. There are many species that don't number in the billions, extinction for some is certainly possible.

In my city, it's actually illegal to have your cat be off your property. So your cat can be outdoors if it stays in your yard. We have lots of coyotes and stuff in the city, and sometimes bears wander in. I guess the city thought it was safer for the cats to stay inside.

Why is having an indoor cat horrible...?

Cats are predators. They hunt. They eat small mammals and birds. It's called nature. You'd rather amputate their claws and keep them indoors? You consider that natural? Do you also worry about the poor gazelles getting eaten by lions in Africa? Give me a ******* break.

Emily062611 6

I totally agree with Doc. It's not necessarily pleasant to have your cat bring you something, but it's definitely natural for them. Some cats like to be inside, and that's fine, but if you think they're not hunting bugs and mice you can think again. Outside cats just have more potential prey.

Lions are not domesticated. That word is important, it does not simply mean "tame." It means that humanity has created something un-natural and we're responsible for our creations.

At any rate, none of this really mattes, it has zero to do with why my cats stay indoors. Dead birds are nothing compared to the cats I see flattened on the road every week, drinking antifreeze puddles (they like the taste), or getting in fights with the fox out back. I don't keep my cats indoors because I care about birds. I keep them indoors because I don't want to see them mangled and killed. I see dead cats ALL THE TIME. It's not like it's super unlikely, and I have no desire to see my cats killed like that.

Doc if you had done even a tiny bit of research you would've realized that there is a severe overpopulation of stray and out door cats which means there is a disproportionate number of predators to prey. Cats kill many species including some endangered ones that are projected to go extinct because of cats, in my state even the population of robins is getting low and several birds of prey are now in danger because of the reduction in their prey. Your argument is fairly moronic, if there was a section if forest with three deer and some idiot decided to set free 30 wolves in that forest would you say oh it's fine wolves are natural hunters so there is nothing wrong with them killing all the deer and possible causing the Eco system to collapse. It's the same principle

God, I hate cats. I'm gonna start breeding Alfs to remedy the dwindling bird and small rodent population.

And here I was, thinking that "doctors" understood basic biology and researched facts before getting into an arguments... I'm not saying it's part of your job, but at least you should have known basic ecology to get into college?

Also, just because you have an indoor cat doesn't mean you declaw them. I have a cat I rescued, she's not declawed, only scratches on her tree and other posts, and is terrified of going outside. My parents have two non declawed cats who are only allowed in the backyard. They stay there, and chirp at birds but don't hunt them. They also don't seem to feel a need to take off and hunt anything other than the toys we throw for them. But then I don't feel a need to hunt with a spear either, so I guess I'm also domesticated.

hellox3howlow 17

My cat's an indoor cat! There are so many strays in my neighborhood. They usually live around 14 years unless killed very early, and indoors can live up to 18-20 years! Plus my cat was declawed by his previous owner (like plenty of other housecats) so he has to stay inside or he'd be defenseless.

Emily062611 6

Perhaps you haven't had to take a population analysis class, but that scenario would result in a lack of prey for the wolves, who would then disperse or die, in which case deer would return to the area, and we'd be back in balance. It would only temporarily be a bad situation.

Doc I usually look up to you as a great man but cats are the leading cause for about 20 bird extinctions. I'd say they should kept inside so they can't bring in dead mice and what not. But also to keep them safe. I mean yes look at dogs they are used to hunt and they were once untamed animals that hunted but now domesticated and some are used to hunt. Not all animals are for killing. Doc.

14 years for a stray/outdoor cat? Where I Iive outdoor cats live on average 6 or 7 years. It's just too dangerous for them outside. My cat is not declawed, and he's an indoor cat. We have a large balcony he hangs out on, and he gets his natural hunting instincts stimulated with all his toys. He's a very happy spoiled and loved cat. Even when he's on the balcony I have to watch him, he can kill a fair amount of birds from there.

Sounds like we need open season on outdoor cats. Had no idea they were such a problem.

I have three cats. Two of them are allowed outside, but only one of them ever chooses to go outside. He's neutered so he doesn't contribute to cat over population. And, as far as I can tell, he's a bad hunter, so he doesn't pose a serious threat to wildlife. And going outside keeps him healthy and happy. He was really fat before I started letting him outside. Now he's lean and fit.

We have 4 adult cats and 3 kittens that are 11 and 9 weeks. Of the 4 older, one is declawed (found that way) and refuses to stay inside. Bring him in and he will run right out the door or cry and go nuts until you let him out. He goes in the yard to do his business but otherwise stays on the porch. Another is mainly outside. He will come in to eat twice a day and that's it. The other 2 go out every now and then but after 10 minutes are ready to come in. Hoping the kittens will never be outside. We previously lost 1 to a car and 2 to snake bites

You guys do realize the cats just bringing the animals inside and not necessarily killing them? Thus why OP is finding mice eating out of the cats food bowl and mentioned the unharmed chipmunk. Y'all are having a pissfest that's irrelevant.

Don't you get it? He just wants a tea party!

Maybe he's trying to tell you something? Get another cat for him to play with.

You should be happy OP, if it's anything like the Disney movies then you're in for a wonderful story. If your cat keeps falling in love with random animals though, then at least it's a better love story than Twilight.

Soniye 14

Anything is always a better love story than twilight.

Are you sure your cat isn't Garfield?

This was my first thought. Is the cat orange? Lol

Inediblepeaches 15

When cats bring in animals as presents to you, its because it likes you even though you seem to be a shitty hunter and it doesn't want you to starve.

The cat wanted to make sure you got a chance to learn how to not be a shitty hunter and figured that this would help you more than just hunting, killing, and then bringing you them.

The cat wanted to make sure you were fed for life, and not just for a day. You know - Give a man a fish, feed him for a day but teach a man how to fish and feed him for life. Heed the life lesson your cat is trying to teach you, OP! Hunt those suckers down and make your cat proud!

You have a very hospitable cat there. Lucky you.

varlso 8
Soniye 14

He's the cat witch version of Hanzel and gretel :o