Cat vs Rabbit stare down

[GunnyGene]

This morning I happened to get lucky and caught my barn cat and a rabbit in a stare down. This went on for several minutes with the only movement being an occasional tail twitch by the cat. They're about 20 ft apart. She caught one last year and left me some of it on the porch.

 

[contender]

The cat is deciding if she can catch it,,, & the rabbit is relaxing,,, awaiting the moment of "I feel the need for speed!"

 

[GA Cracker]

Nice capture GunnyGene!

 

[Wyandot Jim]

She caught one last year and left me some of it on the porch.

We also had an outside cat. It would leave bodies of mice, gophers, and bunnies at the back door. All would be missing a head. If more than one they would be in a line. She would set on a 5" fence post next to a rabbit trail for hours waiting for one to pass by.

 

[GunnyGene]

The cat is deciding if she can catch it,,, & the rabbit is relaxing,,, awaiting the moment of "I feel the need for speed!"

I think she may have been considering if she was going to get the snot kicked out of her if she went for it. :mrgreen:

 

[Ale-8(1)]

So . . . how did it turn out?

 

[GunnyGene]

So . . . how did it turn out?

The rabbit finally decided to bail out, and cat didn't bother to chase it down. The rabbit is out there almost every morning, so I expect that eventually I'll find rabbit parts on the porch again this year.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Well, cats are quick, but that bunny had a pretty good lead. Cat probably figured "What the heck, I've protected the patch . . ."

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Great picture.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Neat picture!

Cats, including big kitties like mountain lions, don't like to attack things that are aware of them, especially if the "thing" is big enough to resist. My outside cat will kill rats and ground squirrels but only the ones that he can ambush and get by the back of the neck. If they see him before he pounces, he waits for a better opportunity.

Cats, even the big ones, always try to kill by asphyxiation, not by tissue trauma from their claws and teeth. They get their prey by the back of the neck and clamp down on the windpipe and the blood vessels that supply the brain. This cause the prey to lose consciousness quickly and avoids much fighting back, with potential injury to the kitty. Staying on top of the food chain involves planning and caution.... (Probably why we are there, too).

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

We had a range cat at the gun club who was the greatest gopher getter any of us had ever seen. My boss counted 11 she captured one day outside the shop where he could see her.

She'd catch baby bunnies, too. Don't recall her ever taking an adult, though... I'm gonna guess since there were plenty of coyotes around, they'd probably already gotten pretty "street smart" just to reach adulthood.

Rick C

 

[GunnyGene]

Neat picture!

Cats, including big kitties like mountain lions, don't like to attack things that are aware of them, especially if the "thing" is big enough to resist. My outside cat will kill rats and ground squirrels but only the ones that he can ambush and get by the back of the neck. If they see him before he pounces, he waits for a better opportunity.

Cats, even the big ones, always try to kill by asphyxiation, not by tissue trauma from their claws and teeth. They get their prey by the back of the neck and clamp down on the windpipe and the blood vessels that supply the brain. This cause the prey to lose consciousness quickly and avoids much fighting back, with potential injury to the kitty. Staying on top of the food chain involves planning and caution.... (Probably why we are there, too).

That's a terrific analogy that's applicable to modern warfare - conventional as well as unconventional.

 

[Colonialgirl]

Our old tomcat will sit and watch the squirrels too with the ONLY sign of life is the occasional tail twitch. He's getting up in years (approaching 14 and hasn't brought any new catches for a while. I think he slowed down a bit.

 

[RugerHound]

Gunny - Great photo! We have a plethora of kitties here at the Southwest Mission, and we see this kind of scene frequently. We've got some jacks out here that are as large as coyotes. The kitties and the Jacks keep to themselves, but the little bunnies have long since vanished from these parts!

 

[gramps]

Grabbing the back of the neck causes spinal chord (paralysis) and vascular trauma! Grabbing the front of the neck causes strangulation and vascular trauma. Either way death generally ensues!
gramps