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Bunnies!

Submitted by chad360 on Fri, 05/02/2008 - 12:07pm.

OK, I am so gonna keep my camera charged-up!

I was outside in the backyard here on the eastside, and I had a bunch of bunnies traipse through the yard!

Baby bunnies are way too cute!

chad360's blog
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Must have photos of

Submitted by Chia on Fri, 05/02/2008 - 5:26pm.

Must have photos of bunnies!!

Don't eat meat, ride a bike...that's how you can brake global warming, the head of the United Nation's Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel on climate change said...

Awww

Submitted by security_six on Fri, 05/02/2008 - 7:39pm.

I haven't seen baby bunnies outside for quite some time! Yes pics would be great!

Life's a reach, then you jibe.

It's a little early for baby

Submitted by ctqwn on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 4:36pm.

It's a little early for baby bunny season. But, it shouldn't be too much longer before they're out and about. I have cats who think they're really good eating, and I've had to rescue countless baby bunnies from their clutches over the years. Sometimes it's successful, sometimes not.

Cats!!

Submitted by Guglielmo on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 4:43pm.

Keep them inside! Save the bunnies and the birds.

Let 'em free!

Submitted by Marcie on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 6:57pm.

There are many alternatives to keeping cats inside. Here's a few:

Don't place a bird feeder where cats have access to the birdy buffet
Put a bell on your cat - let the birds and bunnies here 'em comin'
Give your cat a chance - if they aren't birders or bunniers (?) (our cat isn't), then let 'em outside.
Neuter male cats, cuts down on the hunting instinct, plus unwanted kitties

The idea of keeping all cats inside is impractical. For some cats, it makes sense, but could be quite different for each cat. When our cat goes out, sits on the porch and watches the world. She doesn't hunt or cause havoc in the 'hood. Occassionally, she'll wander to the street to beg a passer-by for some love. If she were a birder or a bunnier, I would keep her inside for sure.

Alternatives indeed.

Submitted by Guglielmo on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 7:08pm.

Like bringing the outdoors in. But, yes, your suggestions are good ones for people can't manage otherwise.

My cats are all "found"

Submitted by ctqwn on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 9:07pm.

My cats are all "found" cats, and two of them (the Cat Brothers) were feral before I got the first one in a trap and took him to the vet to get his mind changed. They're not really the house cat type.

I live out in the county on several acres, and though they are all spayed and neutered, their hunting instincts are quite intact. It's like Wild Kingdom out here at times, and I feel like I'm playing God, deciding what lives and what doesn't. I don't want my cats to eat bunnies because they can get intestinal parasites, and I always intervene and try to save the rabbit. I think rabbits are cute (even though they eat my crocus, tulips, etc.), and I've had pet rabbits, which the cats would actually play with. The mice, voles, moles, and other rodents I'm not so uptight about (personal bias maybe), and my cats almost never even go after the birds. Too much easier stuff on the ground, apparently.

On a more positive note for the bunny lovers, I did see a mom or daddy rabbit outsmart one of my cats who had a baby in his mouth. The adult rabbit literally ran circles around him and distracted the cat until I could get to him and grab him to take him in the house. The baby got away unharmed that time, and the whole event was rather amazing to see.

Rabbit parents love their

Submitted by Chia on Sun, 05/04/2008 - 6:50am.

Rabbit parents love their babies and want to keep them safe, just like we do.

Don't eat meat, ride a bike...that's how you can brake global warming, the head of the United Nation's Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel on climate change said...

When I lived near the Mima

Submitted by Merwyn Haskett on Sun, 05/04/2008 - 11:46am.

When I lived near the Mima Mounds we had a terrible infestation. I set traps which snapped on them like clockwork but they came back. I reluctantly sat poison out and saw that it was gnawed on heavily but they came back. I thought we were going to have to burn the house down it was getting that bad.

Finally we adopted a couple of kittens - within three months it was mission accomplished.

Since the weather has turned warm...

Submitted by jlw on Sun, 05/04/2008 - 9:56pm.

... my (un-neutered) male cat is so desperate to get outside, that he's bent a window screen (enough to escape), and knocked the sliding screen door off its track. I've developed this special way of moving through a door where I kick back toward the interior, in an attempt to deter the little furry body that is always trying to slink out around my feet. It usually works, and so far it hasn't become so ingrained a habit that I do it when I'm walking into B&B or the bank or something. But still. He really wants out.

Unless your keeping your Tom as a Breeding stock

Submitted by Laurian on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 9:57am.

you really need to have him neutered. Seriously. He will live longer, healthier life and he will not sire unwanted kittens, most of whom are abandoned or euthanized.

I've always wondered - does

Submitted by Merwyn Haskett on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 9:57am.

I've always wondered - does that work for humans too? (well, not the part about the kittens)

I have been thinking about

Submitted by jlw on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 10:22am.

I have been thinking about it, because the poor cat so obviously wants to go outside. Neither of my cats goes outdoors, because of the unwanted kitten issue, and other healthy and safety risks. My reservation about neutering my cat is that my other male cat is neutered, and he is indolent and overweight, (i.e. fat and lazy). In fact, it seems like MOST cats become overweight after they are "fixed." I'm concerned about that health risk, too.

Neutered cats (and dogs)

Submitted by ctqwn on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 10:44pm.

Neutered cats (and dogs) don't have to get fat. If your cat is strictly indoors, he should have indoor cat food, and not too much. House cats benefit from having fresh "cat grass", which you can find ready to eat or as ready to grow seeds at places like PetSmart. And, of course they both need lots of play and exercize to make up for the fact that they are housebound. I would definitely advise having his mind changed.

It's interesting, maybe off

Submitted by Marcie on Sun, 05/04/2008 - 10:20am.

It's interesting, maybe off the subject, but ctqwn brings up a very good point when discussing the difference b/t bunnies and cats. To me, the idea of my cat playing with/killing a baby bunny is absolutely abhorant and makes me quesy. However, when we lived on a farm, she would regularly kill mice and voles which was completely acceptable and even praised.

Obviously, most people think bunnys are cute and mice are not, therefore it's not OK for cats to eat mice. But bunnies can be just as destructive, if not more, than mice (at least mice don't eat my carrots). I won't even get into how we feel about birds and the gross injustice of a cat killing a bird.

I guess if I were to be consistent, I wouldn't tolerate Kitty killing anything, not even a mouse. It's a good thing I don't have to worry about it, now that we live in town, there's a zillion cats and nary a rodent to be found...

How can you prevent a cat

Submitted by ctqwn on Sun, 05/04/2008 - 4:32pm.

How can you prevent a cat from hunting? They are carnivore predators, so it's in their nature to eat animals. They need even more meat protein in their diet than dogs.

When I lived in town, my cats never had the opportunity to bag as many critters as they do out here, and their hunting instincts were probably somewhat dormant. My grandmother's cat came to live w/ us at the age of 10, after a very civilized city life w/ my grandma that ended after more than a year indoors w/ her in a one room assisted living studio appt. No mousies to speak of, and he very rarely got a bird even when he had access to the outdoors. But in less than a month at my place in the woods, I was having to rescue rabbits from him, too, so the instinct must've been dormant from lack of stimulation. Cats are what they are, dogs are what they are, rabbits are what they are, and so on.

As for the "cute" factor, I also rescue snakes and lizards from one of my cats, as he's quite a good snake getter. Some people would never touch a snake or lizard to get it out of a cat's clutches because they think they're "icky". However, I like these reptiles in the garden because they take care of other destructive critters like bugs and small rodents.

Yes, they are preditors.

Submitted by Guglielmo on Sun, 05/04/2008 - 5:56pm.

They are also an invasive species and a major contributor to the mortality rates of song birds in American urban areas. One way to prevent a cat from hunting birds is to keep it indoors. Since you asked. You could also make it wear one of those plastic cones vets use. Now that would be funny.

My cat has girth

Submitted by Marcie on Sun, 05/04/2008 - 6:13pm.

that I can't deny. She's getting old and she gets what she wants. It's actually comical to watch her try to hunt in her half-ass, I-weigh-17-pounds style. She really does try, but never quite seems to get even close enough to any wild creature to do any damage. But, the image of her doing it with a cat cone, you are right Gug, THAT'S FUNNY!! Awww...poor Kitty (she's sitting on the desk giving me a dirty look)

One of my cats is also a fat

Submitted by ctqwn on Sun, 05/04/2008 - 6:50pm.

One of my cats is also a fat girl who's past her prime as a hunter. Can't remember the last she caught anything. I put a collar w/ a rather large bell on her when she was younger and less tubby to give the woodland creatures a sporting chance.

My cats are indoor cats after dark, because of the coyotes out here. I lost a wonderful cat to them years ago, and one of my neighbors lost one, too. But, during the day when I'm home to keep an eye on them, they do go out. They need their vitamin D, too, and trying to change an animal that grew up outdoors into an indoor animal is not a likely option.

Our cat, Kitty, has been known to echo my "meow"...

Submitted by The Original Yoda on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 1:30am.

...over 20 times. By the way, her "meow" is not really a full "meow" its more of a "yao". And its not a high pitched, kitten-like meow. Its an old, Manhattan, Jewish lady "yao".

She has no cat-door but we let her out whenever she scratches or meows at the door. She scratches to get back in, too.

She spends most nice days outside and eats and lays in a pot of sweet grass.

I wish she could catch the moles or gophers or whatever critter is making the mounds in my yard. When we lived in the country, she had a cat door and would bring in mice "presents" every night. Sometimes, in the morning, you'd find a mouse liver (or maybe it was a spleen) on the floor. She ate everything else.

As Marcie said, Kitty can't catch birds. She's too old, slow and fat.

She's sleeping on Marcie's feet right now.

bunnies safe, camera powered-up & ready

Submitted by chad360 on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 2:41pm.

...should they re-appear, picture taking will occur!

Hunting

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 11:03pm.

When I was growing up I enjoyed watching my neutered cat hunt birds.

He was outdoors his whole life and lived to be 21, and his weight rarely fluctuated more than a few ounces on either side of 10.5 lbs.

If the cat wants to be outside it would be painful to keep him in.

One time I watched him crouch up against a short brick wall, then burst up with paw and claw outstretched to snag a sparrow. He stuck it in his mouth and crossed the street back to my house and jumped into a window well and I could hear the bones crunching.

Personally, I thought it was an impressive display of physical prowess.

It's also awesome to watch birds hunting. For example, the blue herons fishing in the tide pools North of the 4th Ave bridge. Owls too, gliding on silent wings. Then there are the big cats, like when a cheetah latches on to the haunches of an antelope at 50 mph!

Nature has such tremendously wonderful beings. I wish humanity would decide to wake up and start respecting it.

This was really hard to read

Submitted by Chia on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 12:22am.

This was really hard to read from a peace activist. It isn't necessary for our animal companions to hunt wildlife for their well-being so that when they do, it is unnecessary violence against wildlife. When we adopt a carnivorous nonhuman, we assume the responsibility for providing food, water and nonviolent means for hunting practice (my cat gets organic catnip filled toys).

Don't eat meat, ride a bike...that's how you can brake global warming, the head of the United Nation's Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel on climate change said...

vegan cat food?

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 1:24am.

What is so good about the cat food industry? I would prefer that my cat eat live birds than the renderings of some chicken feedlot.

Pet food industry has a lot of objectionable practices.

It's only natural for animals to hunt other animals. It's part of life.

What isn't natural is the

Submitted by Chia on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 5:56am.

What isn't natural is the sheer numbers of houshold companions (not to mention feral cats) who are out there hunting wildlife. We've invaded their habitats with our cities and towns and the space they've got left is filled with predators who have been artificially introduced to the environment. Cats aren't wild animals and that is not natural. We can respect nature by leaving her alone to do what she needs to heal herself.

And even though the topic is about animal companions hunting already vulnerable wildlife, and unnecessarily, I'd agree that the majority of pet food companies use unethical means to produce a product that isn't healthy.

It isn't my intention to argue with you and will discontinue at this point but wanted to let you know that it is sometimes painful to see the disconnect some peace activists, who I would in other respects admire, sometimes have when it comes to nonviolence toward animals or nature.

Don't eat meat, ride a bike...that's how you can brake global warming, the head of the United Nation's Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel on climate change said...

Because of that disaster

Submitted by ctqwn on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 6:15pm.

Because of that disaster involving tainted Chinese wheat gluten in pet food, I had to return a few cans of cat food to Petsmart. That's when I changed to a natural brand of crunchies and started making the meaty food myself. I buy ground turkey and chicken liver (w/ no hormones or antibiotics) and use a recipe in my natural care for dogs and cats book. It has brown rice, kidney beans and parsley along w/ a little butter. It stinks up my kitchen, but I do a big batch at a time and freeze it.

I agree completely that it's natural for predator animals to hunt other animals, and it's a much stronger instinct in cats than in dogs. A cat's playing behavior is pretend hunting. My cats are well-fed, and I tell them every time one of them cackles at a bird or brings home a dead critter that they don't need to do that, they don't need a bird, rabbit, mouse, or whatever. They get no reward from me for their hunting behavior; in fact I take away the dead body and dispose of it so they won't eat it because of the aforementioned parasite issue. Doesn't matter. A cat's gonna do what a cat was made to do.

I don't think I was necessarily made for eating meat, and if someone told me I had to and forced me to do it every day, it would probably have a negative effect on me both physically and psychologically. I sometimes think Mother Nature is a twisted sister, but she's a tough broad to argue with.

Broad?

Submitted by Chia on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 9:28pm.

I'm curious as to why you would use an offensive term to describe nature.

Don't eat meat, ride a bike...that's how you can brake global warming, the head of the United Nation's Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel on climate change said...

Sorry, I didn't see it as an

Submitted by ctqwn on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 10:16pm.

Sorry, I didn't see it as an offensive term. Believe it or not, it is not always considered to be a pejorative; but between intimates, it has been a somewhat humorous term of endearment. But that may have been before your time. Mother Nature and I have been close for a long, long time, and we know each other well. Sorry if anyone was offended by that degree of familiarity.

Rob,

Submitted by Guglielmo on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 6:20pm.

It's just that it's not very natural for a well-fed, dommesticated cat, with a house to sleep in and clean water and medical care to then be leashed upon the local avian community for a spot of recreational hunting. I urge you to look up information on the impact of outdoor pet cats (an invasive species) on the American song bird population. They are remarkably beautiful athletes those cats. Not doubt about it.

For a recent study on this

Submitted by ctqwn on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 10:25pm.

For a recent study on this issue, please check out this link: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/birdecol.htm

This is just the most recent evidence that another invasive species, humans, may be more likely to blame for declines in bird populations.

Oh, I've no doubt that humans are the biggest reason for

Submitted by Guglielmo on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 11:20pm.

decline of song birds. Urbanization, larger expances of mono-culture agriculutral operations, polution, pesticides, etc, etc are much worse than kitties. However, I have no control over urbanization, but I do have control over my cat. Hey, do what you will.

Help! How do I close this stupid thread?

Submitted by chad360 on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 5:14am.

I can't believe you people!

I give you the idea of bunnies & you wanna debate about whether pets are natural (or whatever) >grrr<

Do not taunt Chia on this thread, and debate about pets elsewhere (final say on this, I'm mad!).

I was hoping someone would post local bun-bun pics or something (cuz I was too lame to get any bunny shots), but "oh well" >sigh<

Leave it alone & just walk away (nothing to see here).

Bunny for Chad

Submitted by Chia on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 5:56am.

Don't eat meat, ride a bike...that's how you can brake global warming, the head of the United Nation's Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel on climate change said...

This photo is so hilarious, that

Submitted by Debmonstrative on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 11:33pm.

I'm making this comment to bring it to the top of the queue simply so more people can see it. Bravo, Chad and Chia.

nice!

Submitted by chad360 on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 10:33am.

What a cute bunny!

Going for the Gold!

besides,

Submitted by Marcie on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 7:28pm.

it just makes me smile to see the word "Bunnies" at the top of the Recent Post pile. There's just something so dang endearing about the word. I think I'm addicted to the "Bunnies" thread.

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