I've never know a cat to catch a squirrel, but I imagine there are those who
do.

There are a lot of squirrels in my neighborhood and they are feisty little
beggars and can be quite nasty. The cats in the area (including my own) do
show great interest in them and chase them and on occasions when I've seen
mine get to close, the squirrels have actually made moves in her direction,
which sent her running.

Personally, I think that if a cat and a squirrel ever got into it, there's
be a bloody mess and I don't have any idea which of the two would come out
on top.

As for the "doggie flap", my brother had one installed but took it out not
long after. He often came home to a house full of strange cats, and live
offerings that his cat had brought in, mice, moles and a few birds flying
around.

Anyway, I'll be interested in reading peoples experiences when it comes to
cats and squirrels.

Judy & Matilda.

Ally wrote:

I can't speak for every cat out there, but all of mine have been
accomplished hunters.  I have received everything from insects to
squirrels, and even a few snakes over the years.  I would think the
squirrels were either young, old or sick for them to have gotten caught,
but they did get caught.  Once a cat gets hold of one they don't
normally make it. :-(

Rowan would if I'd let her off her leash. She sure tries.

If she had a yard I felt safe to let her wander in, birds, bunnies, and
squirrels would be in mortal danger.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
Jesus saves, Allah protects, and Cthulhu
thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
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"Alley" <szare@prodigy.net.spoiled> wrote in message:

Hi Alley,

My tiny little calico girl, Creepie, is a very intrepid hunter who has
indeed snagged a few squirrels.  They've all been pine squirrels and
flying squirrels, though.  We don't have the big fox or gray squirrels
here.  She's always come out unscathed and left us our gift of dead
rodent near our recliners.  She's been known to kill small weasels and
full grown rabbits, too.  Runtus and Iddy seem satisfied with mice,
birds, etc.  Some cats, like Creepie, have more of a killer instinct
than others, I think.  Some love the hunt; she loves the kill.

Good luck with your kitty.  I've seen some pretty chubby felines react
with lightning-quick reflexes when it comes to getting what they want.
You just might have one of those!  :)

Kindest Regards,

Mich

One of my cats did get a squirrel in her younger days so it can happen. She
was unmarked so it must have been a slow squirrel.

Wendy

Okay, this is what I'm hoping someone more knowledgable on
cat nature can help me with. Do cats normally hunt
squirrels?

Interestingly, I wondered this out loud to my boyfriend just
a few weeks before moving into our new place. Our new house
is in an area populated by a TON of squirrels. I wondered
what my indoor cat's first reaction would be to this since I
expected he would use a doggie door put in for our three
dogs to have access to the yard. Would he try to chase the
squirrels?

So, this afternoon, after doing some yard work, I walk
inside to my bedroom cleaning up and preparing to go on a
run. I'm standing at my bureau pulling socks out of my
drawer and reaching for my sneakers when I see grey fur
against the dark green hue of our carpeting. Not really
thinking, I thought to myself "I must've dropped some faux
fur fabric" and went to pick it up. But before grabbing it I
realized it was really a tree squirrel sprawled out lying
there dead! Imagine my surprise.

It's kinda odd because it was in a location cornered off in
our bedroom, not near any doors or windows (no chimmney in
our house), the only entrance point being the doggie door on
the complete opposite end of the house. I'm thinking one of
the animals had to have dragged it in through there, into
the bedroom. I determined it had to have been the cat since
he was the only animal who seemed to have known it was there
and went into the bedroom to look for it, almost checking to
make sure it was still there.

It just seems so unlikely that this little pudgy indoor cat
of mine could be such the quick
little hunter to catch a squirrel. If not, it's definitely
going to make me rethink this doggie
door business or risk making these not-so-cute discoveries
on a regular basis.

So, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with their
cats hunting squirrels?

A.

Mine certainly do, not very well, but I've seen them run 20ft up a palm tree
chasing a squirrel, which is quite a sight!

A few years ago Mojo brought one into the house as part of his catch &
release policy, getting the squirrel out again was quite a story and the
cats thought it was so much fun ;-)