Mama Rabbit In Mourning Vigil

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Poor Rabbit Momma!

That sucks! Rabbit's will continue to produce and get wiser the next time. I love Rabbit's and had one for a long time when I was a kid. Was the cleanest animal I ever had. She would sleep with me at night.
Cat's.....they are all so different. You can't apply rules to any one cat. That is what makes them so unique.
As far as life expectancies of cats....it varies. My oldest (Toby) is 23. He has always been an indoor cat and I got him before his eyes opened because he mother died. He is wonderful. He is blind. He gets around great, and yes, he is still the BOSS of the house! He is clawing at my legs now as I type!
I have another indoor cat named Tigger that is 15 and is fat as a fat cat could ever be. (he is the one in my profile picture)
I have a dear cat that has been with us for 5 years named Lulu. She has her own apartment in the garage that is air-conditioned and heated. When she first came to us she was terribly abused and at deaths door. Of course I took her in and helped her. Well at first she would kill anything that came in the yard! And of course bring it to me! After a few years she finally caught on that I did not want her "treats" to us. She now does not kill. She does go out about 4 hours in the evening, and she just watches now.
It is a cat's nature to kill anything that comes not only into her yard, but her "owners" yard. They are very protective Just like a dog that protects their yard cats do also. They can be trained with time and sadly several deaths....that the intruders are cool and accepted. They are only looking out for the space that they cruise. It is only their nature until they are taught otherwise.
Sorry again about the rabbits. The cat is only being a cat.
Brent
 
I also think that the stats on indoor vs outdoor cats can be a bit misleading. A lot depends on the human element and the environment. As stated, if one keeps an outdoor cat's shots and flea treatments up to date (thank god for Frontline Plus), and neuter the cat so it's not so prone to wander, then an outdoor cat need not have a short life.

One key is to allow the outdoor cat access to get into the house at will. A cat door. Another key is to provide it with a secure outdoor area, safe from dogs and other predators.

I have two cats. Both have full access to both house and outside. The older, female cat spends nearly all her time indoors, and goes outside only occasionally - and often she wants me to accompany her when she does. The other cat spends nearly all his time outdoors, although when it's cold and rainy he'll come inside for longer periods to sleep and stay warm. It's fortunate that I have a relatively (for this area) large property on a cul-de-sac, with secure fences and a gate so that the back yard is free from dogs and other common cat predators, and the traffic in the cul-de-sac is not a threat to the cats if they venture out the front.

The outdoor cat grew up at a friend's house and his mother taught him how to catch and kill rodents. So the back yard is mouse/rat free, and he's even put a dent in the local squirrel population. I consider that a service ;-). Never seen a rabbit in the area. The indoor cat can catch things but she doesn't know how to kill them. I have rescued two hummingbirds she caught when she was younger, and brought inside, both still alive and capable of flight. Moths are another of her favorite "presents", lol...

Toggs, it's too bad you don't want a house cat. I imagine that cat would settle in very comfortably into your apt. And even though he's "tasted freedom", I suspect he'd be perfectly fine with staying in the apt 7x24 if you took care of him. But I understand not everyone wants to live with a cat.
 
Sad to say-but rabbits are PREY animals for cats,dogs,coyotes,wolves,wildcats,and even humans.
My neighbors cats mostly live outside-the main danger to them is cars.A couple have been killed by cars.Other hazards for cats in my area-besides cars and dogs-is raccoons and possums.Sometimes big snapping turtles will get them.A housecat can be a meal for a passing raccoon or possum.And both are in my neighborhood.Oh yes the neighbors cats kill birds,mice and even squirrels.Saw one of the cats grab a squirrel and kill it.Good -plenty of birds,mice and squirrels.Mice and squirrels are prey creatures just like rabbits.All three can reproduce quickly.Don't worry-moma rabbit will have another litter-and she will probably move her nest.Besides cats dogs will kill and eat baby rabbits.Tender meal for either a cat or dog.Yes,female cats especially will bring killed creatures to you-she is treating you like another cat.Both male and female cats give prey animals they caught to each other.Later to the litter.And still alive so the kittens can learn to catch and subdue their prey.All cats do this-from house cats to lions and tigers.
A great benefit from the neighbors cats-my mousetraps have been catching dust in the closet!
 
Cats n prey...

I tend to believe that nature keeps things balanced this way, so I see the Rabbits as just another part of the food chain- I also believe that if one owns a cat, they need to be responsible for it, keeping it up to date on shots, spayed etc-
It is not a comfortable thing to witness what you did, but it is just how things are....
You should also try a meal of rabbit yourself, you would probably see it a bit differently.....
 
It's just the animal's instinct, but I hate like hell seeing cats roaming the streets.

Feral cats were a big problem in my neighborhood because some idiots used to feed them. They were wild, nasty, mean and crapped and peed wherever the hell they wanted to in my backyard and elsewhere.

When I started letting my Akita hang out in the yard during the nicer weather, the problem was solved. You know, those damned cats would even go after that dog, until they learned the hard way that they didn't have a snowball's chance in hell. That's how wild and mean these cats had become, that they would try to attack a 125 pound dog.

It's really disgusting having the odor of cat crap and piss wafting through your open windows. Some people are such irresponsible pet owners to just abandon their animals and let them fend for themselves.
 
Awwww how sad!

And I am a huge cat lover, but I try my best to make sure she doesn't any defenseless birds or other animals. She has brought a couple of birds into the house but they weren't dead and were in fact uninjured. So when I let them go I got the guilty look of hurt and disappointment from Mary Jane that I gave back her gift, so to speak. So I do feel your pain Frigilux, I may also love cats, but I also do not like it when they hunt, especially when there is plenty of food for them at home!
 
My 2 cats are strictly indoor only. When I first got my cat, he wanted to go outside in the worst way. So I brought him on the deck in a major snowstorm and plopped him down! He never wanted to go back outside ever again. My parents had an indoor/outdoor cat who constantly left them "presents" on the back walkway...mice, birds, etc. Not pleasant to step on first thing in the morning when you are barefoot!
 
Raccoon aggression

Maybe the raccoons in North Carolina are more aggressive than those here in California.

I've never seen a raccoon attack a cat here. In fact, I've watched as one of my cats and a raccoon passed close by each other without any interest displayed on the part of the raccoon (the cat seemed a bit wary). I would think that a healthy cat (not declawed) would easily be able to evade a raccoon. Raccoons can't jump, although they are good climbers.

I have had problems with raccoons attacking the fish and turtles in my ponds. They also go with relish for various garden produce such as cherries or grapes. And they will attack chickens that are cornered in a coop (chicken wire does not stop raccoons). I know a couple of people who have lost their hens because they used chicken wire instead of hardware cloth for their coops.
 
Some of my neighbors warned the fellow that has the cats to try to keep them inside at night becuase of the hazard from the coons and possums.Both of those can be quite feirce-they look placid-but they can fight and take down a housecat.Coons can run-but no they don't jump.Same sort of thing with possums.Raccoons are hunted out here-breeders sell dogs bred just for that use.Same with deer-another breed for deerhunting out here.The dogs tree the coon or chase the deer to the hunter.When the coon has been treed-the hunter can shoot it.Of course I have hit both with my car-don't want to "hunt" them with my car!Those crazy critters jump in front of your car at night.I guess the raccoons are more aggressive out here-and also rabies carriers.another hazard of the coons and possums out my way.If your cat or dog is bit by either one out here-you need to have the bitten animal get his rabies shots.Could apply to people too.One of my neighbors raised chickens in my neighborhood-used to hear his roosters crow.Now I haven't heard them in a while-guess he stopped rasing them.Maybe another neighbor complained and the crowing rooster had a date with the oven!
In the case of StrongEnough78 your cat is treating you as another-or a litter of kittens-she is teaching or trying too how to subdue prey.This is something cats do-As a child my stepmoms cat would do the same thing-and as he brought you his "gift" he made the strangest "yowel" to let you know.He brought to us dead or stunned baby rabbits and squirrels,birds.
 
It's customary out here for dogs and cats to get rabies shots. I believe it's mandatory for dogs, if not also for cats. All my cats got rabies shots and regular boosters as needed.

While I might see a raccoon in SC attacking a slow, injured, or dead cat, I can't see a possum ever attacking a normal cat. Possums are just not predators that way, at least out here. Yes, they are strong, and good climbers, but quite slow and generally vegetarian, although they will also eat stuff like worms, grubs, snails, slugs.

If raccoons and possums were cat predators there'd be a lot fewer cats in this neighborhood... Now, coyotes and loose are a problem for cats, but my home is near downtown, unlikely to see any coyotes to begin with, and my property has six foot high fencing and gating so I'm not too concerned about canine intrusion of any kind. And the cats are smart enough to know where the escape routes from outside into the gated area is (I left them a small hole in one fence - too small for a dog but big enough for an average cat). There was a wild predator dog that was killing cats on the other side of town a few years ago - it made the local paper - but that dog was either captured or killed back then.
 
Sorry to say but my Yogi will chase and eat any small animal in the fenced yard...so I have learned to walk the yard first and scare off any rabbits or squirrels to escape the outside of the fence area, I do feed these little guys on the outside, to keep them there, but morning always brings them into the yard....I also have a pet bunny, and I keep him in a cage in the house, very protected, and spoiled, but I could never let anything happen to him, or any animal, if I can avoid it.....

what really gets me is people who have pets like snakes, and purchase live bunnies to feed them, I know its just the nature of the snake to eat them, but thats in the wild, where the bunny may have a fighting chance to survive, but to toss a live one into an enclosed space to be eaten and hear him scream, THAT I CANNOT TOLERATE!...that's just me...and many people may get upset over my opinion on this, but I don't care, I won't even give feeder goldfish to my oversize catfish, he's gonna have to live on the food out of the tincan!....feed your snake ROADKILL, there's already too much of that around, and it's free.....feed your snake anyway you like, just don't do it around me.....
 
On the coons and possums vs cats-I just go by what some of the neighbors and coon hunters say.If I owned any cats out here I would keep them inside.One of my neighbors that had a cat(their cat died)made up a "birdcage"type thing outside his garage his former cat could go into-the cat would be outside-but protected by the cage.
I don't want a snake in my house even if he is in a cage-How can you keep a snake as a "pet" you can't play catch with him or take him out hunting.The snake is not vey "cuddly"I think snake are WILD animals and should be outside-NOT in your home.There are plenty of snakes my way nataurally-some you don't want in the home because they are poisonous.And it become a problem if a "pet" snake gets loose in the area it really doesn't naturally live-Florida has that problem of "pet" pythons getting loose.I knew a neighbor out here that has a python and he keeps him in his cage-a 50 gal aquarium tank.the tank has a tight lid that has vents so the snake gets air-and heat lamps to keep the snake warm in the winter.He feeds it mice that he catches around the house.He uses small box type mousetraps to catch the mice live.Snakes such as pythons like live or stunned prey-they don't normally like dead prey.You can't get me to keep a snake of any sort in my place.I can enjoy them outside.Sometimes see lemon snakes in the yard-beautiful creatures-but best in the GREAT OUTDOORS!
 

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