/an/, I want to get a cat. What is the best way to train it into an unrepentant, vermin killing machine? I know he'll naturally seek out prey if it's there, but I want my cat to be really good at it. Can I give it bloodlust it by using practice mice? Are some breeds better hunters than others?
Or, don't do this. There are enough outdoor and/or feral cats killing birds and other wildlife
>>2019642
Yeah but those feral cats don't live in my house.
If you want a pet to go after rats and mice you want a terrier. Cats go after anything they can, not just pests. Don't contribute to the feral population's destruction of the ecosystem.
>ITT people who think the ecosystem hast already been fucked for thousands of years by human expansion
Oh those poor poor birdies and squirrels.
Let it do its own thing.
Killing is what cats do. Every cat has a strong prey drive.
You could probably buy him some feeder mice.
>What is the best way to train it into an unrepentant, vermin killing machine
The cat needs to have a high curiosity drive and a good mouser for a mother.
>Can I give it bloodlust it by using practice mice?
No
>Are some breeds better hunters than others?
No
If you want to rid yourself of vermin, get a terrier.
Cats are fickle beasts; they don't have the drive to eliminate every single rodent, they just play with whatever is around.
my old cat was a ferocious hunter, she has a ridiculous amount of kills to her name. She'd bring home full sized rabbits, chipmunks, birds, the whole nine yards. My male cat frequently hunts things but he's a little bit lazy and chill, he'd grab birds out of the air back in the day.
It really depends on the individual cat, dogs can be trained to slay, cats do so on their own accord.
>How do I train my cat to follow it's natural instincts
you are going to find that you are a very good trainer
You get a fishing rod toy and play with it. I noticed from my childhood, the really playful cats would be genocide of four legs while the non playful ones were ornaments.
Cats like to kill for fun, making moving things running away fun.
>>2019675
>every cat
Reminds me of a funny story. When I was little, I had two cats. One was a female tortoiseshell, and one was a male solid black. The female was a good mouser, and those cats adored the fuck out of each other. So one day, she caught a mouse (alive) and tried to give it to him while he was lying down in the living room.
That fat lazy fuck looked at the mouse, batted it once half-assedly, then rolled over and went to sleep. The mouse ran into the kitchen and got away, and the female seemed upset for a little while.
So no, not every cat has a strong prey drive. Most probably do, though.
>>2019634
>Are some breeds better hunters than others?
>breeds
>of cats
lol
seriously, though, it's hard to call. just get one that looks fit and healthy.
>>2019741
Out of curiousity, what is the term then? What's the categorical distinction between say, a Siamese and a Persian cat?
>>2019828
i could have been more clear. cat breeds are real, but the vast majority of cats out there are just generic cats. also, breeders really don't select for behavior or temperament. like i'm saying, just get a cat that looks like it means business.
>>2019976
It's true cats breed themselves and cat genetics have been used to track past human migrations for this reason.
However, cat genetics are a huge fustercluck and they have a lot of weird clumps of chromosomes that mean groups of traits are inherited together. In humans these would be called medical syndromes.
One for example is that tabby markings and the tendency to store or cache food often come together. White cats are often deaf, stuff like that. so you can guess a ot about a cat just by looking at it.
The Wikipedia article on cat genetics has a lot of them in it.
Females tend to be good mousers in my experience. Unneutered toms want to roam, neutered males are often lazy, females are more likely to patrol your house and thoroughly kill the shit out of everything they find. Look for an active young cat that seems keen to stalk/pounce on toys, there are no guarantees but chances are good she will go for a mouse too.
>>2020019
I can second this post. My female cat is fixed, but she is an active hunter. She chews off the wings of pigeons and leaves them flopping on the doormat for us.
If this was like medieval times, this cat would be god tier, bringing home meals to eat.
But its not those times, so its just a mess to clean
you don't need to train it to do that. thats what they do
>>2020041
This. Cats are natural predators. However, some are better at hunting than others, so in your case that'll just depend on the luck of the draw.
this bait had potential.
Female cats are good for that shit. The amount of pigeons, moles and snakes the little rascle has brought home is insane
What does it mean if my cat won't hunt? She won't even attack bugs/beetles. She doesn't like her ribbon toys either, but she likes attacking our hands.
Human-hunter?
