Hi, I’m Dr. Maja! Read my introduction to learn more about me and Miki, the kitten who made me a cat person.
My two kittens are now around seven months old, coming up to eight. They go out almost every day and have a window open in the bathroom so they can choose how long they want to stay outside. My third cat, Miki, now coming up to two years old, is a frequent outgoer and does love to hunt. He tends to bring his kill close to the house and devour it, leaving body parts as presents. The kittens have not yet started doing the same, but they are slowly showing an interest in everything insect-wise.
Kittens Can Growl
In the almost 2 years of having Miki, I have heard him growl maybe 3-4 times. This was usually associated with him sensing the presence of the neighbour’s dogs close by and acting very protective and watchful of his territory. But the kittens can growl, too. The first time I noticed it was when Minnie came back inside through the open window, clearly carrying something in her mouth. I didn’t think much of it, as it looked like a toy until she started getting very excited about it. Then it hit me. It was a dead mouse. My best bet was that Miki brought it and was too full to eat it, or Minnie stole it off him. As soon as I got near her to take the mouse away, she growled and tried to run off. I couldn’t believe it.
Nara did the same once as well, but her ambitions are more modest. She had an insect in her mouth, a type of moth, and took it up to the loft while growling and not letting anyone near. She devoured it, of course. But the whole notion of growling I still find quite peculiar, considering I have never had cats before and couldn’t imagine cats would do it in order to protect their prey.
Poor Insects
Both the kittens and Miki wear collars with bells, in the hope of scaring the small mammals away and making them heard before they can do any damage. But Minnie has now developed a keen interest in insects, from flies, ants, to butterflies. Luckily, she doesn’t catch them often, but she loves bringing them inside the house, which I am less than thrilled about. Here she releases them and plays with them until she catches them again and eats them. It was strange looking at this scenario for the first time, always thinking of Minnie as my fragile little kitten. But now, growing up, she does what cats do best, and that is hunting. At least she is making a real effort, but fortunately, she remains pretty unsuccessful as of yet.
Hunter Gatherer
Another peculiar thing Minnie started doing was gathering various little twigs and leaves and bringing them inside. As a sort of collection. Initially, I thought she had found it inside until I saw her carry a little twig up through the window. Nara does something similar, and that is carrying her toys around, even all the way up to the cat tree, where she then plays with them. Miki never did this. He loved to play with his toys on a wand and bat toy mice around the floor, but would rarely carry them around. He certainly never showed an interest in carrying in twigs and leaves. I wonder if this is because the kittens have not been going out much in the first few months due to winter weather, while Miki was a summer kitten and out almost from day one.
As much as it bothers me when cats catch and kill small animals, often for sport rather than survival, it’s their instinctive behavior that can only be stopped if they stay inside. Watching how much fun they’re having exploring the outdoors, sticking together like two real sisters, and knowing they are reasonably safe where we live, I know I can’t take that opportunity away from them. I can only try and steal their prey while it’s still alive.
- Read her previous article: Automatic Cat Feeders: A Review from Two Kittens
- Read her next article: Cats and Bonding: What Is Allogrooming?
Kittens Can Growl
