{"id":36358,"date":"2024-05-02T18:03:37","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T16:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/20052783-35cf-4c93-be9a-69e0efdba1c2"},"modified":"2024-05-02T18:39:26","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T16:39:26","slug":"how-can-i-stop-my-cat-hunting-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/how-can-i-stop-my-cat-hunting-wildlife\/","title":{"rendered":"How can I stop my cat hunting wildlife?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\">From enrichment activities to indoor stimulation, learn humane methods to redirect their natural instincts and foster a harmonious environment for both your pets and local wildlife. <\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By <\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Thursday, 02 May 2024 at 16:03 PM<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p><strong>If you&#8217;re looking for clever tips to keep your feline friend entertained while respecting the local wildlife, we&#8217;re here to help. Say goodbye to unwanted surprises with these savvy solutions from PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing.<\/strong><\/p><p>While not all cats will hunt wildlife, given the opportunity some will. Cats rarely hunt because they\u2019re hungry as hunting is a natural part of being a cat and it\u2019s important for their mental health.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/why-do-cats-pounce\">Why do cats pounce?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/why-can-only-big-cats-roar\">Why can only big cats roar?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/savannah-cats-as-pets\">Savannah cats as pets: the alarming rise in popularity of keeping hybrid cats<\/a><\/li><\/ul><p>However, this definitely doesn\u2019t have to mean hunting and killing wildlife though! There are lots of things owners can do to allow their cats to hunt while still protecting wildlife. Here are Nina&#8217;s top tips:<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-stop-cats-hunting-wildlife\">How to stop cats hunting wildlife<\/h2><ul><li>Keep your cat indoors at dawn and dusk &#8211; the prime hunting time for cats\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li>Avoid feeding birds in your garden where your cat can easily reach\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li>Feed them little and often on diets that are higher in protein \u2013 puzzle feeders can be great\u00a0<\/li><li>Ensure they have lots to keep them entertained at home. Here&#8217;s some ideas for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/6-key-behaviours-that-reveal-the-wild-ancestry-of-your-cat\">homemade cat toys <\/a>that will entertain felines for hours.\u00a0<\/li><li>Play with them using toys that mimic their prey behaviour to satisfy their natural desire to hunt \u2013 short sessions of play are best&#8230; and don&#8217;t forget to finish with a small reward.<\/li><\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-does-a-bell-help-stop-cats-killing-wildlife\">Does a bell help stop cats killing wildlife?<\/h2><p>Whilst bells attached to cat collars could help to alert wildlife to a cat&#8217;s presence, it\u2019s important to be aware that bells can be hazardous to your cat. <\/p><p>Just like the potential risks associated with collars \u2013 they should always have a quick release catch \u2013 bells can also easily get caught, causing your cat to become stuck, so only attach them to collars that easily release.\u00a0<\/p><p>In fact, many cats continue to hunt and kill successfully despite wearing a bell \u2013 as they tend to hunt by staying completely still then pouncing suddenly when they spot \u2018prey\u2019, so the bell is often not enough warning.<\/p><p><strong>Love cats? Check out our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\">pets<\/a>\u00a0section for advice on cat care, from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/apple-news\/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas-on-dogs\">how to take your cat to the vet without stress<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/apple-news\/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas-on-dogs\"><strong>how to get rid of fleas<\/strong><\/a> <strong>and even<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\/stop-cats-pooping-in-garden\"> how to stop cats pooping in your garden<\/a><\/strong><\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><p><strong>About the PDSA<\/strong><\/p><p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pdsa.org.uk\/\">\u00a0PDSA<\/a>\u00a0is the UK&#8217;s leading vet charity, providing free and low-cost treatment to pets in need. PDSA vets and vet nurses provide veterinary care and advice to sick and injured pets whose owners otherwise couldn\u2019t afford to pay the full cost of treatment.<\/p><p>To find out more about cats, including feeding, health and behaviour, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/protect-eu.mimecast.com\/s\/GyWBC29DPc84pDVFnqfMf?domain=pdsa.org.uk\">pdsa.org.uk\/cats<\/a><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From enrichment activities to indoor stimulation, learn humane methods to redirect their natural instincts and foster a harmonious environment for both your pets and local wildlife. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":36359,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/05\/how-can-i-stop-my-cat-hunting-wildlife.jpg",2122,1413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/05\/how-can-i-stop-my-cat-hunting-wildlife-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/05\/how-can-i-stop-my-cat-hunting-wildlife-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/05\/how-can-i-stop-my-cat-hunting-wildlife-768x511.jpg",768,511,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/05\/how-can-i-stop-my-cat-hunting-wildlife-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/05\/how-can-i-stop-my-cat-hunting-wildlife-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/05\/how-can-i-stop-my-cat-hunting-wildlife-2048x1364.jpg",2048,1364,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"From enrichment activities to indoor stimulation, learn humane methods to redirect their natural instincts and foster a harmonious environment for both your pets and local wildlife.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/36358"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}