5/2/2023 0 Comments Prey meaningCats are far more likely to kill and consume the prey they capture if they are hungry at the point of hunting compared to if they had eaten well prior to hunting. There is one area of a cat’s hunting behaviour that is linked to hunger and that is whether a cat kills the prey they have captured. Therefore, if the opportunity to hunt presents itself a cat will partake in predatory behaviour, regardless of whether they are hungry or not at the time. As a result, cats have learnt to be opportunistic in their feeding, meaning that they will change their activity patterns depending on food availability. Similarly, there may simply not be any prey available when a cat becomes hungry. It is estimated that there is less than a fifty percent chance of success at each hunting attempt. If cats were to wait until they were hungry before hunting they would run a high risk of starving to death due to the difficult nature of hunting and capturing prey. This is because as a species that hunts alone (as opposed to in groups) cats rely solely on themselves to provide enough food. The motivation to hunt prey, however, is only partly related to hunger. When cats feel hungry, like us, they are motivated to eat food. How do domestic cats hunt?Ĭats commonly follow a set sequence of behaviours when hunting prey as described in the diagram below.Ī cat in stalking position. In fact, a cat that has no supplementary food from an owner can make as many as 10 to 20 kills each day.Īs a result of this natural feeding pattern, cats are adapted to eat small amounts of food on a frequent basis.ĭespite being specifically adapted to hunt for food, domestic cats will usually take advantage of alternative food sources that may be available, such as food found through scavenging or in the case of pet cats, food that is provided for them by their owners. Due to the small size of their prey, cats need to make several kills throughout a 24-hour period to consume their daily energy requirements. Some cats are also skilled enough to catch larger prey such as rabbits. The most common prey type for cats is small mammals and birds. As cats hunt alone their prey is small in size as this is all they are capable of catching on their own. This means that cats need to eat meat to survive and fulfil their specific and unique nutritional requirements. As we have done very little selective breeding of cats (in comparison with dogs) and generally exert little control over their breeding, the instinctive need to perform hunting behaviour remains strong.Ĭats are referred to as ‘obligate carnivores’. At this point only the best hunters were able to survive and reproduce, meaning that our pet cats today are descended from the most adept hunters. Up until fairly recent times, cats were primarily kept as pest controllers rather than companions. Much like their wild ancestors, domestic cats are specialised solitary hunters. The domestic cat is a predatory species meaning that cats hunt for their food. A question that cat owners often ask is ‘why does my cat still hunt when I provide them with cat food’? In this article, we look in greater detail at the hunting behaviour of domestic cats and explain some of the reasons why our pet cats still carry out hunting behaviour despite being fed by their owners. One of the most common changes a cat owner would make about their pet cat is their ability to hunt, especially if they find dead (or alive!) prey in their homes on a regular basis.
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