Do you let your cats catch mice - and eat them?

Nope. I don't have mice but if I did, I wouldn't let my cats eat them. Rodents and other small prey are a great way for cats to get worms among many other parasites and diseases. My kitties have plenty of things to chase and attack that don't harbor potential illness.

That's not to say I don't understand the whole "barn cat" concept - obviously a cat acquired as a mouser has to be allowed to chase and eat mice. That's just not my particular situation.

Many farmers keep cats just for the purpose of controlling the mouse population. Mice can destroy grain and crops that would be used for cattle or sold for food. The only harm that the cats may experience is an increased risk of catching a harmful disease from the mice they are eating or getting a case of worms from their raw diet. Annual check up at the vets would help keep these problems in check. I knew someone who never feed their cats near the house. They only feed them a little food every once in a while just so the cats would stay in their barns and they let the cats catch the rest of their meals.

I think you do the right thing in taking the mice away i mean if you live next to a field and all the pesticides are used there and also the do carry diseases and if your cats eat them they might catch the disease but if you really think they want to eat mice and you are fine with it they are really cheap at the pet store so you can always buy the mice because then you know for sure they are healthy and disease free

It's totally normal for cats to eat mice, birds or other small animals. It may seem cruel or disgusting to us, but cats are some of the most successful predators in the animal kingdom. They actually get more of the nutrients they need from eating what they kill than they do from the commercial food we feed them. Even cats that are kept indoors all their lives will hunt, kill and eat insects they find inside. I've had cats who would eat whatever they killed and not touch cat food and I've also had cats who killed things but only ate cat food. It's probably just a matter of preference and nothing to be concerned about. And they'll keep the rodent population down for you!

All cats are natural predators. For house cats or barn cats to catch their food it gives them exercise and nutrition that there body is made for (hunting and consuming raw meat that has the nutrients they nee most.) With wild and domestic animals, they will rarely have a desire to eat something that is going to be harmful to them. You can be especially sure of this if they avoid the processed food you give them and continue to eat small wild animals. In fact, felines are actually obligate carnivores, meaning their system can not easily process vegetation.

I recommend reading the article on wikipedia.org called Cats. The section "Feeding and diet" should answer any other questions along this line.

I live in a rural area and have 5 indoor cats.

Sometimes mice find a way to get inside.

4 were raised eating cat food so they only play with the mouse till it's dead.

Our black cat was a stray and when he gets a mouse he eats most of it. He doesn't eat the back legs or tail.

He probably was a barn kitten so his mom showed him how to hunt and how to eat what he caught.

This is nature cats do eat mice and small prey.Cats look after them selves especially farm cats. I am sorry but you cannot change nature ,because you or anyone doesnt like it. Animals do what is in their nature,as a bird of prey eats other birds. you live with the cat,the cat does not live with you.

I wouldn't for two reasons...I'd feel bad ('cause cats play with their food too much before actually killing it) and also because I'd be afraid the mouse was carrying harmful bacteria. You never know what mice/rats get into.

My cats are indoor and lazy, and couldn't kill a fly to survive :-P

Yes,I do.I think this is normal as cats can hunt by it selves.Moreover,we can make our home free from mice without have to use trap or something like that.

Yes they can eat the mice.

Country cats eat mice and/or rats.

I live in the suburbs, but my cat catches possums, birds, rats...and eats them too...proudly. He is of optimum health and full of life.

I wouldnt worry and let them be cats :-)