Shrews!

[angieh]

Following on from Matron's account of Welsh Merlin catching a shrew, I thought I had read that although cats commonly catch and kill shrews, they don't actually eat them.

I found this website:

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/pygmy_shrew.shtml

It seems that shrews are unpalatable as a consequence of the scent glands on the flanks.

Seems a bit of a dead end evolutionary-wise. If you have been killed, what's the point of not being eaten?

Have any of your cats killed and eaten a shrew?

[dinahsmum]

Killed yes - eaten no
The sharp-nosed bodies remain as offerings outside the door.
They are very feisty little fighters, poor things. Maybe that is the attraction for our nasty hunters?

[meep]

Yep, my girl Sophie at home used to proudly bring home 5 or 6 shrews a night, never eaten. I agree on the strange survival tactic there Angie, maybe the shrews were planning that one bad catch would put cats off hunting shrews forever more. Evidently didn't work!

[dandysmom]

Originally Posted by meep

Yep, my girl Sophie at home used to proudly bring home 5 or 6 shrews a night, never eaten. I agree on the strange survival tactic there Angie, maybe the shrews were planning that one bad catch would put cats off hunting shrews forever more. Evidently didn't work!

That's an excellent observation, Meep! Sort of like the Viceroy butterfly mimicing the Monarch, as the latter is unpalatable to birds. I can't remember if my childhood hunter ever brought home shrews, but all his prey was uneaten. We have shrews here also, I occasionally saw one when playing in the woods as a child.

[Natalie]

I live not far from a stream and on a flood plain so shrews are a very common sight. Mine like to catch and play and not eat.

I used to have a Black kitten called Zulu who used to catch birds and pull their wings off and just watch them struggle Sadly he got knocked down by a car at just 1 years old!

[Moli]

My boys have caught them, but like others never eaten them either...

[cats' staff]

Caught. Yes.
Brought inside to run away, crawl inside an armchair die and fester. Yes
Cause humans to virtully rip apart living room to find source of smell. Yes
Eat. No

Shrews are insectivores so stink to high heaven when they go 'off'. Carnivores and insectivores stink more than ominvores and vegetarians. If anyone REALLY wants to know how I know this PM me and I'll tell you about a strange job I used to have.

[calismum]

Alfie catches, torments, kills and leaves untouched on the doorstep.

I remember Sid upchucking something he had not long eaten and OH saying it was probably a shrew? Never seen him doing it again, no proof it was tho' could have been vole or mouse.