It's not like we don't give him any toys to play with. That box has a toy hamster in it that makes noises and runs around. Rufus loves it and so does his sister.
And this one that Bonnie is so interested in has dried cat food and cats' treats in it.
But no, he has to make his own entertainment. So this morning I found him on the doormat in the hall, with a small limp animal between his paws. Poor little thing, it was the size of a large mouse but completely bald. I picked it up to put it in the bin and found it was breathing!
I rang the vet (veterinary surgeon) and they said I could take it in. It turns out to be a baby squirrel. I don't know what will happen to it.
Sometimes I don't like cats.
20 COMMENTS:
Awwww a baby squirrel - oh poor little thing.
I do so understand. I love and loved all my cats, all of them but one aspect of their character - the hunt and not-kill but nearly kill and play with these poor little creatures - is something I can never ever live with, ever. And the creatures are always, always the most helpless - baby birds, tiny mice, tiny frogs. Really awful. :-(
I hope the little baby squirrel survives. I hope so.
Take care
x
oh, man. what a way to start the day! I hate this too, but they're just programmed this way.
Kitty, I just wish they could stop hunting when they're so well fed. The squirrel didn't make it. I feel sad.
MotherRP, I know they can't help it but it's a real downer.
Well done you for picking it up. I would have run out of the house in terror!
Ann, I couldn't leave it there. I felt so sorry for it.
Mine had a baby bunny. Fit in the palm of my hand with room to spare. I kept the cats inside and let it go at the edge of the nearby field. Kind of crossed my fingers it would find its way home. At least it didn't appear to be hurt. My cats were not happy about being kept inside.
And now I only have indoor cats. Too dangerous for them outside here. Except I do feed the ferals and they do keep the rat population in check.
Sarah, this one was too young to be let go. It could barely move. I've kept the cats in today, in case there are more in the nest (do squirrels have nests?) but I don't know what I'll do tomorrow.
Geoff does a great line in bacon rind and vol au vents. Sometimes it pays to have a cat so spectacularly useless — though to date I haven't earned a bean from her futile exploits.
If you can't afford a vet who might not be able to help, you could visit Mahalo. Good luck to the little squirrel.
i'll take a cat over a rodent, any time!
Whirl, maybe you could get Geoff to have a word with him.
David, I'd never heard of Mahalo so thank you. (The vet doesn't charge for attempting to rescue wild animals.)
laughingwolf, you have a point but I always feel so sad for the little creatures. It's not as if Rufus is hungry!
We had a kitten (who sadly tried to take on a full-speed car) who brought in half-eaten sparrows. Except when he had a stomach virus and was supposed to only eat this (vile) pate to help him get better. On that occasion, all I found was the beak.
What was the Pratchett quote about cats? He had it right, I reckon.
(I still want another cat, though)
sylvia, it's sad about the kitten. I wouldn't mind so much if Rufus brought in dead prey, as he has before. It's dealing with suffering animals that I find so stressful. If only I wasn't so tired.
Hello,
Baby squirrels need special care. Please visit this site: http://www.thesquirrelboard.com/forums/index.php
Go to the Baby Squirrels ABC's
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=255
It has a lot of links of places where you learn about what to feed babies and so forth.
Hope this helps!
Hi notesfromnadir!
Thank you for the links. I've popped across and it looks like people do some wonderful things for baby squirrels. We are lucky that our vet will take care of the squirrels for us, although sadly they have been too ill to nurse back to health. (UK vets don't charge for taking on sick wildlife.)
Hi fairyhedgehog,
Thank you for responding as I was concerned about the poor little squirrels. They are so fragile at that age.
It's great that your vet will take care of squirrels and as an added bonus they don't charge for this.
I hope your squirrels get better soon.
Wife dragged my happy little butt out of bed on Friday to rescue a possum that had been hit by a car. I just called the wildlife center and he didn't make it. So it's not just the cats that make life hell for the little wild ones.
Thank you, notesfromnadir. I worry about the squirrels too.
Sarah, I hadn't thought about it being not just cats that are hard on wildlife. I'm sorry you had to deal with that.
You probably won't thank me for this but:
http://thebloggess.com/?p=5074
sylvia, I'd never heard of night squirrels! Eek!
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