We got Spud when our much loved cat, Smurf, got run over. We nicknamed Smurf “Death Cat” because he was such a good hunter.
Spud is better.
Spud is a killer cat.
Soon after letting him out he was bringing home 8-10 mice and birds a day. Yep, you read that right. And he was bringing them into the house.
Some were alive, some were dead. But there were lots.
We have a long galley-style utility room which has the door with the cat flap in it. We hut him in there for a few days and gradually he brought less and less home. When it got down to 1 every couple of days, we let him back in the house.
It was ok for a while. But then he started bringing a mouse or a bird in each day
Then a mole
Sometimes I have the chance to rescue them. But most of the time, if I do, he brings them back again – usually dead. That’s what happened with the mole.
The second time I drove it to a local woods.
A week later there was a dead mole in the utility room. I choose to believe it was a different one.
Now we have entered bunny season.
Last Friday he brought a baby bunny in. It was still very much alive.
I took it off him but didn’t want to let it go for him to catch it and eat it.
I kept it all day in a crate thinking that maybe I could let it go in the evening. But I would have to take it some distance and wasn’t sure if that would be its best chance of surviving.
So I kept it. I bought a small cage and some hay and food for it.
The next day it was still alive. It had drunk the water and eaten the food.
Same again the day after.
I wasn’t sure what to do with it but I ordered a big hutch because I thought that at least I could keep it until it was a bit bigger. Spud only seems to catch the baby bunnies.
I shut Spud in the utility room for a couple of days.
When I let him out he came back in with another live baby bunny.
I put it with the other one. Again it survived and ate and drank. At least now they had each other for company.
I shut Spud out again.
When I next went to the utility room I had to chuck away 2 half eaten baby bunnies. Not pleasant.
Then the hutch arrived.
The first rabbit, called Clank, has really settled in. Its ears are up and it’s running around. When we went to say goodnight to them at the little one’s bedtime, it was downstairs in the hutch.
The second rabbit, Clunk, has started to prick its ears up too. They both seem to be doing very well.
Now I know that they are wild and it is stressful for them.
I know most don’t even survive the first 24 hours. But Clank has survived a week and is looking well and Clunk is really perking up too.
I still am likely to have a problem if they are a boy and girl. One will have to be released. But hopefully it will be big enough then.
And if they both don’t make it, we’ll get another pet rabbit, but it will be a shame. I am just trying to do everything I can to help them to survive because I am not heartless enough to release them and let Spud scoff them up.
I know I am getting criticism for this. But I feel I am doing the best I can for them. And the little one understands that they might die, that we might have to release one or both of them – but if not…we have a little time with some lovely bunnies.
