Question:
Yesterday I was walking Hank & she caught a butterfly, damaged its wings, & left it to suffer on the ground. I had to crush it w/ my shoe to end its misery.
I wish cats weren't so cruel.


Answer:
I know what you mean.. there is a person in my building that lives on the ground floor and she has a cat door built into her window so her cats come & go.. about a month ago I noticed several nights when this cat would come over to our side of the building... the next morning I took the dogs out and found 3 baby mice dead on the grass..
Then Montana went over and peed on the dead mouse! So dogs are sometimes cruel too..


Answer:
I can see that cats will do that.. and unfortunately it is cruel..
Im glad that Aspen has not hurt any other animals or bugs since I have had him.. when he plays with a moth or fly or anything like that.. he mostly sits and watches it.. then he might pat at it.. but wont hurt it..
now.. if he got outside.. who knows what he would do to a bird... lol he likes to sit at the window and watch them very intently...


Answer:
I disagree. It's not cruel behavior. It is normal cat behavior to stalk, chase and kill....well sometimes kill I'm sure Hank wasn't thinking "I must kill this toy I was playing with to end it's suffering."


Answer:
I have to agree with CTChin....That was more instinct and playfullness than cruelty. I doubt Hank understood that she harmed the butterfly and should have not touched it to begin with or have killed it.


Answer:
yep, they do it for survival..their wild instincts tell them that these creatures could be potential food..so they practice their hunting skills on them..same thing they are doing when they play with each other, when puppies wrestle, and so on..establishing their rank in the pack, and practicing stalking and hunting skills...
they don't do it just to see something suffer


Answer:
Originally Posted by najiwench
they don't do it just to see something suffer
Unlike humans (well, some humans).


Answer:
Originally Posted by velvetrabbit
Unlike humans (well, some humans).
exactly


Answer:
Gotta agree with the instinct side as well.


Answer:
Hmmm, if it was hunting instinct, why didn't she eat it? Why did she just injure the butterfly? Poor butterfly.
Maybe I just shouldn't own carnivorous animals, it really bothers me sometimes.