Question:
Hi! I know this is probably a silly question, but does anyone have any ideas on how to keep my cat from killing baby rabbits? My cat, Boo, is a great hunter. I got him to be my barn cat (along with his brother, Pumpkin, who ran away). Anyway, last year, the two of them did a great job of keeping the mice and rats away from the barn. But this year, Boo is on a wildlife rampage. There was a mother rabbit who hung out in my yard a good bit. Every day in the late afternoon/evening I would see her and eventually she was less nervous about me - allowing me to walk past her one night within four feet. That night I did not call Boo in for the night and the next morning the mother rabbit was dead in the back yard. Within the last 2 weeks I have found this rabbit, a full grown bird, a baby bird and Boo has gotten three baby bunnies that I know of. Oh! I did see him with one rat also. You would think he never gets fed his cat food! Last night I was horrified to see him coming out of the field carrying something that I hoped was a rat. He brought it up to the yard and it was a bunny and he was intent on eating it, even though I tried to get him to leave it, he had no part of giving it up.

I know it is a cat's nature to hunt and I can't get him to understand to only hunt rats/mice. But he seems to have taken a liking to the baby bunnies and I wish he would leave those alone. Suggestions?

Answer:
Cats are the ultimate predators and there is no way to keep them from killing creatures you like and to only kill the ones you don't like. It has nothing to do with how much you're feeding them.

You did say you got him to be a barn cat and hunter so that's what he's doing.

Baby bunnies are very easy prey and the only way to stop this is to keep your cat in the house.

Answer: