Why does the cat catch the mouse instead of eating it and play with it? And why doesn’t the mouse know how to run away, leaving the cat to practice? Let’s talk about this interesting topic.
It is a natural law that mice are afraid of cats. This kind of fear engraved in their genes allows a kitten to suppress a mouse that is bigger than itself. Is this the so-called bloodline suppression? In fact, mice are very afraid of the smell of cats, and this fear is genetic.
Mice have two olfactory organs, one is the nose and the other is the vomeronasal organ. The vomeronasal organs are a pair of blind sacs in front of the nasal cavity, which contain some special chemoreceptors that can sense pheromones, which are pheromones, substances that transmit information between animals.
Rats could smell the pheromones emitted by cats through the vomeronasal apparatus, and those who smelled cats and knew how to escape survived, while those who were not afraid of cat odors were eaten. So after natural selection, the fear of cat smell is engraved in the mouse’s genes, so today’s mice are naturally afraid of cats.
There are not many animals in the cat’s diet, such as birds and fish, as long as they can be caught, they can become the cat’s prey, but why do cats have a soft spot for mice? They seem to prefer catching mice to eat. The reason is that mice have a special substance, taurine, which is necessary for cats to improve their night vision.
When the taurine in cats decreases, their night vision ability decreases, and cats cannot synthesize taurine themselves, so they can only supplement the substance by preying on taurine-containing prey, such as mice.
So this kind of cat eats the mouse, and the relationship between the mouse and the cat is formed, and it is all the information engraved in the genes. It is not surprising that the kitten catches the big mouse.
But sometimes, after catching a mouse, the cat is not in a hurry to eat it, but “plays” with the mouse, or is one-sided entertainment. Why is this? I think there are three main reasons
The cat eats too much
I have to say that cats are living a very comfortable life now. They not only eat well, sleep warmly, but also have all kinds of toys to play with. The shit shovel officer has to accompany them for entertainment. Cats living in this environment , less likely to be hungry.
However, most cats will not lose their instinct to catch mice because of this. When they encounter a mouse, they will jump on it without hesitation and capture the mouse. And after catching the mice, they are not in a hurry to eat them, most likely because they are full of cat food
Cats use mice as toys
Friends who keep cats know that throwing a ball of yarn can make cats play for a long time, not to mention the mice that are always alive and kicking. Although cats are anxious to eat mice, they use mice as toys, and sometimes use mice to contact their hunting skills, let them go, and then catch them back.
Plus, if it’s a nursing mother cat, they’re likely to bring the mice back so the kittens can practice their mouse-catching skills. Although kittens are unfamiliar or even afraid of mice most of the time, under the training of the mother cat, kittens can quickly master the ability to catch mice.
The cat-and-mouse battle may not be over
Have you ever noticed that cats are usually alive if they don’t eat mice, and cats won’t eat mice until they choke their throats. After all, it hurts when a mouse bites in a hurry. So the cat is anxious to eat the mouse, probably because the fight isn’t over yet, or it doesn’t want to.
The cat and the mouse are also very cautious when they “play”. Under their seemingly careless actions, they are actually paying attention to the mouse’s movements all the time. Once the mouse wants to escape, the cat will immediately catch it back.
