Dead kitten. Any ideas?

Panther · #1 08/01/12, 07:54 PM

DW went out to close up the shop/barn and found one of our new kittens dead on the floor.

It appears that something grabbed it by the neck. It bled out a fair bit, but there was no blood trail, so I'm assuming it was a clean kill. Definitely not a dog because access to the shop could only be made by a cat or something else of that size or smaller.

Any ideas of what kind of predator would do that? Could it have been a feral cat? I don't see any droppings to indicate a large rat. Any other ideas?

P.S. - we are in Ontario, Canada, so things like armadillos, etc. are out of the equation.

suzyhomemaker09 · #2 08/01/12, 07:55 PM

Male cats will often kill male kittens....

Panther · #3 08/01/12, 07:58 PM

What's even more bizarre is that for the last 3 weeks, I've had chicks in 2 brooder boxes with the lids left open (because of this heat wave) and NOTHING has touched them. Purely by coincidence, I moved them to pasture about an hour or so before the kitten kill.

**Ross** · #4 08/01/12, 07:58 PM

Male cat is a real possibility. Could be a coon too

Smalltowngirl · #5 08/01/12, 08:00 PM

Weasel?? Those little buggers can kill very quickly.

||Downhome|| · #6 08/01/12, 08:04 PM

not that I really like the posts above,just showing I agree with them!

Panther · #7 08/01/12, 08:05 PM

Didn't think of a weasel, but I did think of a coon. This happened at 7p.m. broad daylight. So I'm thinking the coon idea may not be right.

In any case, if it was a weasel or coon, wouldn't they try to take the kill or try to eat it?

The killer male cat idea seems to fit, if it's true about cat's killing kittens, as we have had strays enter the barn before. On the other hand, I've personally never heard of a cat killing a kitten before.

Hrrrmmmm...coincidentally, the kitten WAS a male....

plowjockey · #8 08/01/12, 08:08 PM

Most wild animals usually don't kill, without eating.

I'd vote for a tom cat.

Tomcats might kill a whole kitten litter, both male and female, they have not fathered.

That will bring the mom back into heat, so he can try his luck with her.

Smalltowngirl · #9 08/01/12, 08:10 PM

I had a weasel kill young goslings and leave them all behind. The dang thing was able to squeeze in between the wood fence & the gate.frame.

Was the kitten still warm or had it been killed quite a while before?? Maybe you or something scarred the predator off before it got a chance to eat.

BethW · #10 08/01/12, 09:24 PM

Weasels will kill for fun and not eat the kill.

luvrulz · #11 08/01/12, 09:37 PM

My thoughts lead to the weasel too - I had one squeeze into my hen house and kill several hens and leave the carcasses! Sucked the blood out like a vampire and just leave the bodies. And yes, they can squeeze into any sliver of space like a cock roach!

CarolT · #12 08/01/12, 10:49 PM

My vote goes to tomcat. Have had several kill kittens when I was a kid and none of our barn cats were spayed, therefore we had a lot of cats and lots of toms coming around. Never had a weasel kill any that we knew of, though I guess some of the unknown deaths might have been...

wogglebug · #13 08/02/12, 01:25 AM

I know TomCats can do it, although I've never had the bad luck to encounter such murderous Toms in my own life. I also know that weasels will kill for blood, suck the blood, and have done with it. I want to think weasel, although the fact that baby birds were safe until a kitten went in there tends to indicate ...

dixieland · #14 08/02/12, 10:52 AM

could be a BIG snake.

emdeengee · #15 08/02/12, 01:28 PM

If you are in Ontario skunks could be a definite possibility.

beowoulf90 · #16 08/02/12, 02:46 PM

A male cat, or a female cat (not the mother, but with kittens of her own) or even the mother if the kitten was the runt or ill.

That is why it wouldn't be eaten..

A coon or weasel will eat the kitten or at least partially..

Macybaby · #17 08/02/12, 07:13 PM

I"ll vote for tom cat too, I've lost way more kittens to Toms than anything else.
Growing up on the farm, we'd get so upset to go out to the barn and find dead kittens, they always go for the neck, and if the kittens are real small, we've even found them decapitated.

Last time it happened a few years ago, and DH heard some cat screeching and ran out, and found a feral Tom running out of the cat door in the rabbit shed. Mom cat was inside trying to defend them, but unfortunately all five kittens were killed. Tom cat didn't last much longer either.

Panther · #18 08/02/12, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macybaby

I"ll vote for tom cat too, I've lost way more kittens to Toms than anything else.
Growing up on the farm, we'd get so upset to go out to the barn and find dead kittens, they always go for the neck, and if the kittens are real small, we've even found them decapitated.

Last time it happened a few years ago, and DH heard some cat screeching and ran out, and found a feral Tom running out of the cat door in the rabbit shed. Mom cat was inside trying to defend them, but unfortunately all five kittens were killed. Tom cat didn't last much longer either.

Interesting! This kitten looks like it bled out from a neck/jugular attack. I am pretty convinced now that it was most likely a Tom.

The only odd thing is that there is no mother on the property. We got the 2 kittens from a farm about 5 miles away. We need some barn cats and they had free kittens. I had no idea they would be in danger.

CarolT · #19 08/02/12, 09:27 PM

If they are very young yet, it's possible the tom _thought_ there would be a female. Watch the other kitten and if the tom shows up, I'd probably trap him and take him to a shelter. Hopefully, you'll find some more barn cats. They're all over around here right now.