The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat by John W.S. Bradshaw & Rachel Casey & Sarah Brown

Author:John W.S. Bradshaw & Rachel Casey & Sarah Brown [Bradshaw, John W.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CABI
Published: 2012-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

Predatory Behaviour Patterns

Unlike the domestic dog, the domestic cat appears to have retained a complete repertoire of wild-type felid predatory behaviour. Once the cat has located its prey it will usually approach it rapidly in a crouching posture, the typical ‘stalking run’, making use of cover where available. On arriving within a few metres, the cat will often drop into a watching posture, in which its body is pressed flat to the ground; its forelegs are drawn back so that its forepaws are beneath its shoulders. The head is stretched forward and the ears are held erect and pointing forward. This may be followed by a second stalking run, presumably because the cat judges that the prey is not sufficiently close for an effective pounce. Once within striking distance of the prey, the cat prepares to spring, chiefly by moving its hind paws further back. While in this position, the hind feet may be raised and lowered alternately, a movement seen in a much more exaggerated form in the mock pounce of kittens, when it can cause the whole of the hindquarters to wobble violently from side to side. The smaller movements of the adult, and the tail-twitching that often also occurs at this stage, appear to be maladaptive in that either could alert the intended prey to the presence of the predator. However, both sources of movement are likely to be screened from a targeted prey at ground level by the forequarters of the cat, and so have little impact on its conspicuousness. It is possible that the ‘treading’ movements stave off fatigue in the tensed muscles of the hind legs, fulfilling a similar function to the constant changing of the stride while galloping, described in Chapter 1. Cats watching unattainable prey, such as birds that are nearby but too high up to be worth striking at, may pull back the corners of their mouths and make an irregular chattering sound with their teeth. This has been explained as a displacement activity, but since this sound is never made in any other context it does not fall within the strict definition of a displacement activity, which should be recognizably derived from behaviour patterns seen under other circumstances (McFarland, 1985), and may have some other significance.

Cats rarely pounce on their prey, the exceptions occurring in long grass or similar cover, when the forepaws are used in a feline version of the fox’s typical ‘mouse pounce’. The final approach to the prey is usually a brief sprint, and whenever possible the final spring is kept short so that both hind feet are on the ground when the front paws strike the prey. If the prey moves suddenly at this point the spring may have to be corrected, and if this results in one or both hind legs leaving the ground at the moment of impact, the strike is often clumsy, possibly giving the prey the chance to escape. During the strike the whiskers (mystacials) are directed forwards, presumably to give precise

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