On the question of unnatural cat owners, I remember visiting a friend in Boston who shared a house with a cat owner. The cat was the biggest cat I have ever seen- to say it was obese would be a vast understatement. Anyway the cat spent all day everyday under a side table and at night in her owners bedroom. It never came out voluntarily. When I questioned it, the cat owner told me the cat was on anti-depressants, and had been for a number of years. A depressed cat. If it had been mine, I would have had it put down, poor miserable animal. What kind of quality of life was that?
Our cat ( and I say that reluctantly as he has forcably adopted us) brings all sorts of lovely presents. This morning it was a rat, two days ago a magpie, at the weekend I saw him toying with yet another mouse. He comes up with much more field mice than anything else, a few small birds, but they are few and far between. Hate seeing them, but hate seeing pygmy shrews even more. He doesnt eat anything except the mice. But thats nature, isn't it? He's a real hunting cat. If I kept him indoors, I am sure he would be miserable. My neighbour has several cats and they all have very distinct personalities- she has two that would happily laze around her house all day, and a couple more that spend most of their time outdoors, coming in only to feed. As she is a farmer, they are working farm cats, keeping the rodent population down.