Kitten learning to hunt from older cat?

[Hilary]

Our little boy kitten had his first introduction to a real mouse the other day. The female kitty often likes to present me with her latest accomplishment, accept her praise, toss it around a few times then eat it.

The other night she brought one in, did her usual “see what I did!!!” routine, but instead of eating it, left it on the floor and hopped up on the desk. The kitten had been lurking when she was on the floor with the mouse, and once she left it he got curious. She watched him and never got possessive of it - which was odd, she and he are still sorting out how to get along. HER food, HER person, HER bed…

So he had a grand old time with this new ‘toy’, didn’t seem interested in eating it, but when I tried to get close to him, he did that thing they do with prey where he picked it up, gave me that look that said MINE! and hustled off where I couldn’t reach him. He doesn’t do that with his other toys. (he did leave it long enough that we could toss it - no decaying mouse under the bed)

I can’t help but think the older cat was sharing/introducing him to hunting. Maybe that’s anthropomorphizing, but I hope not.

Do they teach one another how to hunt? Or is mousing innate? He likes to catch bugs in the house. We don’t let him outside yet.

[hoopoe]

yes absolutely . Most predators use this technique. It can take some time before the youngster connects the item with food

[JumpQH]

I have seen shows where predator parents will bring home a wounded prey and let the babies mess with it to train them. Pretty neat stuff!

[Kimstar]

We had a half-Siamese humane society reject years ago who was at least 1 1/2 years old when we got him. He’d lived in the city and had absolutely NO idea that the grass on a lawn could be more than 1/4 inch high and contain bugs that could be chased. (Sad really, and his paws turned out to have pink pads after the soot form his former life wore off.) He’d been someone’s house cat as he’d been neutered but all he knew was that food came from people. (He was good at mooching.)

He had no clue about hunting except the natural instinct that cats have to chase things and be attracted to movement. We saw him take hunting lessons from two other adult cats who lived in our neighbourhood, in the empty lot across the street from our house. You’d see them sitting in a triangle about 30 feet from each other, watching the grass intently for rodents and other prey. Occasionally, one cat would pounce on something. No fighting over it either. He did learn and brought home many “trophies” over the years.

[Big_Grey_hunter]

Absolutely! That’s how mama teaches them to hunt. She brings dead, then wounded prey and lets them play with it.

Big cats do it too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9nmWneoWOY

[RPM]

Mama kitties teach their kittens to hunt, so I would say your girl kitty has those maternal instincts for this little boy. Good for her!

I am glad you have two mousers on your hands!

[Hilary]

Our old man was a great mouser before he lost his lower fangs. Now he sort of gums the slow ones to death when he’s having a good day. He once caught a huge rat (in the house, gah…) and couldn’t quite kill it - stood there with it in his mouth, trying to chomp harder but his expression was clearly “could I have a bit of help with this one?”

So little one will have some good mentors, but it was sweet that the girl did it as she has had little time for the whippersnapper until this.