Come spring I am thinking of gettinga cat. The main reason for this is if anyone recalls my mutt got bit by a copperhead this past fall. I know we have a huge chipmunk population and since I built a garden for the wife I have started seeing a few rabbits(and we know how they multiply).

This will be an outdoor cat only(access to my garage in cold weather). I am basically looking for a hunter and I do not need some exotic but I know nothing about cats. Would one from the ASPCA do this job or should I be looking for something specific. I live in south central PA, in a wooded area.

Any help would be appreciated.

thanks

39

As a cat owner and lover my entire life, I'm not sure how to respond to this.  You can't guarantee that a cat is going to be a hunter.  Many are, but just as many have no interest.  I'd also be concerned that your cat would be prime bait for a larger predator, a coyote, fisher, etc.

My cats have always been pets.  Doesn't sound like that's what you want.  Maybe you could adopt a feral cat from a shelter.  

Buy a Browning T-bolt 22 LR instead and set on your porch or in the garage to keep the rabbit/chipmunk/snake population in check. Keep the cat inside as a reloading or TV buddy.

I'd say most places are going to be hesitant to adopt out a cat only to have it spend most of it's time outside.  A large majority of cats available will have probably never been taught to properly hunt and could even by declawed by the time you would get to them.

I am thinking along those lines as I just asked over in the suppressor forum about a bolt action .22. never really thought about the "taught to hunt" i was just thinking it was inherent. That is why I am asking, guess will do more thinking

thanks

39

crap had i known that another ARFCOMER was looking for a good outdoor cat to hunt I would have let you take one of the alley cats we captured and had fixed.

....we have kittens in our garage but I don't think they'd make for good hunters...we took them pretty young and they're more socialized then you're probably looking for