Can cats hear bats?

Can domestic cats allowed outside hear bats. The answer according to a specialist bat group in Essex, UK is that they can. They say that cats can hear most bats' calls. And it seems that because they are able to pick up their sounds they may sit on a wall or a roof beneath a bat roost and catch them when they emerge which will be between dusk and dawn.

The hearing range of the cat for sounds of 70 dB SPL extends from 48 Hz to 85 kHz. Bat calls can range from 9 kHz to 200 kHz. Humans can hear from 20 Hz to 15-20 kHz depending on age

The question in the title occurred to me because we know that domestic cats have an extended hearing range to a much higher frequency than that which is afforded humans. It therefore seemed natural to me that they might be able to hear the high frequency echolocation sounds emitted by bats.

Endangered bat attacked by cat in New Zealand but made a full recovery remarkably (being fed a grub). Image: Peter Drury.

This is another problem for bats because they are active at a time when indoor/outdoor domestic cats are also active.

Also, the kind of movements that bats make - quick and jerky - are the kind to which domestic cats are very responsive.

Therefore, cats attack bats as any other prey animal. Some people might not recognise this, but the Bat Conservation Trust in the UK say that bat carers estimate that over 30% of bats that they rescue have been attacked by cats and that only 14% of bats injured by cats are released.

Over half (56%) don't survive a cat attack while 30% cannot be returned to the wild.

New Zealand are particularly sensitive about their wildlife and predation by domestic and feral cats. There is a story on the stuff.co.nz website about a bat titled "Cat victim flies free after three months recovery at Hamilton Zoo".

A cat attacked a critically endangered, native long-tail bat. They say that the bat made a miraculous recovery.

"The bat had made a remarkable recovery from its injuries and had reached the point where it needed to be returned to a suitable natural environment to live out the rest of its life".

The bat was delivered to a veterinarian who contacted Hamilton Zoo where the bat could be treated. The membrane between the right leg and her tail was torn and they were concerned that it would not reattach and therefore that she would be unable to fly.

However, their concern appears to have been unfounded because through their special care in ensuring that the membrane recovered, and in allowing her fur to regrow (because she had been injured such that she had lost her fur over parts of her body), she was able to fly and be released.

The Bat Conservation Trust state that cats do not eat bats but like to play with them. And apparently, a small amount of cat saliva in a bat's blood stream can result in an infection requiring urgent treatment without which they are likely to die.

Once a cat has learned where bats roost, they can endanger the whole colony. People concerned with the conservation of bats would like cat owners to keep their indoor/outdoor cat indoors half an hour before sunset and kept in all night when bats are most active between April and October.

If owners are reluctant to do this, they can keep their cat in half an hour before sunset and keep him or her there for an hour after sunset.

Confident and capable domestic cat brings in his kill: a squirrel

Domestic cat catches and kills squirrel. Screenshot.

It is hard for a domestic cat to catch and kill a squirrel as they are more agile than the cat which is saying something. It happens as we can see in this video clip but my bet is that most domestic cats allowed outside don't succeed in catching one. And perhaps if they do, they get bitten in the process. This boy was determined to bring his kill all the way into his den; the family home. I am sure he just dumped it down and looked at it. I'd almost guarantee that he made no attempt to eat it. The cat's name is Flint we are told. I don't know where it happened but somewhere in the UK judging by the woman's accent.

A study found that domestic cats get about 90% of the nutrition from commercial food provided by their caregiver even when they go outside to hunt. It is instinctive and a form of storing food for the future. But most of these prey animals are not eaten. Mice will often be eaten as they are tasty meal containing all the nutrients a domestic cat needs. I am sure that man domestic cats don't even bother to hunt. I feel that the estimates of domestic cats killing birds are exaggerated. They are estimates after all. It is guesswork really. I don't think cat owners believe the ornithologists when the paint a picture of bird Armageddon. 

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

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Cat eats all of mouse efficiently, no mess, leaves behind gallbladder

My cat is an incredibly efficient catcher, killer and consumer of mice. He eats the entirety of the mouse in about 60 seconds. There is almost no blood, and sometimes absolutely no blood, left on the floor and he always, or nearly always, leaves behind what I believe to be the gallbladder. That is what the photograph shows on this page. It is quite a big organ and I have always believed that domestic cats leave behind the gallbladder because the bile inside the organ is too bitter for their taste. Everything else is consumed with great cleanliness! Does your cat do the same thing?

Gallbladder left behind after my cat consumed his mouse. He eats very efficiently and cleanly. No mess. No blood and no fuss. All in 60 seconds. All you hear is the crunching of bone. Photo: MikeB.

The remarkable aspect of my cat's behaviour is the efficiency in which he eats mice. I guess it is a testament to the eons of evolution that has resulted in this pinnacle of predation and consuming. I guess that it is to be expected that he would be this efficient. Mice are top of the menu for the domestic cat. Everything that they do is geared around hunting, killing and eating mice. It is their raison d'être for living. They are, as is commonly stated, killing machines at the top of the food chain. No animal is better at killing. 

All you hear when my cat eats a mouse is the sound of the bones crunching. He starts at the head. It is remarkable that he is able to dissect out of the body everything so cleanly and leave this scrubbed gallbladder on the carpet. It is nice that I don't have to clean up after him except pick up the gallbladder and put it into a waste bin.

Of course, I dislike the whole process. I hate it when he brings in mice and eats them in my home. And of course, sometimes they escape and run under an item of furniture so I have to capture the mouse and release it. Perhaps there is no point in releasing an injured mouse because they will die anyway but I am compelled to do it. My cat is aware that I might intervene so sometimes he growls at me to tell me to go away. It is his prey animal and his alone to eat.

The worst moment is the scream a mouse emits when the killing bite is inflicted upon him. It is audible to me because the mouse is screaming at the top of his lungs. It is tragic and I hate it.