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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (22074)	5/24/1998 7:29:00 PM
From: Grainne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

X, which apes kill simply for sport? I am not familiar with any, and would like to know more. Are you saying they do not eat any part of their victims? Cats APPEAR to kill for sport, because they seem to toy with the hunted during the process. However, my understanding is that this can sometimes be traced to feelings of uncertainty and anxiety in the cat, who is a little afraid and unsure at this point. It has also been observed that cats who do not really prefer a particular kind of animal (white rats, for example) will take longer to kill it, similar to when a child pushes yucky food around on the plate before finally eating it. And I wonder if an animal who does sometimes depend on the hunt for survival might need to keep its hunting skills sharp by staying in practice. I think you are right about your observation, but is the animal really killing for sport or self-preservation? Domestic house cats have hard wiring that is a little confused. They have the instinct to hunt, and nibble and chew at their victims, but also love to present them as gifts to their owners. I believe they are trying to communicate that hunting is a much more efficient way of bringing home food than working very hard for the money all day and then lugging bags home from the supermarket. And they want to give something back to their owners, for taking such wonderful care of them.