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Old January 8th, 2011, 02:24 PM
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mhikl mhikl is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Calgary, Canada
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Cool Scardey-Cat and Scardey Dog

Quote:
Originally Posted by pbpatti View Post
. . . tr(ied) to imagine Sasha chasing a little bitty mouse around a room for her dinner...nah I don't think she would go for it.
Namaste, pbpatti

I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but you have a scaredy-cat. I have a scaredy-dog. It’s all apart of habitual human interference (with kind intentions, of course). It took Sadie a day or two to get used to raw meat and bones. I’d given her the odd piece of raw hamburger or steak before, or a cooked pork bone (bad idea, I now know) but the first chicken neck took a lot of licking before she got down to chewing and that was an obvious learning experience for her in her deliberate and cautious approach to engagement. But by the third day, she could devour that chicken neck and be up for more before I could plant my behind in the chair.

I suspect it would be the same for Sasha and her mouse. Here is a story to support my point that habit warps nature’s plan.

I had an old neighbour who befriended and adopted a feral kitten by leaving his back door open, and inch by inch over many days, he moved the food dish until it ended up at the far end of the kitchen where it would sit until his passing. The cat was never a confident cat, except with her benefactor, but it took to its new home and eventually wouldn’t leave the house or go near the door when it was left wide open for her to explore the outdoors. Remember, she spent much of her early childhood there. He used cheap dry cat kibble to entice the kitten. Strangely, when he bought her the best tinned cuisine he could find she wouldn’t touch the stuff, preferring the cheap kibble he had used to entice her into his life. (Thinking of his kindness and perseverance always makes me take a moment to wonder.)

Your little one would probably get used to dispatching her own meal, but you might find it a little tougher. We all have our own little idiosyncrasies. I couldn’t dispatch a mouse if my wife’s life depended upon it. That’s why she does the deed, and one of the reasons I married her.

Cheers,
mhikl

PS When I get time, I'll tell you about my scaredy-dog. Quite a hoot.

Last edited by mhikl; January 8th, 2011 at 02:26 PM. Reason: clarity
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