What if the cat has worn a bell since it was a kitten?
We lived in Gawler in the 90s and had a house built on totally cleared land
in a cul-de-sac in a cluster of five houses all built around the same time as
ours. We planted a well mulched native garden and within a couple of years we
had lots of native birds (mainly New Holland Honeyeaters) actively feeding
throughout the year.
The other four houses put in lawns and the odd (exotic) tree and they all
had cats. The cats, naturally enough, found our yard far more interesting than
their own and spent most of their time there. Only one of them had a bell,
which it had from the day it was brought home as a kitten. That cat became by
far the most successful hunter. It had more patience and stealth than the
others and the bell was never heard until a split second before it captured a
bird.
Maybe it was born a better hunter anyway, but I have always wondered
whether having the bell from an early age had, in the long term, helped rather
than hindered its development as a recreational hunter.
Regards,
Leo.
