Anonymous
By an edhat reader
I found this small mammal (see tail only) in my birdbath this morning, courtesy of the crows. It’s that time of the year, when crows and Scrub jays predate upon nestlings, lizards and baby rodents. This may have been a cat-killed creature retrieved by the crows. (There are two killer cats constantly roaming my yard, thanks to my neighbors.) I have no clue as to what kind of animal has this type of bushy black tail. The tail is approximately 8” in length and more reddish underneath.
The rest of the mammal looked to be about 8” long, but difficult to tell. I am not showing you the carcass, just two views, top and bottom, of the tail. So far my research indicates it is not a gerbil, a chinchilla or a weasel. Could it be a Bushy-tailed jird? Jird is some new pet craze. I thought maybe it belonged to a chipmunk, but it doesn’t look fluffy enough. Thank you for any help with identifying this mammal. (If you lost your exotic pet, I found this animal’s remains on the Upper East Side.)
Birds have wings, if they’re not fast enough…. it’s called Darwinism.
Since we are on this topic I think humans ought to be included because after all it’s only fair Humans should be banned from eating anything because sometime before it was prepared it was alive….Also Humans should not be allowed to drive vehicles because it harms the environment Humans are destroying the Earth and without the Earth Wild Life cannot survive so humans ought to be banned to save the earth and wild life.
Dogs aren’t allowed to just roam freely and wreak havoc, why do we allow cats to do so? They are also often killed by cars, other animals, etc. I read about two killed by cars just this weekend on Nextdoor and one in Ventura killed by a coyote. It’s tragic for every animal involved
HORSEGIRL – comparing outdoor cats to off-leash dogs? Really? Come on now.
Has anyone confirmed that this little animal was killed by a cat? If not, then almost ALL comments here are off topic.
No cats outside. For the sake of wildlife, keep cats inside.
I’m not comparing to off leash dogs, I am comparing to the fact that dogs are not allowed to roam freely day in and day out, so why are cats allowed to? stray dogs will be picked up by animal control, but cats are left outside to their own devices.
however, maybe someone can explain to me why everyone thinks it is okay to let cats roam around freely despite the clear negatives?
Cats should be kept inside the home. There are many wild animals that are common around here that would kill a kangaroo rat: coyote, skunk, racoon, bobcat, hawk, crow to name a few.
Poor little pack rat
More birds are killed by humans than by cats. More species face extinction because of humans, not cats. Humans pointing the blame at cats for killing the occasional bird or mouse is really rich.
I’m sure none of you eat meat, or drive a car your all just perfect you don’t run over little insects driving down the street or kill ants, or spiders you do seem to like trolls.
Blaming cats for the destruction of wild life when WE are the ones that have done more irreversible damage to this planet than any other living species. Now that’s comedy…
I understand your sentiment. I would like to state that as a human, I did NOT have anything to do with the extinction of dinosaurs or woolly mammoths, or the saber-toothed tiger, and feel safe in saying that neither did domestic cats. And, what are referred to here as ‘domestic’ cats (sometimes the ones you may see don’t have an owner) can be predators, and sometimes they can be prey. It’s part of the circle of life.
On this topic… if one has rats invading ones living space, cats are your friends.
It’s unfair to wildlife to let your cats outside. Don’t do it.
Definitely not a roo-rat or the 3 that you mentioned, it really matches the Jird and they seem to come in various colors, so I would second that guess.
Should we just ban outdoor cats? Let’s make it fair for everyone, right?
Why not show the carcass if you want to know what it is?
Keep cats inside. Period.
Op, here. I didn’t post a photo of the carcass because it is far too gruesome a sight. I could barely look at it and I’m not squeamish. I have buried quite a few tiny semi-meaty frameworks recently, thanks to cats and crows.
Domestic cats kill 1000’s of birds… Not many birds kill cats…
Cats kill birds, butterflies, lizards, and anything else that moves and is smaller or less quick. Opportunistic and cunning cats. Cats are known for being stealthy. Owners of cats outside don’t care about killing wildlife. Worldwide, cats have decimated whole species of animals. Cat owners are responsible for this destruction of wildlife on our planet.
Keep cats inside. Who said anything about banning cats? Protect wildlife. To do that you must keep cats away from wildlife. Please.
Just a few drunk drivers trolling cat lovers…
So sad . . . I used to live in a 1984 development off Hwy 154 that had wood rats, brush rabbits, raccoons, skunks, deer mice, chorus frogs, quail, roadrunners, white-tailed kites, red-shouldered hawks, barn owls, gopher snakes, king snakes, and more. 30 years later, thanks to cats, all gone except introduced rats, introduced mice, raccoons and skunks.
EMMENANTHE – really? Any proof that cats killed off raccoons, hawks and owls? Couldn’t possibly some other predator? Or perhaps, humans?
I agree cats don’t kill raccoons, hawks, owls, I had a cat attacked by a hawk, and a raccoon, it cost me money some of you are trolling not nice, not nice at all..Jerks.