It sounds like an instinct thing....a toy to play with. They don't realize that smaller versions of things are the same species of what they get along with. Some dogs are terrified of babies and small children - they have no idea what they are, even though they are find around adults. So, cat can be ok, and her kittens not.
I am surprised that he actually ate the poor thing, though....
usually will do enough damage to kill it, maybe "destuff" it like a toy, but not eat it (I am so sorry if that is too graphic, hon - I know you are probably traumatized, too).
A month after my D got her gerbils for Christmas, we were babysitting my BIL's husky. He was VERY interested in the cage, but we figured all would be fine. He couldn't get in and lost interest.
We forgot all about it and went out.
Came home to the top off the cage, two carcasses and one scared gerbil who hid under the tv for 2 days. I think I cried more than she did (I felt so guilty and bad that she had to hurt for that).
We went out the next week and got more gerbils, then put the cage up on top of the entertainment center.
It does sound like shorty was hunting / playing, not being vicious.
Just explain to Hardy that he was doing what dogs do - he couldn't even help it if he wanted to; that's what instinct is, behavior hard-wired into his brain.
Nature gave him the instincts, and also made sure that mama cat had more than one kitten at a time - because these things happen in the circle of life.
Shorty is probably confused as to what the fuss was over. About 10 minutes after it happened, he won't even remember he did it. Their brains don't work that way.
I still have the gerbils, and two rats. And I know that if D ever left the lid open, even our beloved Chloe wouldn't hesitate to munch on them.
For now, she watches through the sides of their tanks, like she is watching tv.
ugggh Fig Just have a min. but this is so odd to read this as just today my gf C, emailed and said her D friend at schools'dog ate someones kitten! I thought she was joking as I had never heard this ever before.
Gonna ask her what they did w/ the dog.
I'm so sorry for Hardy what a disturbing thing for him to see.
Be Happy for this Moment, This Moment is your Life
When I was a kid, we had a hamster that had babies. One day we looked into the cage and saw the mother eating the babies. My sister and I started screaming and my mom grabbed the hamster and flushed it down the toilet. I'm not sure why - she wasn't so good in emergencies.
20 years later, I find out that hamsters put their babies in their cheek pouches when they are trying to protect them. Our poor hamster was just scared of my sister and I!
Baboo is an attention whore and says that everyone is all worried about Hardy#2 and what about him
he had to remove it
he was also worried about the blood on his shirt as I was calming screaming children
so everyone send baboo a warm fuzzy hug
(insert eye rolling)
ugh
he just looked so sad all curled up in his fleece PJs hugging a bear that was almost his size. Hardy #1 sbuggled up next to him crying because it was his kitten but realizing that poor Hardy#2 was probably in his own little kids version of hell.
its like my hardy#2 managed through all this other shite to keep his innocence intact and now
shot to shite
you know
blech
and baboo is correcting my typing so I am done now
Glad there was a man around to clean up the.....stuff. Although I have found that I am pretty adept at killing spiders and cleaning out mouse traps. Who knew?
I guess its like guys and the washing machine - if they pretend they don't know how, we don't ask them to help with it
BH - you were very, very brave. Please don't kick the dog.
what a disturbing thing for him to see.