# What small predator would do this? (warning: kinda gross) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127 "2014-03-20T01:27:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/1 "2014-03-20T01:27:41Z")
So, I’m at someone’s house this morning, and I notice something really disgusting on their side walkway: the complete internal organs of a small mammal. Not scattered around, but all together as if they had been surgically removed. Probably a rat or a rabbit (I think the latter, due to the size) but that isn’t want I’m wondering about. What sort of predator would leave those remains? No fur, no skin, no bones, just the entire set of internal organs-- heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, intestines… I’m assuming it was a cat, but I’ve never heard of them regurgitating internal organs. Location: Near San Jose, CA, in an area where you would routinely find bobcats and coyotes, but also plenty of domestic cats and dogs. The homeowner has no pets, but the property definitely has some rats and quite a few rabbits. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/2 "2014-03-20T01:42:15Z")
I’m sure it was a rabbit. They’re timid little creatures. You know, no guts. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/3 "2014-03-20T01:43:34Z")
My first guess would be a hawk, could the entrails be from a pigeon by chance. Coopers hawks are pretty commonly doing what you describe. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/4 "2014-03-20T01:55:05Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > My first guess would be a hawk, could the entrails be from a pigeon by chance. Coopers hawks are pretty commonly doing what you describe. Could be. This is a very upscale neighborhood with homes typically on on an acre or more. It’s suburbia, but with a very rural feel. Definitely was not a honey badger, though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/5 "2014-03-20T02:00:53Z")
It could also be an owl. Do you hear one at night outside your home? If you want to see if a predatory bird is in your neighborhood (if you are curious) drive around in about a mile or so radius and look at high structures, tall trees and any exposed areas at height around your neighborhood. Chances are you’ll see one or more raptors (excluding owls, as most are nocturnal) roosting up there. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/6 "2014-03-20T02:07:00Z")
I’ve seen owl “after-meals” and that is a bundle of bones and other things. This was only internal organs. Nothing else. Pristine internal organs. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/7 "2014-03-20T02:41:16Z")
One of our cats would do this. I don’t think they were regurgitated. I think they were carefully eaten around. He would also leave the feet. He’d catch a chipmunk and eat the head, the fur, the tail, everything except the organs and the feet. He was a strange cat. Very sickly too, which made his hunting prowess even more impressive. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/8 "2014-03-20T02:47:18Z")
Owls swallow their prey whole. It wouldn’t be an owl. Might be a cat. I’ve seen cats carefully eat prey and leave a small pile of untouched innards. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/9 "2014-03-20T02:49:54Z")
> [@AndrewL](#): > > Owls swallow their prey whole. It wouldn’t be an owl. > > Might be a cat. I’ve seen cats carefully eat prey and leave a small pile of untouched innards. An owl can’t swallow another bird “whole.” It’s just a too big. ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/10 "2014-03-20T02:52:06Z")
This sounds like the type of thing that results in those “Cow Mutilation” and similar urban legends. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/11 "2014-03-20T03:08:50Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’ve seen owl “after-meals” and that is a bundle of bones and other things. This was only internal organs. Nothing else. Pristine internal organs. There is a difference between where an owl has eaten and where it has made a kill. It’s common for owls to disembowel their prey, and even clip the tail off, to reduce weight so they can carry it somewhere safe to eat it. Without further information, owl is as good a guess as anything else. It could be a cat but they will generally eat the liver at least. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/12 "2014-03-20T03:40:02Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > An owl can’t swallow another bird “whole.” > It’s just a too big. Of course it can. Owls swallow smaller prey whole, including small birds and rodents. Here’s a picture of a [Tawny Owl swallowing a rat.](http://www.owlpages.com/image.php?image=articles-Owl+Physiology-Digestion-1) Many birds can swallow surprisingly large prey. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/13 "2014-03-20T03:54:24Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > There is a difference between where an owl has eaten and where it has made a kill. It’s common for owls to disembowel their prey, and even clip the tail off, to reduce weight so they can carry it somewhere safe to eat it. > > Without further information, owl is as good a guess as anything else. It could be a cat but they will generally eat the liver at least. I think it’s much more likely to have been a cat or other small mammalian predator. I doubt that an owl (at least any North American species) would have left such a tidy package behind. An owl or other raptor disemboweling prey would probably have made more of a mess. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/14 "2014-03-20T04:31:32Z")
It could have been something like a crow or raven. Not a hunter but a carrion feeder. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/15 "2014-03-20T04:35:27Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > It could have been something like a crow or raven. Not a hunter but a carrion feeder. I’d be surprised if a carrion feeder was so dainty. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/16 "2014-03-20T04:43:23Z")
When the op said sidewalk I kind of assumed a tree lined street and a bird dropping leftovers out of a tree. re-reading I don’t see any mention of trees. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/17 "2014-03-20T05:56:06Z")
> [@UncleFred](#): > > This sounds like the type of thing that results in those “Cow Mutilation” and similar urban legends. Yes, this was one of my first thoughts (even though I know that stuff is totally bogus). > [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > When the op said sidewalk I kind of assumed a tree lined street and a bird dropping leftovers out of a tree. re-reading I don’t see any mention of trees. Imagine a walkway on the side of a house. There are lots of trees on the property, some very big like mature redwoods, but none within 25 ft of where the entrails were. This was a neat little packet. It was eerily so. Like I said-- no bones, no fur, no body parts… just organs like they had been removed as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/18 "2014-03-20T15:55:14Z")
I once found a packet of internal organs as you describe, but they were mouse-sized rather than rabbit sized and there was also a picked-clean skull next to it. I assumed it was done by a weasel, as being the only predator I could think of of the appropriate size. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/19 "2014-03-20T16:29:59Z")
Another vote for kitty cat. They definitely leave little gutpiles behind when they feed. Sometimes the kindly present them to their humans. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127/20 "2014-03-20T16:35:40Z")
Yeah, I had a cat that would go after young rabbits and leave the intestines behind. Gross, really. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-small-predator-would-do-this-warning-kinda-gross/684127.md?page=2)