# Will domesticated cats take on and kill full grown squirrels? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2017, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378 "2017-02-21T06:31:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378/41 "2017-02-23T05:02:56Z")
I sure wish my Tuxedo could talk; he was loose for a while before I took him in, and I know he had to kill things to eat. He’s front-declawed, too (what kind of sicko dumps a declawed cat, anyway?). His “sister” Abigail has always been an indoor cat, but she does have an attitude - so much of an attitude that when a group of ducks walked up onto my patio and she sauntered up to the window, they all squawked and high-tailed it to the nearest creek, just like they do when a hawk or owl flies over. :eek: They almost create their own weather system when they do that. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378/42 "2017-02-23T11:37:09Z")
My husband’s uncle once saw the neighbor’s cat stalking adult deer. Obviously, the cat didn’t catch or kill the deer. But the deer were afraid of the cat, and reacted to it as they would to another predator. “The cat knew it was a predator, and the deer knew they were prey.” I imagine that was entertaining to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378/43 "2017-02-23T22:46:39Z")
> [@XaMcQ](#): > > Absolutely. I once had a tom who was a mighty hunter. He would frequently leave us gifts of squirrels and squirrel parts. He once even killed a grown possum, which impress us so much that my artist husband painted it. Have to ask… do you have a photo of this masterpiece somewhere online? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378/44 "2017-02-24T15:09:55Z")
I’ve certainly seen housecats take on wild foxes and win (not to the death, but they’ve chased them off without injury). Adult groundhogs can get pretty big though - I can’t imagine a normal-sized housecat even making a dent in one. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378/45 "2017-02-24T18:43:54Z")
My cats have been known to chase squirrels, but the squirrels always out run them. Then when they are high up in a tree, the obviously pissed off squirrels cuss out the cats. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378/46 "2017-02-24T18:46:48Z")
Absolutely. I had ayellow tabby who was on the small side, but ferocious. He killed several squirrels. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378/47 "2017-03-08T16:49:39Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I’ve certainly seen housecats take on wild foxes and win (not to the death, but they’ve chased them off without injury). Adult groundhogs can get pretty big though - I can’t imagine a normal-sized housecat even making a dent in one. The last time I saw a (young) groundhog in my back yard, I tossed the cat outside and said “go get it!” The cat cautiously stalked the groundhog. The groundhog cautiously edged away from the cat. They didn’t physically tangle. But the groundhog didn’t return, so u considered that to be a win. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378/48 "2017-03-08T20:19:43Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The last time I saw a (young) groundhog in my back yard, I tossed the cat outside and said “go get it!” The cat cautiously stalked the groundhog. The groundhog cautiously edged away from the cat. They didn’t physically tangle. But the groundhog didn’t return, so u considered that to be a win. Your cat knows where it lives, probably. It’s only a matter of time. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378/49 "2017-03-08T21:50:15Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I’ve seen several instances of cats killing baby squirrels but never a full grown squirrel. Will a domesticated cat kill a full grown squirrel? As long as it’s not declawed…easily. Cats are killers, whether domesticated or not. I was watching a show on SciChannel once that was following the daily lives of several domestic cats and it was unreal the stuff they took down, usually without the people the cat lived with (was going to say ‘owners’ but I don’t think this applies to cats and their humans :p) knowing anything about it. Just for some flavor, here is a [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbovjCa61QU) video (one of many if you do a search) of a cat stalking and killing a squirel. Don’t watch it if you don’t like that sort of thing, but just know it’s not only possible but happens all the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-domesticated-cats-take-on-and-kill-full-grown-squirrels/780378.md?page=2)