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"One wild cat species goes beyond physical camouflage to capture its prey - it disguises its voice, mimicking the calls of its victims, a new study finds. "

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100709/sc_livescience/wildcatmimicsmonkeysoundstocaptureprey

Cats may be cleverer than we thought.

Looks like time to change the proverbs - as cunning as a cat, and curiosity killed the monkey.

I'm sure there are plenty of anecdotes to opine about...

"Some owners have claimed that cats can call birds, even flying birds, closer by chattering at them. Personally, I consider it unlikely that cats are imitating birds to encourage them to approach and the chattering more likely related to the birds being out of easy ambush range. I also find it unlikely that the chattering hypnotizes prey such as squirrels or chipmunks though it might make the animals curious enough to overcome caution."

http://messybeast.com/cat_talk.htm

...but it's good to see researchers following them up.

You've obviously never met my wifes cat. For a rescued stray, its amazing how little hunting skill he has.

Bryan

Perhaps, lacking hunting skills, he makes do with his good looks. After all, he has you to feed and shelter him now. He didn't get that by hunting. I have a cat that has never been outdoors, and she is an excellent mouser. She keeps bringing them to me, sometimes still alive. I tell her to kill them first, then I'll dispose of them for her. She never eats the mice she kills, just leaves them lay for me to find. My other two cats could care less about mice. They prefer to lie abed and dream cat dreams.