Where did their hunting instincts go...? My beloved cats' reactions to finding a bug, and their owner's despair.

Cats are wild hunters. I once thought that if an insect appeared, I could leave it to them! But living with my beloved cats, I realized how frustrating it was that they weren't as brave as I expected.

When an insect gets into the room, I dispatch my "cat search party," but the result is always "not what I expected," which makes me keenly aware of the profound nature of cats.

This time, I'll share some of my cats' "seriously?" reactions when they encountered insects. (Don't worry, there are no actual insect photos in this article.)

Case 1: Small insects are subjects for "cat research"!

Small insects that get in through gaps in screens are surprisingly difficult for humans to catch, which can be stressful.

Cats have superior "dynamic visual acuity" than humans, allowing them to track even such tiny insects. I'm truly impressed by their innate talent.

However, "seeing" and "wanting to catch" seem to be different matters. When a small insect appears in my house, I gather my cats to where the insect is, saying, "Okay! It's your turn! Over there! Over there!" But for some reason, the cats don't lift a paw.

They start a bug study group, as if conversing, "Hmm... so this is an insect," or "Oh? It has wings. Interesting..."

我が家の家訓である、「猫あるところに虫あり」が発動した瞬間。小バエほどの小さな虫を四面楚歌にしたおキャット様たち。 pic.twitter.com/n6acotVLLu

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) October 2, 2024

Since they hardly ever try to catch them, I once thought, "Maybe I should start by getting them used to seeing insects," and I even trained them by showing them cat videos with realistic-looking insects on a tablet.

But my cats just curiously stared at the insects on the screen.

今日も、タブレットに映る虫をパンチしてくれない。 pic.twitter.com/H9MjmQul7M

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) March 22, 2024

Cats are gentle with babies and kittens and small things, so perhaps they are also gentle with small insects... With this uncertainty, every time a small insect appears, I ask my cats for help, with about half a teaspoon of hope, "Help me!"

Case 2: Why are they so bold with cockroaches?

If we were to take a survey of insects people least want to see in their rooms, cockroaches would probably win. They are much smaller than humans, yet they inspire so much fear. It's quite strange when you think about it.

However, my cats seem to be strangely bold when it comes to cockroaches. A few years ago, I came home from shopping and found "something" rolling in the hallway. As I got closer, I saw long antennae and a shiny black body, and when I realized it was a cockroach, I let out a "WAAAAAAH!" scream, completely devoid of cuteness.

Fortunately, if I can say that, the roach was called to heaven, lying on its back. Yes. My beloved cats had joined forces and defeated the roach while I was out. Nice fight!

My cats just quietly observe small insects that could be taken down with one punch, but they mercilessly attack scary cockroaches. What exactly is their criteria for "I can take this one" or "Maybe I'll punch this"?

Case 3: The day they lost to a smelly stink bug

The one in our house who confronts insects with the most "I'm gonna do it" attitude is Leon, the tabby. Leon will even get physical with his housemates if something displeases him or if he wants a certain spot.

His special move is to lightly touch the other cat's rear end to surprise them. Kotaro is usually the victim.

Leon is also eager to subdue insects. As soon as he spots one, he approaches it to find the perfect moment for a cat punch.

The only insect Leon ever lost to was a stink bug. Two autumns ago, I went to close the curtains at night and found a rather large stink bug, which froze me in place. I didn't want to deal with it alone, so I called my partner from the other room to strategize.

After discussion, we decided on a plan: I would retrieve the insect net from the garage and give it to him, and he would catch the bug and release it outside. While I went to get the net, he kept an eye on the stink bug.

However, something unexpected happened then. Leon must have noticed our unusual atmosphere. He approached the curtain where my partner was watching the stink bug and cat-punched it!

When I returned with the insect net, I initially didn't understand what he meant by "Oh no. Leon smells bad now..." so I casually retorted, "Huh? Leon always has a bit of an old-man smell." Sorry, Leon.

"No, normally Leon doesn't smell," he naturally followed up, explaining what happened. Here's his testimony:

"I told him not to, but Leon hesitated for a moment and then punched the stink bug. Stink bugs release an odor when attacked, right? Leon was close and took the full blast of that liquid, and he lost..."

I see. So that's what happened. But Leon tried his best. In his own way, he was worried about us and tried to protect the house.

Feeling a little emotional, I picked up Leon, who was nearby, and just as I was about to bury my face in his fur to say "thank you," what came out of my mouth was "IT STINKS!!!!" I'm sorry...

What should I do about this stink bug smell? If it's this bad for a human, it must be even worse for a cat with a sensitive sense of smell... Thinking this, I googled solutions with my partner and found a method: "wash with milk."

Me: "We have milk... what do we do?"

Him: "The stink bug smell might go away, but then he'll smell like milk, won't he? Wouldn't that stress Leon out?"

Leo: "...meow."

Me: "Should we wait and see?"

Him: "Yeah. Since some liquid got on him, if anything seems off, we'll go to the vet."

Leo: "... (runs away after hearing the word "vet")"

In the end, Leon showed no noticeable changes, and the smell disappeared in about a week, so we were relieved.

However, Leon seems to have developed a strong dislike for stink bugs because of that experience. A stink bug invaded the room again this year, but he watched it from further away than anyone else, as if thinking, "That one is dangerous..."

Even when asked to deal with insects, my cats sometimes flee to the cat tree. It's so cat-like of them not to lend a paw when you need it.