Our little cat Lilly truly is a predator. Almost every day she kills some prey, mostly birds. Sometimes mice.

During summer, we rarely notice – she catches, plays with and eats or dumps the animals outside, I guess. Only if her intention is to feed us, she brings in her presents.

However, with the onset of winter, she is not so comfortable. She prefers the warmth inside. Early in the mornings, her toilet trips get very short, before she sneaks back in. Especially, if it rains. So do her hunting sprees. It takes her less than half an hour to be back with some half dead bird or mouse. All the playing with the prey and eating takes place inside. Yuk. But after all, it is much nicer and so cosy inside, so why would she want to stay outside. I get her point.

However, I can not get used to picking up body parts of small animals – sometimes half eaten – almost every day. The worst are the specimen still alive but badly injured. I have to put them to death, in order to stop suffering. Whenever the sweetheart is not around to do it for me. I dodge this part of cat-ownership, if at all possible, I have to confess.