Herpo,
No offence my young friend but you obviously have a long way to go in understanding animal behaviour. I believe they are staged shots and agree that the bearded is showing signs of stress and definitely in alert mode. Although I didn't say anything, that was the purpose for my original post. I was fishing as they say.
Just to get one thing clear, I believe that felines of all species are a beautiful and interesting animal however, (for want of a better term), due to the nature of the beast I would never own one. I doesn't matter how domesticated a cat is, it will always have the urge to hunt. I've also seen and heard of many, many instances where smaller domestic pets have fallen victim to the assumed tolerant pet moggy to ever risk allowing a cat anywhere near animals such as birds, lizards, snakes and similar small pets.
You've made the comment "as with humans, all cats are different". Well they may look differently but I'm sorry to tell you that kingofnobbys is correct when he states they are hard wired to kill, it's a genetically inherited survival instinct and as a result, no matter how domesticated they may be, they cannot resist putting into practise what nature has designed them for if and when the opportunity arises.
Unlike dogs that live in hierarchical social packs that are headed by an alpha male and alpha female (domestically they consider the adult male and/or female human as the alpha male and/or female) and are wired to please pack mates to remain accepted as part of the pack, cats have a completely different social structure and have no need to co-operate with other cats. As a result, co-operation with humans is limited unless it serves a purpose to the cat.
So where dogs have been bred for a purpose, cats have been bred for looks.
Just in case you are not already aware, cats don't see you as their owners but consider they own you? Your part of their territory. They have scent glands on each side of their foreheads and lips as well as their tail and mark their territory by rubbing up against objects, you and any guests to your home. Males go a little further and mark their territory by urinating on objects and defecating. When you see a cat cleaning itself, it is, but it's cleaning itself of foreign scents including yours to make them smell more like themselves.
Because of the marking practices of Toms people prefer to get females however, all kittens learn to hone their inherit hunting instinct from their mothers, that's why females catch and bring home small animals. Even desexed females will catch and bring home animals and birds as a means to show off their hunting skill to what they consider to be an inferior hunter (you). Stray will often show up on a doorstep with a dead animal hoping to get a new home.
As has been mentioned it all comes down to the responsibility of the owner (if I can use that term) of the cat.
Personally another reason that I'd never own a cat is because I don't believe it is right to restrict an incredible natural hunter to indoors or confine them to outdoor cat cages.
All the best,
George.
