What do cats not eat from mice? - briefly
Cats usually discard the fur and large, hard bones when they catch a mouse, swallowing only the soft tissues and organs. The tail and any remaining hair are typically left uneaten.
What do cats not eat from mice? - in detail
Cats that capture a mouse usually ingest most of the animal, yet several components are commonly left uneaten. The fur covering the body is largely indigestible; cats often bite through the skin and discard the hair, especially when the coat is dense. Large skeletal elements, such as the femur, pelvis, and rib cage, exceed the size of a cat’s gape and are typically spitted out or broken into fragments that are not swallowed. The tail, being both bony and covered with a thick keratin sheath, is frequently removed before consumption. The urinary bladder, when intact, poses a risk of rupture and is usually avoided. Minor bones in the paws and skull may be chewed but are often expelled as splinters.
- Fur and skin layers
- Major bones (femur, pelvis, ribs)
- Tail and associated keratin sheath
- Intact bladder
- Large splintered bone fragments
Digestible portions—muscle tissue, internal organs such as liver, heart, and kidneys, and small bones—are generally consumed because they provide concentrated protein and nutrients essential for the feline’s metabolism. The selective avoidance of the listed parts reflects both mechanical constraints (size, hardness) and the inability to extract nutritional value from keratinous material.