Outdoor Cat

Question
Hi! I have 2 questions..my first would be that our cat is outside pretty much all day and he has been killing mice like the normal cat but now he's killing and EATING red squirrels and chipmunks. He doesn't even leave the tail behind! So my question is, is it dangerous for the cat to be around my small children now? Can he give us diseases? My second question is, our cat likes to play with our friends Yorkie puppy and is it possible the cat could be really trying to kill the dog when the dog is smaller than the cat?

Answer
Nicolet,

Is your cat inoculated for rabies, and are you keeping these inoculations current?

If so, there are no diseases I would worry about your cat catching from squirrels or chipmunks, except, maybe fleas, which could lead to tapeworm. So, except for rabies and ringworm, there are few diseases cats can give humans.

If the cat wanted to kill the Yorkie, it would have!!!!!!! This is highly unlikely and they are, most probably, just playing. Cats and dogs often do get along rather well and they are not among cats' natural prey no matter the size.

Best regards... Norm.