[honeyend]

We have five cats four of which have lived most of their lives in suburbia with the odd foray into the field and occasionally brought home the odd vole and small bird. We moved to a disused farm with lots of out building and of course lots of rats so I got two kittens to live out side, unfortunately one got run over, I think they go hunting across the road.
 Any way the old moggies have adapted well to rural life, they know where its warm but wander round the building but its hard to imagine these softies are killing the rats I find in the yard. The technique seems to be either to take their head off or bite out the throat, then leave the rest on the drive. I know someone is also killing small stuff as they have the run of the old house and the bodies are left, but they seem to eat mice apart from the liver.
  The rats are fully grown and I just wondered if anyone had ever seen a cat attack a rat and how they do it, taking off the head seems a bit risky as its the sharp end.
 

[Mammyshaz]

Cats often take the head off their prey once dead. Our cat had a rabbit a few months back, it was squealing so I ran out to finish the deed as the cat was messing around with it. By the time I ran out of the kitchen the rabbit was dead and its head gone  the cat was smiling 
He has also brought us a weasel this year which was alive when I saw him with it, by the time I called OH to identify what it was, Frodo had killed it. He just seems to bit tighter into the soft neck area until they are dead, the prey are helpless. Lining up the dead prey is also a cat trait.

Sounds like your suburban cats are enjoying a little bit of natural instinct. Good on them   

[ladyK]

We also moved our 4 city garden cats out to the smallholding with us, and 3 of the 4 have turned into vicious hunters. One in particular seems to like a challenge and regularly brings home squirrels, and he always eats the head first too. Same thing with the occasional rabbit, the head goes first, while some mice get eaten whole and other mice are not considered tasty enough for eating at all, they just get left.
Sounds like your cats are making the most of the opportunity too 

[Fleecewife]

  <<<taking off the head seems a bit risky as its the sharp end.>>>


That's the point - deal with the most dangerous bit first.  It's like picking up a snake - if you pick it up by its tail then the head will swing round and get you, but if you have hold of its head it can't strike.   Unless it's a boa constrictor in which case stay away 

[Q]

I have been interested in this quetion before and I remember seeing a youtube video with a cat and a very live rat. The cat had the rat by the side/back of its neck while the rat was kicking and squealing. The cat just tightened its grip firmly and it looked like the rat was suffocated after about a minute.
No chance of the rat biting.  Although the video didnt show the catch it looked like it had caught it from the side rather than head on.

[lord flynn]

domestic cats kill in much the same way as big cats on the telly i.e. a crushing bite to the neck. Then  my cat eats the head, followed by the rest of it. He sometimes leaves one organ-generally the spleens of voles and mice but have also found caecums. He's a delight, should have called him Joffrey.  I've seen him catch and eat three mice after his dinner, he takes his work very seriously.

[SallyintNorth]

I'd understood it was the gall bladder they left.  If they eat it, it can make them vomit - and they usually learn!

[lord flynn]

I'd understood it was the gall bladder they left.  If they eat it, it can make them vomit - and they usually learn!

yes, I heard that too but they're definitely caecums and spleens. I was also told they won't eat voles because they taste bad but I don't think he got the memo he does sometimes vomit them up though, charming creature.