harry writes:
Cat's have been known to let go of mice, but always eventually make the kill.
In the interest of avoiding the promotion of a thread that has an obviously false underlying premise, let me say that I've had outdoor cats all my life and this is not my experience. Well-fed cats delight in playing with mice, chipmunks, moles and birds. Some cats are better than others at keeping the game going, i.e., they're good at not causing the demise of their playmate.
Play behavior has obvious evolutionary advantages, most obviously by maintaining necessary skills essential to survival if they're abandoned, which happens all the time. If at some point the cat's domestication of humans breaks down and they have to fend for themselves, they should do quite well.
So when you say this:
I just can't think of any reason why the animal would be let go.
One possibility is the same reason the cat lets go of the mouse, and there are probably other possibilities. I happen to agree with you that many creatures possess more conscious intelligence than we give them credit for, and play behavior is certainly valid supporting evidence, but play behavior does have an evolutionary explanation.
I don't want to start the discussion here, just wanted to give you something to think about so you can decide whether you want to take another stab at it or just have the thread promoted as is. Let me know what you'd like to do.
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