Why do cats pick fights with mice?

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February 22nd is Cat Day in Japan. In Japanese, the pronunciation of \"2\" sounds similar to a cat’s meow, which is why February 22nd was designated as the day for cats. Today, let’s answer a question that children often ask. That is: why do cats pick fights with mice? Although rats like to steal food, gnaw on various furniture, and spread diseases such as plague, they are truly detestable. But from the perspective of the food chain, mice are not at fault at all; they must certainly be credited for their contributions – they represent free lunch for carnivores. Because almost every carnivore that is slightly larger than average eats mice – mammals such as lynxes, foxes, jackals, etc., birds such as owls, snakes such as pythons and king snakes, amphibians such as bullfrogs – even dogs that keep watch at home have earned the reputation of being \"dogs that interfere with mice’s affairs\" because of this. Why do cats like to catch mice so much? That’s because, for cats, mice represent a highly nutritious meal! Rats are not only rich in protein, but they also contain a substance called taurine, which cats cannot produce on their own yet is extremely important for them. Because without taurine, a cat’s vision deteriorates at night; prolonged lack of it can lead to night blindness, preventing the cat from being active at night! Therefore, in order to maintain good vision at night, cats need to catch mice to eat regularly. For pet cats kept at home, since they can’t catch mice, it is necessary to provide them with foods rich in taurine, such as marine fish, as well as the heart and liver of mammals. Of course, cats have developed a tendency to eat mice because there is an abundance of this food that they can’t consume all of. Look, with so many natural predators preying on mice, it’s still a miracle that mice can continue to survive – truly a wonder of nature! Besides cats, animals such as foxes, snakes, owls, and bullfrogs also often get into trouble with mice.