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Post by Debxan on Aug 14, 2015 20:10:30 GMT
My husband was unable to sleep last night and heard a sound coming from our back garden he described as like the air being let out of a balloon - sort of a long squeak. On looking out of the window he saw a cat on the lawn jabbing something with its paw so he went to investigate - with our terrier.
He found that it was a frog that screamed each time the cat jabbed it. Doggy chased the cat away and the frog seemed unharmed and was gone this morning. I've since found some examples of "screaming" frogs on Youtube. Interesting to witness this I thought. Anyone else experienced this?
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Post by aeshna5 on Aug 15, 2015 4:26:42 GMT
I haven't personally witnessed this but have heard of this reaction.
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Post by silversea on Aug 15, 2015 7:03:54 GMT
I've had similar encounters in California where leopard frogs inhabit these very small ponds. They scatter when any human presence is nearby, and each time they jump they give this odd screeching sound that sort of sounds like the squeak you get with squeaky shoes. They sometimes do it when they aren't jumping though. But they don't do it when they are more comfortable with human presence in other regions. I recorded one instance of the sound though this one is more squeaky than usual: soundcloud.com/ilversea/july-21-2015-frogIt is perhaps not the same direct response with your case, but it may be related... |
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Post by Tringa on Aug 15, 2015 14:16:35 GMT
Not very often but yes, I have heard frogs scream and in the same situation as you Debxan. In my limited experience it appears to be reserved for times when the frog is in great danger. In the couple of times our cat has caught a frog the screaming worked - the cat was startled and the frog hopped off. I've picked up scores of frogs and none have screamed, though sometimes they empty their bladders  . Dave |
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Post by Debxan on Aug 15, 2015 18:46:28 GMT
Not very often but yes, I have heard frogs scream and in the same situation as you Debxan. In my limited experience it appears to be reserved for times when the frog is in great danger. In the couple of times our cat has caught a frog the screaming worked - the cat was startled and the frog hopped off. I've picked up scores of frogs and none have screamed, though sometimes they empty their bladders . Dave I'm glad it that is seems this is more of a deterrent perhaps than the frog being in pain. Interesting. My husband couldn't believe how loud it was. Pity about the bladder emptying you experienced though! |
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Post by NellyDee on Aug 16, 2015 9:17:08 GMT
Frequently in the past when I had two cats and a pond. The cats seemed to delight in bringing the frogs into the house, and boy can they scream,(first time I heard it I thought neighbour was killing his wife) but only when the cat had the frog in it's mouth or when it started tormenting the frog. they did not scream when I rescued them and put them back near the pond. So it is a fright/danger reaction. The cats never killed the frogs - I did read somewhere that they are poisonous to cats and if eaten can kill the cat.
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Post by Tringa on Aug 16, 2015 12:27:39 GMT
Yes, it is amazingly loud, but it seems to work.
The 'peeing' of frogs is quite unusual - the last one to do it on me had been caught by our daughter, who passed it over a fence for me to put it in some undergrowth a bit closer to the pond, so perhaps it was a bit more stressed; usually they just kick and struggle. Digressing a little, toads, on the other hand, seem to 'pee' almost everytime I have had to handle one, but I can forgive something as beautiful as a toad this minor inconvenience.
Dave
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Post by rowanberry on Aug 16, 2015 14:21:28 GMT
I had a frog pee on me just a few days ago.  I was house-sitting over the weekend for a friend, and she had left a bucket out in the garden that had partially filled with rainwater. A small-ish frog had gotten in but couldn't get out, and I fished him out and was carrying him around in my hands looking for a suitable place to put him down, (friend's garden is completely covered over in paving stones, so was trying to find a gap in fence so he could go into next-door's lawn-covered garden) when he suddenly wee'd all over my hands... I suppose it's a fear response. Plus, he seemed exhausted- didn't struggle at all, poor thing. I have heard one scream, as well. Many years ago, during a very cold autumn evening following a day that had been relatively mild, I came home to find a large frog trying to clamber up onto the doorstep on the (quite high!) porch. When I picked him up, he let out a shriek that scared me half to death, (I didn't know they could do that then!) I brought him in overnight because I was afraid he'd freeze, and kept him in a cardboard box... after a few hours he warmed up and croaked away happily to himself all night.  I let him go the next day in the park over the road. |
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T
Junior Member
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Post by T on Aug 26, 2015 1:47:11 GMT
Frequently in the past when I had two cats and a pond. The cats seemed to delight in bringing the frogs into the house, and boy can they scream,(first time I heard it I thought neighbour was killing his wife) but only when the cat had the frog in it's mouth or when it started tormenting the frog. they did not scream when I rescued them and put them back near the pond. So it is a fright/danger reaction. The cats never killed the frogs - I did read somewhere that they are poisonous to cats and if eaten can kill the cat. You are probably thinking about toads. Frogs are definitely on a cats menu. |
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Post by NellyDee on Aug 26, 2015 9:24:29 GMT
Yep - You are right of course I did have plenty of toads and frogs, but our cats just seemed to like playing with them, don't think they ever ate any, at least did not leave any evidence.
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I was house-sitting over the weekend for a friend, and she had left a bucket out in the garden that had partially filled with rainwater. A small-ish frog had gotten in but couldn't get out, and I fished him out and was carrying him around in my hands looking for a suitable place to put him down, (friend's garden is completely covered over in paving stones, so was trying to find a gap in fence so he could go into next-door's lawn-covered garden) when he suddenly wee'd all over my hands... I suppose it's a fear response. Plus, he seemed exhausted- didn't struggle at all, poor thing.
I let him go the next day in the park over the road.