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A new study today names the domestic cat as the deadliest predator.

When it comes to sheer brutality the pet rules supreme, beating the wild stoat, polecat, buzzard and fox - to name but a few - into first place. The survey, which examined predators' range of victims, hunting methods and the final kill, found that the cat won claws down for its fondness for hours of torture, sheer number of victims and its cool survival tactics. The cat also shows itself to be versatile in its eating habits. It may turn up its nose at the gourmet cuts prepared by its owner, but will eat anything from frogs, lizards and grass snakes to weasels, squirrels and bats. The study, commissioned by Shooting Times magazine, follows a recent survey from the Mammal Society which revealed the bloody exploits of 800 British cats based on accounts from their owners. Missy from Blandford, Dorset, and Kipper "The Terminator" from Taunton emerged as two of the highest scorers of all time, with over 200 victims between them in only six months. Missy's toll was 23 mice, 19 field mice, 18 common shrews, 17 sparrows, seven field voles, five adult rabbits, four pygmy shrews, thee moles, three blue tits, two chaffinches, two goldfinches, two larger sucker fish, one wren, a pied wagtail, a robin, one bird (unrecognisable) and 15 baby rabbits. Total 125. Other recent studies suggest cats kill between 70 million and 200 million birds and small mammals each year.