Why Do Cats Bring Gifts to Their Owners?
If you’re a cat owner, chances are you’ve woken up to some form of a dead critter on your doorstep – or at the foot of your bed … or in your shoe. My cat, Rascal, is guilty of all of the above, including one poor little lizard left on my pillow. Let’s just say he’s lived up to his name.
If your cat has ever left a dead mouse on the back porch, or even left their favorite stuffed mouse in your shoe, you’ve probably asked yourself, “Why does my cat do this? Are they leaving me a gift? Are they just bloodthirsty killers?” The long and short of it? It all comes down to instinct.
Though they were first domesticated nearly 10,000 years ago, housecats retain the keen hunting instincts of their wild ancestors. Almost every fluffy inch of your cat is designed to hunt and kill prey, from the tips of their cute noses to their adorable paws. Consider their incredibly sharp retractable claws, teeth meant for piercing flesh, cushioned paws designed for stealth, whiskers that detect movement and vibrations in the air, and sensitive ears that can detect tiny variances in sounds up to one-tenth of a tone apart.
Needless to say, it’s difficult for a cat to deny its nature, even if their food bowl is full.
So we know why cats are so awesome at annihilating small animals. Why do they insist on bringing them to you?
It's all about prey drive.
As explained above, cats were born to hunt. And when your cat finally lets out that natural, instinctive urge to hunt and brings it back to you, your cat is acting out its inherent “prey-retrieval” instinct, which essentially means bringing their kill back to a safe place to eat. Indoor kitties that have no live “prey” to hunt might substitute a favorite toy mouse or ball. This is because while cats are natural predators, they’re also small enough to be considered prey to larger predators. They’re just looking for a safe place to snack!
How to Redirect That Prey Drive
A cat’s natural desire to hunt cannot – and should not – be suppressed. Don’t punish your cat for doing what comes naturally to them! A great way to satisfy your cat’s natural instincts is to redirect that strong prey drive with toys. If your cat seems to enjoy stalking birds, wand and feather toys are a great solution. And if your cat likes more land-locked prey like mice or lizards that move and zip really fast, the remote control Mouse Hunt Toy is a great way to redirect that natural hunting behavior; with its realistic mouse appearance and speedy movements, it gives your cat the ideal hunt: stalk, chase, and catch. And it gets you involved and playing with your cat, too, which helps you bond with your kitty!
Mouse Hunt Cat ToyA cat needs mental stimulation, especially if it is a cat that seems to have a strong prey drive. If it doesn’t have anything to hunt, chase, and catch, then it will find something to fulfill its prey drive … and then it’s lights out for Mickey Mouse. And you’re left with the task of rodent body removal. Yikes.
Engage your kitty in plenty of play every day to redirect their natural hunting behaviors. This not only reduces behavioral problems for cats that are prone to bringing mice or lizards to your door but also gives your cat plenty of exercise!
Your cat thinks you’re a bad hunter.
Some behaviorists believe that cats see us humans as bumbling, inferior hunters who simply can’t provide for themselves. So the gory “gift” of a dead critter (or toy mouse, for indoor kitties) is a way for your cat to try and provide for the poor, dumb human who wouldn’t know what to do with a mouse if bit us on the butt. Which … well, they’re not exactly wrong!
Your cat is trying to teach you.
In the wild, momma cats teach their young how to hunt and eat their prey by bringing home dead or injured prey. Domestic cats may be doing the same! Spayed female cats are most likely to bring “gifts” to their owners. But unable to have kittens of their own to pass on their knowledge to, their humans are the next best thing. So when your cat brings you a dead mouse (or a half-dead mouse), she may be acting out her role as mom and teacher.
I don’t have a cat but my neighbors cat always leaves dead mice on my patio and the side of my house. I rarely see their cat so I’m guessing he/she hunts at night in the field behind my house and eats it on my patio. So weird how cats leave different parts of the mouse at my patio. Today, I found a mouse head and part of the entrails on my patio. It was very clean and not messy, I don’t mind, I just look in amazement and clean it up. Does anyone know why the cat leaves it at my house and doesn’t eat it at their own house? Thanks.
I don’t have a cat but my neighbors cat always leaves dead mice on my patio and the side of my house. I rarely see their cat so I’m guessing he/she hunts at night in the field behind my house and eats it on my patio. So weird how cats leave different parts of the mouse at my patio. Today, I found a mouse head and part of the entrails on my patio. It was very clean and not messy, I don’t mind, I just look in amazement and clean it up. Does anyone know why the cat leaves it at my house and doesn’t eat it at their own house? Thanks.
I have two cats. sisters actually. One is fat and lazy, one is thin and a hunter. The hunter brought me.. mice, moles, squirrels, baby bunnies and even a few bats. She eats the entire bunny! The crunching sounds are a little difficult to handle.
Lately she brings them to me.. usually dead and intact. She is so proud. I praise her and secretly dispose of the carcass.
The non hunter cat is cute… she carries her bunny or whatever, very carefully. Like it was her kitten baby. Usually it’s not even injured and easy for me to accept her “gift” and ruturn it to the outdoors.
I adopted a cat a month ago when she appeared one day at my door. She sleeps every night with us. She had been sitting on the stairs watching something every night. Tonight she has caught a mouse under the stairs. Straight away she went to the door, jumped out of the fence with the mouse and took it to the other side of the road to the block of the house where she disappeared. Why did she take it there? Does she consider others as an owner?
Our female cat does nothing of the sort but our young male cat has been on a roll. He started out with a rat, then a bird, then a rabbit. I don’t know what else is next. He is only a little over 1 yr old, and very loving, I think he thinks he’s providing for us. I think the prey gets bigger because he sees his dad as a giant and probably needs the extra food.
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