Why Does My Cat Bring Home Her Prey?
Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006
by Larry Chamberlain
http://www.best-cat-art.com
Have you ever had the nasty experience of finding some poor little dead creature slap-bang in the middle of your kitchen floor? Or, worse yet, has your 'oh so innocent looking cat' dropped a mutilated prey right at your feet and acted as if you should be pleased about it?
If things like the above have happened to you, you must have wondered why your cat does that. After all you feed her, and feed her well, don't you? So why does she feel the need to hunt wildlife, let alone bring the corpses or injured but still living creatures back home?
"So OK, cats are natural born hunters, but why do they have to bring their catch home?"
There is more than one theory on this, but the most likely explanation is that your cat views you as an incompetent kitten who needs schooling in the ways of hunting. Spayed females are the most likely to bring home their catch. Kitty may be deprived of the ability to reproduce, but she does retain maternal instincts it seems.
"So she thinks I need to learn to go out and hunt food. But why does she bring back half-dead mice and other creatures?"
Usually the first catch a mother cat brings to her kittens will be dead. She will eat the prey in front of the kittens - this is food, and this is how you eat it. Then mom moves on to bringing home prey that she has injured and mangled. She will finish off her catch in front of her kittens - this is prey, and this is how you kill it. Finally she will start to bring home captured but unharmed creatures. Mom will let the prey go in front of her young ones and demonstrate to them how she stalks, pounces and catches - this is prey, and this is what you have to do before you can kill it and eat it.
"Well OK, my cat thinks that it is not enough that I know how to use a can opener, she thinks I should know how to hunt. It's nice of her to look after my interest but dead, half eaten or mutilated little animals disgust me. And I don't like her killing wildlife especially birds. How can I stop her?"
You can't take away her hunting instinct. Punishing her in any way would be futile. Even showing your distaste at her activities will probably confuse her, she has done you a service and you are unhappy about it!
Cats will hunt. Some more successfully than others but they will do it. The only way you can prevent them from hunting wildlife is to keep them indoors. If you prefer your cat to enjoy the outdoors fitting her out with a bell (attached to a breakaway collar for your cat's safety,) will go a long way in preventing her destroying wild birds.
Larry Chamberlain lives in London, England, and has had a lifelong fascination with domestic cats. His web site -
best-cat-art
- provides information about all that is best in cat art. Also pages about cat and kitten care and information on cat breeds and types.
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More commentsMy cat is currently in the "bringing unharmed prey home" stage. He definitely went through the others first. The great part is, he is an indoor cat! The mice are coming from my basement! He brings them to me in the wee hours and sets them down either at the threshold of my bedroom or right next to my bed. They lay there a moment then jump up and start to scurry. My cat will play chase for a little while, then walks away to watch from a distance as I frantically move furniture and smack about with my broom. Apparently I am NOT learning fast enough!
Well the other day our neighbor told us my cats bring dead mice and birds to her doorstep. I have 2, and neither have ever brought a dead or mangled animal to me or my husband, but my neighbor insists that my male cat brings dead critters to her front steps daily. At first I was slightly offended because I thought he didn't think of me as highly, but I suppose this means actually then that he thinks she is an incapable hunter?"I suppose this means actually then that he thinks she is an incapable hunter?"
:0) Could be. Or perhaps it is something in the way that your neighbor reacts to the trophies.
I have just succeeded to get my adult son to leave home. Less than an hour after his departure, my 14 months male, nuted cat Gus brought in a terrified little frog. I rescued the little thing and returned it to the garden. Today he has already brought in 3 little birds - and I have a bit of a feather-phobia. Two of the birds were 'unharmed' but he 3rd one was dead. I have told him off after each one and locked him into the hall. Having read your article, I wish I had thanked him instead, like I used to do when he brought me in dead leaves - big ones. Until last night, he has never brought in real animals - and I would like to show him that I would prefer him not to. I live in East London - Do you give talks or have a regular 'refreshment-place' (pub or cafe or . . ) where one can discuss ones pet's cat-personality? Malena
I am a bird loving cat owner, and my cat was a found abandoned as a kitty and hates to be indoors. She is now indoor/outdoor but being outdoor during the day meant a lot of dead or injured birds and other small animals on my porch. This was very distressing to me. I tried the bells on her breakaway collar but that did no good. She is too stealthy of a huntress. Then I did research online and found a product called the Cat Bib. It is endorsed by the Audobon Society because it is proven to protect birds from cats while still allowing cats to enjoy the outdoors and do everything they normally do. I was very skeptical, especially because it was so inexpensive and it didn't seem possible that something as simple as a lightweight neoprene bib would save birds, but let me tell you, since wearing the she is as happy as ever and still spends all days outdoors and NO DEAD BIRDS on my porch. She was killing three a day before wearing this. It works! The bib wraps around your kitty's collar with a velcro strap. It is safe as long as you use a breakaway collar. I already lost it once when the collar broke away, and hence the bib, but later found it in the bushes. It is very ligthweigth and your kitty may at first try to 'walk over it' but eventually gets used to it. In fact, now my kitty likes it because she knows when I put it on her collar it means she gets to go outside. It's washable so every night I take it off and hand wash it and leave it out to dry until the next day. It's the same material as a wetsuit. Plus it's brightly colored so this also helps birds to see the cat sneaking up on it. The bib acts as a sort of "wall barrier" that lifts up as your kitty goes to pounce thus giving it the extra time it needs to get away. I'm a true believer of this product because I have seen for myself that it works, and while as you say u can't change a kitty's natural instinct to hunt, and they are not doing it to distress u, you can help birdies while also allowing your kitty to still enjoy the outdoors and do what it does naturally. Cat Bib is the product...if you google it you will find the website.Hi Bird loving cat owner,
Thank you very much indeed for the information about the Cat Bib. Judging by the success you have had with your cat it certainly seems to work.
As you suggested I have Googled it and it is indeed an interesting product and, as you say, very inexpensive. I think it is going to be a winner.
All the best,
Larry.
Everyone of the moles, mice and birds my cats bring me home are dead. However, the snake they brought wasn't!! I am not amused by this at all!! And when they eat them they leave their gross little brains and noses behind for me to step on!
My cat, an eleven year-old male, leaves us presents almost every day. It is usually a wide variety of birds, rodents, and snakes. He sometimes catches nastier creatures, like bats and weasels. He eats everything except for the chipmunks. Why do cats not eat chipmunks?
Okay, I think I may have to take this advice - praising my cat for these 'gifts'. She's brought in 4 birds in the last 3 days. If I go along with the praising thing, I wonder how long it will take before she stops - any idea? Weeks? She's only been bringing things in for the last month. Tonight's creature was a wounded bird in much better shape than the previous victims. Maybe we're nearing the end with this one!
Hi Larry . I am Riti 9yrs old from India. Today after my cat got a dead bird home we sent her out and thought of not letting her inside home. But after reading the information you have given we felt very sorry for her, apologised and let her come in.
Thank you , as we now understand her world too.....Hi Riti,
It was nice of you to apologize to your cat. As you say, hunting is part of a cat's world. There is probably much of our world that they do not understand or approve of.
All the best,
Larry.
your theory would be good if not totally incorrect and sexist, to imply that only a female cat will do this is laughable, why do you put this on the internet if in fact you know less...than the person looking for information, my male cat does this, and therefore you are quite uneducated and in danger of teaching many millions of people just shere idiocyJarl,
I do not say that "only a female cat will do this" I don't think that I even imply that!
Many years ago, when living in the states and I was 12 years of age, one of the males brought home a dead rabbit. He guarded it until my mother came out and then he picked it up in his mouth and dragged it up the steps to lay it at her feet. He then sat withn it between him and her and looked imploringly at her. She bent down and stroked his head and back and asked me to get a paper plate. After scooping up the rabbit, she carried it inside while the cat watched with some detachment. When the door shut on her, he seemed satisfied and he sauntered away. He brought several other offerings, mostly birds and mice but quit after doing this for about six months. He eventually would just walk up to her and sit, looking at her, as if he were a prince. Of course she treated the best provider in the clan accordingly and always brought him a saucer of warm milk. Your article brought back this amazing memory from my childhood.
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