Cat owners know that they have unique behavior. Full of personality, these pets always surprise with their peculiar way of showing affection. Want to know why cats bring dead animals as gifts?
Being surprised by a dead animal right in front of you or in the cat’s mouth is not very pleasant. After all, why do cats bring dead animals to their owners ? Find out now!
The cat’s hunting instinct
To understand why cats bring dead animals to their owners, it is necessary to understand feline behavior and their primitive instincts. These animals are natural predators. In fact, some may have an even more pronounced hunting instinct than others.
In nature, in order to eat, felines need to go in search of their food. This is not only a matter of survival, but also a physical activity that contributes to their physical and mental health. Therefore, hunting is a characteristic of cats .
So why do cats hunt if they are given food?
When cats are raised as pets, they already have quality food or homemade food available. Therefore, they do not need to hunt for food. However, they still chase prey.
As previously mentioned, feline hunting is an instinct. Therefore, a hunting cat may even have this habit for leisure. Furthermore, it does not necessarily eat its prey; it may prey just for fun.
Cats generally hunt animals of various sizes that they find along the way. Their prey is usually lizards, cockroaches, mice, birds and other small creatures that are within their reach.
Why do cats bring back dead animals?
You understand that cats continue to hunt even if they have food ready and served in their bowls every day. So far, so good! But why do cats bring dead animals into the house?
Often, hunting alone is not enough: when cats bring back dead animals , they want to show off their great achievement! This is a way to show off their achievement to their owners and other cats and animals in the house. In addition, felines bring prey as gifts. It is a demonstration of love!
In fact, it is common for cats to hunt and end up with a live animal in their mouths! Sometimes, they are so anxious to show their hunting talent to their owners that they don’t even finish the job.
Other reasons for hunting behavior
Cats hunt by instinct and for fun. There are other reasons that explain this behavior! One example is when the mother needs to teach her kittens this.
It is common for females who have just given birth to start hunting more often until their kittens become excellent hunters too! In this case, it is likely that she will no longer bring gifts to her owner, preferring to leave the prey with the kittens.
Another reason why cats bring home dead animals and the owner may be left without a gift is when they intend to eat the dead animal or simply keep it in a safe place. In some cases, the cat may even become irritated if the owner tries to take away its prey.
Is it bad for cats to hunt?
The reason why cats bring back dead animals is well known. This is a natural and expected behavior for cats. In fact, it is very beneficial for their health to be able to express their instincts freely.
On the other hand, hunting strange animals can put your pet’s health at risk. These prey animals can transmit diseases to your kittens, such as worms . The ideal is to allow your cat to practice this natural habit, but in a safe way.
How to make hunting a safe habit?
Cats love to go for walks outside, especially at night. Although this can be fun, it can also be dangerous. Cats can get run over or hunt animals and become infected. So, the first step is to keep them indoors and prevent them from going outside.
The other measure is to adapt the cat’s hunting instinct. He can continue to hunt, but not necessarily other animals. So bet on toys that he can chase, such as stuffed mice, balls and other objects that move.
In addition to improving your pet’s well-being, hunting toys are good for burning off energy and encouraging physical activity. Your pet’s cognitive health also improves, as hunting requires physical movement and a lot of concentration.
Not all hunting toys are good!
When a cat offers its owners dead animals, it represents a complete hunt: it has positioned itself, made the move and managed to capture the prey. Hunting toys should also facilitate the complete process!
Think about laser toys, for example. They don’t allow your cat to hunt completely because they can’t capture the light. This can be very frustrating!