When your cat goes outdoors, you may come home to a dead mouse, lizard, bird, or rabbit. My last indoor/outdoor cat, Oz, would bring me something at least once a month. So, why do cats bring us dead animals?
I once got up in the middle of the night to catch and release a live mouse hiding under the living room sofa. Another time, it was a baby rabbit who survived by wedging himself behind the dresser in my room. And then there was the tailless lizard, which I trapped and returned to the yard. and then there are the ones who aren’t so lucky, and cleaning up the stiff carcass of a bird or mouse is never fun.
As cuddly and loving as our sweet kitties are, it can be hard to extinguish their hunter’s instinct. Plus, our cats get enough food, so why do they hunt and bring their trophies inside? There are several reasons your adorable feline friend brings you presents, and since you haven’t shared your Amazon wishlist with them, you get what you get. The bottom line is that your cat’s habits come from highly evolved survival instincts.
Ancient Hunting Instincts

Cats are avid and adept hunters.
©Astrid Gast/Shutterstock.com
Scientists estimate cats were domesticated 12,000 years ago. They have retained the keen hunting instincts of their wild ancestors through thousands of generations. It is as natural for cats to hunt as it is to breed and care for their young. The first reason your pet may bring you small creatures is her natural, ingrained instinct to hunt and retrieve. She wants to bring her prey back to a safe place.
Expressing Appreciation to Their Family

Cats share their bounty with those they love.
©Pavol Klimek/ via Getty Images
The hunting instinct alone does not explain why your cat may leave her prize in an obvious place where she knows you will find it. A common explanation for your cat’s gifts is that they are her highest compliment to the family she lives with and loves. She wants to share her catch with you or possibly thank you for the love and food you give her.
Play

Interactive cat toys engage the prey drive in your cat.
©Katrin Baidimirova/Shutterstock.com
My favorite part of having a cat is the toys. My cats loves the wand toy with the feathers or stuffed animal at the end of a long string. In between play sessions, I have to hide the whole thing, or they will retrieve it and bring it to me endlessly. Some behavioralists theorize that cats bring us their prey to get us to get up and join them in the playful thrill of the hunt. From a cat’s point of view, who wouldn’t want to stalk small creatures in their spare time?
Passing On Their Hunter’s Wisdom

In the wild mother cats teach their offspring to hunt.
©Bogdan Kurylo/iStock via Getty Images
In the wild, mother cats teach their young ones to hunt. When they are very small, the mother will bring the prey to their offspring. As the young cats get older and gain skills, they will hunt with their mother, learning as they go. One theory suggests that cats with no young still naturally want to pass on their hunting skills. Since we are their family, and since we are clearly very poor hunters (from a cat’s point of view), they may be trying to help train us to provide for ourselves.
How to Prevent Your Cats From Killing Wildlife

Domesticated cats are very effective at hunting rats and other pests.
©iStock.com/Leoba
Some people keep cats specifically for their hunting abilities. If you have a rat or rabbit infestation or would like to keep the squirrels out of your yard, an outdoor cat can help enormously. However, if you don’t want your cat to hunt, the most obvious preventative measure is to keep them inside.
Another way to soften their natural hunter’s instinct is to play with them regularly. If you wear them out with the teaser wand toy or another of their favorites, they will have less desire to go out and stalk the little creatures in your yard.
It is worth putting some effort into preventing your cat from hunting too often. on the whole, cats kill billions of animals annually. Though natural, this habit is an unnecessary challenge to wildlife that already faces many obstacles to survive. A few steps you can take to stop your well-fed and loved pet from hunting include:
- Put a bell on its collar
- Place any birdfeeders well out of reach
- Keep them indoors during the night and early morning when wildlife is most vulnerable
If your cat’s hunting instincts are strong and you cannot get them to stop, make sure and keep current with your flea, tick, and worm treatments. Their proximity to wildlife makes them vulnerable to whatever the squirrel, bunny, bird, or mouse might have picked up on its journey.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the AZ Animals editorial team
Thank you for your feedback!
We appreciate your help in improving our content.
Our editorial team will review your suggestions and make any necessary updates.
There was an error submitting your feedback. Please try again.