Why does the cat bring you prey? The generous and creepy gesture, a sign of feline affection and responsibility
A semi-familiar cat that lived in the yard once put a dead pigeon on the porch, looked proudly into your eyes and ran away. This gesture, so shocking to humans, is considered in the feline world as the ultimate expression of social responsibility and care.
Cats bring prey to their masters. iStock photo
By bringing the captured prey, the cat shows you that it considers you a member of its family, a member that, from its point of view, does not know how to hunt. This behavior is directly inherited from wild ancestors.
A mother cat first brings the kittens a killed prey, then a half-live prey on which to practice, and only then takes them with her on the hunt. In this way, your adult cat, who sneaks a mouse under your feet, assumes the role of a nurturing mother and mentor.
Try to feed you or teach you a life skill. Zoo psychologist Lidia Molchanova notes that scolding a cat for such a “gift” is a serious mistake that breaks trust.
In her coordinate system, she did a heroic and generous deed, and received anger and rejection in response. The best reaction is reserved gratitude (you can calmly say “Thank you”), and then, while the cat is distracted, dispose of the trophy in its absence.
Interestingly, some cats do not bring the actual prey, but its substitutes – toys, socks or other small objects. They place them just as proudly in front of their master and sometimes meow loudly to announce their success.
This shows that the instinct is strong, but either hunting is not available, or the animal realizes that “real” game will not be appreciated in the home. My own cat, who never went outside, did this with a stuffed mouse every morning.
She would climb on the bed with him, rumble like a tractor and carefully place the toy on the pillow. This was his grooming ritual, his daily contribution to our collective well-being, and I took this gift with due seriousness, according to Akustone.
To reduce the frequency of these creepy offerings, you can try to satisfy the hunting instinct in play. Active sessions with a teaser rod, which simulates tracking, capturing and “the killing” to a toy, I give the cat the moral right to consider the hunt a success.
A night full of games can reduce his desire to implement the program in the real world. It is impossible to completely eradicate this behavior, nor is it necessary – it is part of the cat's nature.
You can only minimize its manifestations by making your cat's life more satisfying and providing alternative ways to satisfy the instinct. Appreciate the gesture, no matter how unpleasant it may seem.
If a cat suddenly starts fetching prey when it hasn't before, it may be sensing your stress or trying to take care of you, “feed” in times of need. They are much more perceptive than we think, and their concern sometimes takes such bizarre and frightening forms.
