We cat people have all had it happen: You’re sitting at your desk, or on your couch, or maybe you’re in bed, and your furry feline friend comes and drops something at your feet. Or perhaps she leaves it on your pillow, or somewhere else she knows you like. Even indoor-only cats engage in this behavior, and they act like they’re giving you a present. Why do cats bring gifts like that? It turns out that there are a few possible explanations.
Petplace says that cats bring gifts because it’s part of their natural hunting instinct. This is true even when they’re well fed and happy at home. Even indoor-only cats have these instincts, and will find outlets for them.
Some cats bring gifts because they’re showing off.
It’s highly likely that the gifts she’s depositing at your feet are her trophies. Petplace says that one reason cats bring gifts is because they’re showing off their hunting prowess. Your cat considers your home to be a worthy place for her lair. Obviously, if she’s bringing you dead animals, you’ll need to dispose of them safely, so make sure you wear gloves, and that you wrap the gift in several layers of plastic before getting rid of it.
Other cats bring gifts because of mothering instincts.
Another possible reason that cats bring gifts, according to Live Science, is that mother cats catch prey and bring it back to their dens for their kittens. Sometimes, you might see your cat carrying a sock or scrunchie, or something else soft, around the house while crying. What she’s doing is calling for her kittens, and indulging her instinct to feed them. She has that instinct even if she’s never been pregnant.
The website IFL Science says there’s a possibility our cats bring gifts because they’re trying to teach us how to hunt. Your cat could see you as lacking the necessary hunting skills to survive, so, as she would with her kittens, she brings you “gifts” to try and start teaching you how to hunt.
In other words, if that last explanation is true, your cat thinks you’re an overgrown kitten in dire need of education. But don’t be insulted, be happy that she’s taking the time to educate you!
Here are some ways to stop your cat from bringing gifts home.
You may be anxious to stop this behavior, though, especially if your cat is an indoor-outdoor cat and brings home actual prey (it’s kind of cute when all they’re doing is bringing socks, toy mice, hand wraps and scrunchies). The best way to stop this is to keep your cat indoors all the time. Make sure she gets lots of playtime, and enrich her environment by giving her plenty of places to climb, and possibly by teaching her to “hunt” for her food and treats by hiding small portions in different places around your house.
However, if your cat has always gone outdoors and you can’t transform her into an indoor-only cat, there are some things you can try. Vetstreet recommends putting a loud bell on her collar, to warn her prey when she’s coming. This doesn’t always work, but it will cut down on the number of animals she’s able to bring home.
Lori Soard, at Love To Know, says that if your cat is bringing dead animals home, it’s important to remain calm. Don’t yell at her or scold her for it. Try your best not to even show disgust or fear; cats read body language, too. These things show her disapproval, yes, but she’ll interpret that as though her gift wasn’t sufficient, and then she might want to bring you bigger and better gifts until you show her approval. She won’t understand that you don’t want her to do it at all.
Instead, praise her for it, and then dispose of the gift quietly if she lets you have it. If not, try and gently guide her back outside with it. Soard recommends giving your cat some catnip toys to try and dissuade her from bringing gifts to you.
Ultimately, cats bring gifts because it’s instinctive for them to do so, and you may not be able to stop it entirely if you can’t keep her indoors all the time. With these ideas, however, you can help to mitigate it, and perhaps her gifts will get less frequent.
