Why cats bring home dead animals

Cats bring home dead or live animals because hunting is built into them, and carrying prey to a safe place is part of it. A well-fed cat still hunts. The gift is not a sign of poor care, and scolding does not help. If you want to protect wildlife, the reliable answer is to keep your cat indoors or in a secure outdoor space, at least at dawn and dusk.

A prey gift may be a mouse, a bird, a rat, a lizard, a frog or an insect. It may be dead, injured or alive and loose in the house. The sight is upsetting, but it is a normal feline behaviour.

Why cats do it

Researchers and owners offer several explanations, and none is proven for every cat.

• Instinct. Cats are obligate carnivores. The hunting sequence, called the predatory sequence, runs from watching and stalking to chasing, pouncing, killing and eating. The urge to hunt is separate from hunger, so a fed cat still hunts.
• Moving prey to a safe place. Many wild cats carry food to a den or a hidden spot, where they can eat without being disturbed. A house cat may regard your home as its safe place.
• Teaching. Mother cats bring prey to kittens and show them how to handle it. A popular idea is that your cat sees you as a clumsy kitten and is trying to teach you. This is a theory, not a fact. Evidence for it is thin.
• Sharing. Some scientists suggest the cat shares food with its group. Again, evidence is limited.
• Play. The cat may bring a living animal home to keep playing with it.
• Showing off or seeking attention. Cats learn that people react to prey. A strong reaction may encourage them.

Whatever the reason, the behaviour is not an insult and it is not a sign that the cat is hungry. Some cats do it often and some never.

What it means for wildlife

Outdoor cats kill large numbers of small animals, including birds, mammals and reptiles. The numbers differ by place, season and cat, and a cat that brings home few animals may still kill others it eats or leaves. The effect on local wildlife is a subject of study and debate. In some regions, cats are a significant risk to birds and small mammals, especially on islands and in nesting seasons.

If you want to cut the risk, the most effective steps are:

• Keep the cat indoors. This also protects the cat from cars, fights and disease.
• Build or buy an enclosed outdoor space. A catio or secured garden gives fresh air with no hunting.
• Keep the cat in around dawn and dusk, when many birds and small mammals are most active and cats are most likely to hunt.
• Play with your cat daily. A wand toy that lets the cat complete the chase and "kill" reduces the drive. Follow with a meal.
• Feed a complete, appetising diet. Food on its own will not stop hunting, but a hungry cat has more reason to roam.
• Consider a bright collar cover or a bell, but know that bells may be ineffective on some cats, and any collar should be a breakaway collar so the cat cannot be trapped.
• Do not leave bird feeders, bird baths or nest sites near where the cat roams.
• Keep the cat neutered. Unneutered cats roam more.

Rules on outdoor cats differ by country, region and community. Some places restrict free-roaming pets or require them to be kept in at night. Check local laws.

What to do when a gift arrives

1. Stay calm. Do not scold the cat or hit it. It will not understand and it may become fearful or hide its catches.
2. Do not praise it either. A quiet response is best.
3. Wear gloves or use a bag or a shovel. Wild animals may carry parasites and germs.
4. Dispose of dead animals properly. Seal them in a bag and put them in the bin or follow local rules.
5. Wash your hands and any surface that touched the animal.
6. If the animal is alive, open a door, put a box or towel over it gently and release it outdoors if it is unhurt. If it is injured, call a wildlife rescue, a vet or the local animal service. Do not try to treat it yourself. Cats' mouths carry bacteria, and wounds from a cat bite often become infected, so injured wildlife should be seen by a professional.
7. Do not touch a bat with bare hands. Bats can carry rabies in some regions. Contact your local health or animal authority if a bat is found indoors or has contacted a person or pet.
8. Take care of children. Keep them away from carcasses and make sure they wash their hands.

Health notes for cat and household

Hunting exposes a cat to some risks.

• Parasites. Cats can pick up worms such as roundworms and fleas from prey. Ask your vet about regular parasite control.
• toxoplasmosis. This parasite can infect cats that eat infected rodents or birds. Cats usually show few signs, but it matters for people who are pregnant or have weak immune systems. Ask your doctor for advice on handling litter and wash your hands after contact.
• Poison. A cat that eats a rat that has eaten rodent poison may be harmed. Tell your vet if you use rodent bait nearby.
• Injury and infection. Hunting causes bites, scratches and abscesses.
• Rabies. In places where rabies occurs in wild animals, keep your cat's rabies vaccination current as your local law and vet advise.

Common mistakes

• Punishing the cat. It does not link the punishment with the gift.
• Assuming the cat is hungry.
• Believing a bell will always stop hunting.
• Handling dead animals with bare hands.
• Releasing an injured animal that needs help.
• Leaving poison where wildlife and cats can reach it.
• Forgetting that a catch can carry disease.

When to call a vet

Call your vet if the cat:

• Eats a wild animal and then vomits repeatedly, has diarrhoea or is lethargic.
• Has a wound, a limp, a swelling or a painful area. Bite abscesses form quickly.
• Breathes with difficulty or gasps.
• Shows signs of poisoning such as drooling, tremors, weakness or bleeding.
• Stops eating for a day or more.
• Has been scratched or bitten by a bat or another animal that might carry rabies.

If a person is bitten or scratched hard enough to break the skin, wash the wound well and speak to a doctor.

Summary

• Cats bring prey home because hunting is instinct, whether or not they are hungry.
• Do not punish the cat, and handle the gift with gloves or a bag.
• Keep the cat in, or use a catio, especially at dawn and dusk.
• Play daily to satisfy the hunting drive.
• Ask your vet about parasites and vaccines, and check local rules on outdoor cats.