It is in cats’ nature to hunt, and even though they are now domesticated, living in your home with you, they still possess that natural instinct to hunt, which no-one will completely eradicate, however hard they try.  My first cat, Patch, in cat heaven for many years, once brought in a vole that was almost as big as he was.

Another cat, Beauty, also in cat heaven, once brought me a mouse, but unfortunately, the mouse was not dead and I had to chase it around the living room to get it out of the house, which was not fun, I can tell you!!

My current cat, Bess, does not like to go out much, but whenever a bird is in the garden, she crouches down as if to pounce, and watches it intently.

Cats bring dead animals home because they want to thank you for looking after them and want you to know how much they love you.  If you want to stop your cat from bringing these animals home, one of the easiest ways to do so is to buy a collar with a bell so that it is warned of your cat’s presence and can run away.

 

Why cats bring in dead animals

Cats hunt animals to feed their kittens and may feel that they need to bring you little ‘presents’ as a thank you for looking after them and because they feel they need to feed and take care of you, too.

Your cat firmly believes that it is doing you a massive favour by bringing home the animal that it has caught and by giving up its catch, it is showing you how much it loves you.

The mother cat, as her kittens become older, brings home live prey so that her kittens can also learn how to hunt because, in the wild, it is vital that they have this skill in order to survive.  The mother cat feels that she has to take her kittens out so that she can teach them how to hunt prey for themselves.

She may look on you as being like one of her kittens that she has to teach how to hunt, and so wants to teach you the skills that you so evidently lack.

It is also possible that your cat is simply showing off its hunting skills and wants to make you proud of it – it desperately wants attention from you.

If a cat brings home its prey, which it has worked hard to catch, it may be that it is worried that another cat or animal may steal its prize catch from it, and wants to put it in a safe place where no other animal can get to it.

 

How to stop your cat bringing home live or dead animals

One way of stopping your cat from bringing home dead animals is to obtain a cat collar with a bell so that the cat’s prey is warned of its presence and can run to safety.

You must ensure, however, that the collar does not turn out to be dangerous to your cat.  For further information about the dangers of cat collars, please read my article: possible dangers of cat collars.

You should play with your cat, using a toy that has a string so you can hold it and attempt to mimic the movements of a mouse so that your cat can pounce on it and catch it.

This will hopefully mean that your cat has been physically and mentally stimulated enough to leave the outside animals alone.

You could also obtain an item such as a cat tree whereby the cat can use the supporting post as a scratching post and can climb all over the tree, which will also keep them mentally and physically stimulated.

If you do not want your cat to have any chance of bringing home a dead animal, you could try leaving the cat indoors, which may be easier for everyone.

My cat, Bess, is essentially an indoor cat and is perfectly content to lie at the top of the stairs, even when the back door is open for her to go out if she so chooses.

You should also ensure that the diet you give to your cat is good, so that, when it does hunt, it is less likely to move in to kill its prey.

You should dispose of the ‘presents’ that your cat has brought you quietly or else the cat will associate this action with it receiving attention so will continue to perform this action.

If you replace the ‘present’ with a catnip filled toy, it will simply play with the toy and will hopefully forget all about the animal.

You should not simply dispose of the animal, even quietly, without replacing it with something else because your cat will see that it is gone.

It will thus want to bring you more animals because it will think that you must have eaten it so will feel it is successfully providing you with the food it feels you desperately need.

Placing bird feed to feed the birds in the garden is not a good idea if you have a cat because the bird feed will obviously attract the birds and other small animals, which will provide your cat with a never-ending list of things to hunt, and will contribute to the problem.

 

Do not shout at your cat

One thing you must never do is shout at your cat – it is very keen for you to know how much it loves you, and is bringing you these presents because it cares for you, and thinks it is doing the right thing.  It would not bring you these ‘presents’ if it did not care deeply for you.

If you shout at your cat and throw its offering away, you will only confuse and frighten it, and it could learn to become scared of you.  Your cat could also become depressed that you are turning down a ‘gift’ it has given to you, and could even feel that you have insulted it and its hunting skills.

It could also believe that although you did not like that offering, you may like a different one it offers, and so could become even more determined to ‘please you’ by bringing home more dead (or live!) animals.

If you tell your cat that you are happy with it and praise it, it may make it feel contented and happy that you are pleased with the gift it has provided for you, which could stop it from bringing you any more animals, live or dead.

 

What to do with the animal your cat has ‘thoughtfully’ brought to you

Before removing the dead animal from your house, you should wear gloves before picking it up and placing it into a bag with tie handles so that you can tie up the bag.  You should then place it in the outside bin.  It is not a good idea to bury the animal in the garden because your cat could easily dig it up again.

After removing the animal, you should ensure your cat cannot enter the area, and then clean the area thoroughly with bleach and warm water, sometimes even disinfectant.  If you found the animal on any furniture, or, heaven forbid, the bed, you must wash everything.

 

Conclusion

You will never stop cats from hunting, however hard you try, and must remember that your cat believes it is doing you a massive favour by bringing you the present.  Your cat thinks it is looking after you and is teaching you something, so you must not shout at it because it could have the opposite effect to the one you are seeking, whilst making your cat become scared of you.

You may be able to prevent your cat from hunting quite so much if you leave the cat indoors and quietly dispose of its catch, replacing it with a toy so that the cat forgets all about the animal.  It is not a good idea to place bird feed in the garden because animals could become attracted to it, thus making the situation worse.