Cats bring dead animals to their owners as gifts largely due to instinct and social behavior rooted in their ancestry. Domestic cats, despite being well-fed, retain the hunting instincts of their wild relatives. In the wild, cats hunt to feed themselves and their offspring. When your cat brings you a dead bird or mouse, it's often acting out this instinct—treating you as part of its social group, possibly even as a member who needs help learning to hunt.
This behavior is especially common in female cats, who in the wild would teach their young how to eat by bringing them dead or wounded prey. When a cat brings prey to a human, it may be acting as if you are part of its family who needs to be taught or provided for. It’s not necessarily a sign of affection in the way humans show love, but it does reflect a form of social bonding and trust.
Cats may also bring prey home simply because they see the home as a safe place to eat or store food. Even if they don’t intend to eat the animal, they might be following a natural pattern of bringing food to a secure area. This is especially true for outdoor or indoor-outdoor cats that still rely on hunting for stimulation or enrichment, even if they don’t need the food for survival.
While it may seem unpleasant to us, this gift-giving behavior is a natural and instinctive part of a cat’s behavior. Instead of seeing it as a gruesome offering, it's helpful to understand it as your cat’s way of sharing its world with you—acting out deeply ingrained behaviors that once helped its ancestors survive.
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