It may come as no surprise to learn that here at RocketNews24 we are big fans of cats. Whether they’re perched on top of model sushi or roaming the mean streets of Japan, there’s little they can do that doesn’t bring us out in a “awwwwwwwww”.
But just occasionally, even our beloved feline friends can do things that perplex us and make us sad. Like when they break our treasured possessions and show no remorse. Or, when they bring home a still-twitching little creature and expect us to be happy about it. But why do cats do this? It’s often said to be a “gift”, as your kitty shows you they love and adore you. But Japanese site MyNavi News says there’s more to this oddball behaviour than meets the eye…
According to MyNavi, there are three reasons why cats bring icky dead things (or even not-quite-dead things) into the house. The first is the one you’ve probably heard before: your cat brings you a tasty morsel of food to show they love you. Because cats are strange and wonderful creatures, and nothing says “I love you” like a dead bird in the porch.
“I do it because I care. Y U no understand?” Credit: grammarcat
The second reason cats bring us dead stuff is because they want praise. Your cat has brought you a tasty treat! Why wouldn’t you be happy?
Since the dead mouse on your pillow is a gift from the cat-gods, some experts say that you should react calmly and praise your cat for bringing you a present. Cats’ hunting instinct can’t be trained out of them, so you aren’t going to be able to stop your pet from doing what comes naturally to it – and seeing as your cat will be expecting praise, it’s better to act all happy and grateful, and then discreetly dispose of the dead bird when your kitty’s not looking.
That sounds like easy advice to give, but actually following it might be another matter…
“Yayyy, a dead mouse! How did you KNOW?!” Credit: Wikimedia/Dan Zen
The third reason – and also the most surprising – offered up by MyNavi is that your cat is trying to educate you. Your cat never sees you hunt anything, so it thinks you don’t know how. And how do mother cats teach their young to hunt? By bringing back prey that’s still alive, and showing their babies how to kill it.
So next time your kitty leaves you a little undead mouse as a present on the kitchen floor, remember: she’s done it because she thinks you suck at catching them by yourself. Which to be fair, you probably do.