It is mistakenly believed that cats cruelly play with their prey before killing it. Many humans are horrified to see a cat kill a mouse, which involves a lot of pushing, pouncing, and poking, but they shouldn’t be disappointed by the way it looks. This is merely basic self-defense from a cat’s point of view, although many animals are truly mischievous.
For example, rats and mice are very fast, desperate and can bite with their sharp teeth. (You’re about 20 times bigger. Would you want to meet a rat face-to-face?) Also, never underestimate the damage a bird’s beak can cause. After all, these animals have nothing to lose.
To kill their prey, cats bite the neck to break the spinal cord. However, they carefully use their short snouts to do this. However, to be successful, the prey must remain motionless. If this seems like a cruel sport to humans, from a cat’s point of view, this is the best way to exhaust the prey before it bites to kill.
A cat’s instinct tells it that it is the most rational way to complete the job effectively with the least amount of risk. If you try to do it fast, the prey may escape and hurt itself.
Why does a cat bring home live mice?
A cat does this for two main reasons. As we already know, a cat sees humans as part of its community, but it does not have any fundamental hunting skills. Therefore, the mouse can be considered in some way as part of a public spirit boot camp. The best thing you can do is catch it as fast as you can, and the moment your cat looks away, discreetly dispose of the unfortunate animal, in the most immediate and humane way possible.
Next, if your cat has other animal companions that share the same yard (from a cat’s point of view, it’s her yard), she may not feel comfortable after hunting down prey. He has to protect his victim from other cats or animals that might try to catch their prey. Therefore, she clings tightly to him and will run towards the house, where she feels safe. The moment she releases her prey into her own territory, with which she is intimately familiar, but unknown to the prey, she will have all the advantage.
Why a stray cat leaves a dead prey at the front door
Unfortunately, most domestic cats don’t have their own home, for whatever reason. This often happens when cat owners have to relocate and don’t bring their cats with them. They will feel abandoned and will look for another home.
Delivering what they hunt is like giving a gift to test yourself. Still, when you move to a new neighborhood and the neighbors give you some freshly baked cookies as a sign of welcome, chances are you’ll accept them. Similarly, the cat hopes that his gift will pave the way for a homeowner to welcome him.
Keep in mind that, until recently, a cat that has proven to be good at catching rats or mice was more likely to receive the welcome it was expecting. So it’s not at all the cat’s fault if the attitudes of humans have changed from one generation to the next, and their instincts haven’t caught up yet.
