According to a comprehensive analysis compiled by StudyFinds, at some point or another, a cat owner will have to choke down their disgust and thank their cat for bringing them the “gift” of a dead animal. It’s usually a small mouse. But are cats actually bestowing a gift on you out of love and appreciation for all you do for them?
StudyFinds dug into several multi-year studies to see whether cats drop off little presents or are just the little household psychos we’ve long known them to be. The evidence leaned more toward the psycho side of your beloved kitty cat.
For instance, a 2013 study in Biological Conservation tracked roaming cats using “KittyCams” and found they brought home only 23 percent of their kills, ate 28 percent on the spot, and abandoned almost half where they died. If your cat were genuinely trying to keep you fed, they’re not doing a good job.
Your Cat’s Dead-Mouse ‘Gift’ May Have Nothing to Do With You
Research in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery shows that cats are solitary hunters; they hunt alone, and they don’t hunt for anyone but themselves. That mouse they brought before you wasn’t for you; it’s for them, and they just so happen to drop it around you.
What may seem like a gift honoring their lord and master of the house is actually a dinner reservation for one. If you don’t want that dead animal around at all, a 2021 study published in Current Biology found that feeding your cat a meat-heavy, grain-free diet can cut those deliveries by 36 percent.
Those researchers also found that playing with the cat for 5 to 10 minutes a day cuts back on dead animal gifts by about 25 percent.
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