Why cats bring home dead animals

Owners of freely walking cats are well aware of the following situation: you open the door to your pet, and on the threshold you will receive a gift in the form of killed prey. It would seem, why kill an innocent animal when the bowl is full of tasty and healthy food? Before deciding that your cat is just a cold-blooded, ruthless killer, try to figure out the reasons for this behavior.

Hunting instinct

At its core, cats, first of all, are hunters. According to a recent study, feral and free-walking cats and cats are responsible for billions of dead birds and small animals, and this is only in the territory of the United States of America. This does not mean that they are inherently evil, just they are perfectly adapted to the predatory way of life.

Despite the fact that cats were first domesticated about 10 thousand years ago, they retain the subtle hunting instincts of their wild ancestors. Although many of the meowing pets do not always eat and even sometimes do not kill their prey, catching "food" is a necessity caused by evolution.

Parental Instinct

Most often this behavior occurs in females. This is due to the manifestation of the parental instinct. In the wild, mothers are taught to eat the cubs properly, from early childhood bringing them dead animals and birds. Domestic cats also have this instinct. Today, domestic cats are often incapable of giving offspring, and, accordingly, they have no one to pass on the experience accumulated by generations. That's why they choose their masters, because you - the masters - are the cat's family, the ones she should take care of. Therefore, before scolding a pet for a not very welcome gift, appreciate what caused this behavior, and evaluate the sign of care and demonstration of hunting skills to their worth.