Cats on the hunt
It's barely believable when a cat is purring and enjoying your lap, but in the first place the cat is a hunter. Cats are born with a hunting instinct. Even if they are fed like an emperor they will still be guided by their natural hunting instinct and behave accordingly. The only difference between wild and domesticated cats is the fact that domesticated cats mostly kill the prey but do not eat it. The hunt is no longer needed for survival but has become fun and an exciting activity for your furry friend. Even neutered cats keep their love for hunting.
A macabre gift
You might be able to live with the thought of your cat being a natural born hunter, but why is it laying a bloody and injured prey in such a confronting way on your doormat? Only good intentions can be found within this behaviour; your cat probably finds you clumsy for not being able to catch such a delicious and juicy mouse. That's why it offers you its prey, because the cat loves you so much.
A mother's lessons
Every cat is born with hunting instincts. This instinct is buried in their genes, like every kitten knows it has to drink its mother’s milk. Nobody has to teach a cat it’s a natural born hunting machine. The hunting skills however, are not innate. Just like a baby that learns to walk and talk, the kitten learns these skills from its mother. The mother cat offers her kittens live prey to make them learn and practise these skills. If the mother would not set this example, her kittens would not learn how to hunt effectively. The hunt exists of ambushing the prey, jumping on it and giving it a fatal bite in its neck. Cats do have a habit of playing with their prey before they kill it. The cat swings the prey in the air and shakes it wildly in its mouth. This behaviour might look cruel to humans, but a cat is not aware of that. This is a relaxing game to satisfy their hunting needs.
Their favourite prey
In the wild cats mainly hunt little rodents like mice, rats and even small rabbits. For a domesticated cat every animal that is smaller then itself is a potential prey. Next to birds even small frogs and dragonflies are considered a suitable prey. The mouse is however the number one prey of all time.
The huntWild cats hunt all the time, even when they have just finished a meal. Their survival chances decrease if they would wait until they are really hungry. Analysis shows that cats with filled stomachs will catch a prey more easily than cats with empty stomachs. A well fed cat is, after all, more patient and relaxed during the hunt; the cat has all the time of the world to follow its prey and lure it into an effective ambush, whilst a hungry cat has only one thing on its mind: fast food!
Nocturnal adventures
A cat is a nocturnal animal for a reason. It hunts during the night and its senses are perfectly adjusted to living and hunting in the dark. It hears every single sound, its whiskers allow it to sense any change in air or vibration in its surroundings and its reflecting eyes spot every little movement. And let's not forget about a cat’s sharp claws and teeth.
Alternatives wanted
Many efforts to 'tame the killing beast' are not successful. The cat is and always will be a hunter, whether you like it or not. Should you really want your cat to return from its hunts empty-handed, you might make it wear a cat-bell. A bell should reduce successful hunts by at least 50%, but always remember cats can be very very silent and will be able to find a way to sneak up on their prey without their bell making a single sound. If you don't want your cat to catch anything at all, the only thing you can do is keep it indoors at all time and pretend to be a prey yourself by playing with toys, like a feathered stick.