Why does kitty do this?

Question:

My cat brings her catch home. I even found a dead mouse on my bed the other day! That's just disgusting. What can I do????

Answer:

Cats are predators by nature and are amongst the best hunters in nature. It is their hunting skills, especially their ability to kill mice, that brought cats & people together. Cats were domesticated by farmers thousands of years ago to help them protect their crops from rodents and other animals.

This is augmented by the fact that cats hunt even when they are full. Because kitty views people as either parents or children that need help, he feels compelled to bring us food. In essence kitty is trying to do his "fair share" for the family. This is coupled with kitty's desire to save his 'earnings' makes it more of a problem. Cats have a natural desire to store food for more scarce times.

An example in nature is that of the leopard placing a catch in a tree. To our cats, our homes are those trees and are thus the place where the catch is brought & stored.

Other than keeping kitty an indoor cat, there is little you can do. Continue disposing of the catch as you are doing (please rubber gloves while disposing of the catch and wash thoroughly after handling these animals).

Consider moving the feeding tray to another area so that the kitchen does not become the central depository. Also, be aware that continued exposure to wilds of the outdoors puts your kitty at greater risk of injury and disease.