Cats That Bring Gifts - Why Cats Bring Dead Animals

If a Cat Loves You, It Will Bring You Gifts

I love you human, have a dead mouse!

You may know this - when a cat brings you a small animal that they have caught, this is actually a way of bonding with you. Catching that mouse or that pigeon was not easy, so why would they just leave it there for you? The answer is simple.

In the past, there were some interesting theories that spoke about how your cat actually threatens you when it brings you dead things, and while this has some humorous value, it is far from reality. Other theories implied that your dear pet is actually trying to teach you how and what to hunt, but that makes little sense too.

Actually, your cat is bringing you a treat. 

When a cat brings you gifts like this it's a surefire sign it really likes you and thinks about you. It may be a bit nasty to clean up at times, but at least you get the satisfaction of knowing you have a genuine friendship with your feline companion going on.

Understanding basic cat instincts and behaviors is a must if you have a pet cat.

What Does Cat Purring Mean?

Why Do Cats Purr?

Most people will immediately answer this question in their heads with something like this, "Because they are happy", or, "Because they are enjoying themselves."

Unfortunately, this is far from the true, and it is only a part of the answer. Sure - cats purr when they are happy. However, there is a dozen more situations where your cat will purr, and they have nothing to do with joy and happiness.

Purring for attention

Cats do not wake you up every morning with their purring in order to show you how they enjoy your company, they do so because, well, they want to wake you up. In fact, purring to get your attention is a learned behavior in cats, which means your kitty knows very well about your weakness.

The healing powers of the purr

Research showed that cats purr when they are injured, in pain, and even small kittens that are just born purr. Cats purr right before dying, as well. So why do we keep linking purring with pleasure? In fact, some experts claim that the frequency of purring has some sort of a physio-therapeutic quality. Imagine that.

Purring when in danger

Sometimes, cats will resort to purring when they are in danger, so linking all of the purring to pleasure and happiness really makes no sense. Felines will resort to purring in a lot of situations, and we need to know how to listen to the little twists in the purrs. We will eventually distinguish different purrs for different situations.

Purring is a positive vibration

One of the most important things about the lovely sound of purring is that it gives the auditory stimulus to relaxation and peacefulness. In fact, research shows that cat purrs are positive reinforcements to our behaviors, but that listening to purring makes us feel better about things in general. I'm sure the cat owners can vouch for this.

This about explains the soothing noise we all link to pleasure and happiness. In case you are interested in reading more about cat behavior, you can visit Cats and Affection | How Cats Show Love and Stop Your Cat From Scratching You and Your Furniture. 

If you have something to add, or a funny story about your cat, you can share it in the comment below!

How Cats Display Affection | Signs Your Cat Loves You

Does My Cat Like Me?

What are the ways cats show their affection towards people?

Is my cat affectionate?

These are all valid questions. As a lifelong cat owner and sufferer to all the kitten whims you may imagine, I can certainly try to list some signs that may help you understand which behaviors betray the kitten love you so crave.

Some of them will be obvious to you, some of them a bit less, but in this article I will simply list them in hopes that these hints will be useful to you.

The first sign I would point out is the purring. And while it is a surefire way to know your cat enjoys something, keep in mind that cats purr for a variety of other reasons too. While a good starting point, you need more signs to be sure of your cat's undying love.

The second sign would be the cat offerings. And I mean dead little things. Mice, birds, insects, etc. Not nice, but definitely either a gift or the cat's attempt to teach you how to hunt. In any case, it means the cat deems you worthy of a gift.

Next signs are the insistent rubbing against you, maintaining odd eye contact and persistently trying to sit on you. Unless you are the most comfortable place in your entire house, you can bet that your cat loves you. It claims you as its own property.

While I would love to elaborate more on these signs, I already did so in more detail in the article Cats and Affection - How Cats Show Love and you can check it out there for more information.

If you like what you have read hear and would want to read more about cats, check in periodically for more.