What’s the which means behind the “behavior” of some cats to carry their victims to their homeowners? A gesture of affection or the necessity to eat the prey safely.
When you have a cat, and until you reside in a home with no entry to the skin, it’s very possible that you just’ve woken as much as discover a present out of your feline in your pillow: maybe a useless chook caught on the balcony, or a lizard.
Have you ever ever questioned why they do it? It received’t shock you to study that the reply isn’t so simple as it appears, and there are a number of theories that might clarify this disagreeable behavior: LiveScience has collected them and in addition interviewed a few feline conduct specialists.
Predatory or maternal intuition?
The primary (of the specialists) is Stephanie Liff, veterinarian and director of the New York clinic Pure Pawrs Veterinary Care. In keeping with Liff, on the root of the behavior of bringing useless animals house is the so-called “predatory intuition” (though the phrase “intuition” is now outdated). In easier phrases, cats prefer to hunt, and even home ones can’t resist the temptation to chase prey. However why carry it dwelling as a substitute of consuming it on the spot? In keeping with Emmanuelle Baudry of Paris-Saclay College, probably the most accredited speculation is that it’s a maternal conduct: when kittens usually are not but environment friendly hunters, the mom takes care of offering them with meals. This doesn’t imply they take into account us people incapable: quite the opposite, in accordance with this interpretation, it could be a gesture of affection in direction of us and an illustration that they really feel snug with us.
Each cat is a narrative in itself.
This final element is exactly the idea of one other principle, which means that cats carry us useless animals as a substitute of consuming them instantly exactly as a result of they really feel safer inside the home partitions; consuming in peace is without doubt one of the issues cats choose. Nevertheless, it have to be stated that a number of research have proven that not all home cats hunt with the identical frequency, or carry their victims to their homeowners.
That is the place one other speculation suits in, which is that there’s a robust hyperlink between the animal’s individuality and its tendency to provide us useless birds: extra dominant and hyperactive cats are inclined to kill extra typically and convey extra carcasses dwelling – as can be true for these residing within the countryside in comparison with these residing within the metropolis.
The right way to keep away from it.
And what in regards to the answer? Is it potential to forestall the home cat from filling our mattress with useless lizards? In keeping with Liff, it’s unimaginable to eradicate such a deeply rooted conduct. Nevertheless, it may be restricted as a lot as potential, for instance by stopping the cat from roaming freely.
