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One theory I heard on cats leaving dead things for you is that they think of you as a non-effective cat that needs help killin things, similar to a mom cat teac
by sethammons 7y ago
One theory I heard on cats leaving dead things for you is that they think of you as a non-effective cat that needs help killin things, similar to a mom cat teaching kittens to hunt.
- IanSanders 7y agoWonder what one can do to "prove themselves", perhaps let the cat witness them catch something? Sounds like a great research subject.
- sethammons 7y agoInteresting thought! You could take folks who regularly get dead animal presents and then have their cat witness them catch a rodent or bird, and see if the presents continue. I'd enjoy that read or youtube video, haha.
- wavefunction 7y agoYeah the constant stream of dead wild animals at the paws of housecats would be HILARIOUS. And then turn around and demand coyotes be killed because they're eating people's pets! HO HO
- MS90 7y agoBite a rat to death in front of the cat and consume it raw while maintaining unbroken eye contact.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y agoLeave an elk carcass on their pillow, that ought to shut them up.
- garren 7y agoI’ve read this, too. Cats leave you gifts not because they’re being particularly friendly, but because they regard you as an incompetent hunter. You see the behavior in indoor-only cats as well though, say, leaving toys on your pillow, etc. In that case, I wonder if they’re reciprocating? You feed me, I feed you (kind of).
- Sharlin 7y agoThe gift-bringing behavior of domestic cats is not well understood. The "incompetent hunter" hypothesis is, well, just a hypothesis. I don't think any particular assumption of ineptitude is required on the cats' part; Occam's razor says that they're simply doing what they think is their part in keeping their family unit well-fed.
- zentiggr 7y agoWe've had more than one cat that absolutely loved playing fetch. When my wife figured out how to toss a bouncy toy from the bedroom and two rebounds to get it down the stairs to the first floor landing, it was game on for Gabriel... And I've had a fine afternoon tossing a rubber ball that would bounce all around the living and dining room in billiard-style angles, and have an hour or more of lazy returns and rethrows.