Toy Rat In The Food Bowl.

I have a great very well behaved 9 year old male cat. I'm curious if anyone knows why he would often times places his toy rat in his dry-food bowl. Is this a common thing for cats to do or are there maybe mice in here and he is trying to bait them over to his food bowl or something? I only mention the baiting thing because in the last townhouse I lived in there were field-mice coming in through the wall, sneaking out from under the stove, and I think stealing the dry cat food. Jerry would actually sit in the hallway outside the kitchen positioned on an angle to give him a view of the stove but making it hard to see him from the stove. I watched him sit there hidden until a mouse came out and headed for the food bowl and then he charged in to grab it when it was out in the open. Jerry didn't actually hurt the mouse - I picked him up, with the screeching mouse in his mouth, and held him out the front door until he dropped it and it ran off (probably to sneak back in again...).

Cats often drop items into their food bowl. Not really sure why.

Abby drops her toys into the water dish and sometimes in or near her food dish.

Saki puts his toy mice in Zoey's dry food bowl LOL.

Maybe he's offering her a present

my cats put everything in their water bowl and food too. When bobby was a baby he would drop colored mice in there and the water would turn pink or orange or blue and grace would come meowing to me to change the water.