Anyone Else's Cat Eat Their 'gifts'?

[keiiy]

We where adopted by a stray about a year and a half ago (bengal cat).
At first she never brought anything back (maybe she kept it for herself? Or maybe she was a house cat before and didn't know how to hunt?)
Last spring she had kittens, once the kittens where gone and she was spayed she began bringing the odd 'gift' home. Obviously we wouldnt allow her in the house with it so after a little while she would eat it.
She was well fed but we thought it was a waste-not attitude after almost starving as a stray. I've never heard of that before? Gifts are usually brought and left for the owner - as far as I know?
These days she has mastered hunting and brings our gifts back live - daily!
Again, she will attempt to give them to us multiple times then eat it.
Has anyone else seen or heard of this?thanks

 

[abyeb]

You've done a great thing, getting your cat spayed. You're working to improve her health as well as helping prevent pet overpopulation.

Cats are predators, so they enjoy hunting, and will continue to hunt, even if they are well-fed.

I am of the opinion that indoors is the safest place for cats. Outdoor cats can contract diseases such as FIV, FIP, FeLV, heartworm, or get into fights with other cats (or dogs, wolves, foxes, bobcats, etc.), get hit by cars, or even poisoned or shot at. If you keep your kitty indoors, it will help keep her safe as well as eliminate the possibility of unwanted "gifts". Maybe you could harness train her or build a catio. This will allow your kitty to explore the outdoors safely and would also prevent her from hunting.

 

[Mystikal kitten]

This is where Abyeb and I get into a disagreement because I think if your cat is trained properly to be indoors and outdoors then it's okay for the cat to be going out.
Yes, I've seen this before- Halloween (1 out of 2 outside cats) brings her gifts to the house, let's me see them so I can praise her then she eats it after playing with it for a few minutes.
I've tried to get Halloween inside but she won't seeing how she has been an outside cat ever since she got here ( which I'm told was about 6 years ago).

 

[orange&white]

My grandmother had an orange cat named Goldie who lived an indoor/outdoor life of a country cat. For nearly 23 years, Goldie brought my grandmother a present every morning and waited for suitable verbal praise before eating her quarry (out in the garage). Then she came inside to sleep for the day. The cat seemed to want to be recognized for working hard and earning her keep. If Goldie could speak, she would say, "See how valuable I am to the family?"

 

[Mystikal kitten]

Sometimes Halloween eats it in front of me than there's other times where she hides when she eats it.
Like I said I've tried to coach her in but she refuses so we just let her be an outside cat.

 

[DreamerRose]

Yes, my cats eat their prey. They are indoor-only cats, but mice were a big problem until I got the cats. I am truly grateful for whatever they catch. Usually, they like to torture and torment the mouse for quite a while. I can't really watch this because it looks so cruel, but I've heard that cats do this so the mouse won't bite them. In any case, whether they eat the mouse depends on how hungry they are. If they've just been fed, they don't eat the mouse, but if it's the middle of the night, they will. I've woken up to mouse guts on the carpet a few times.

 

[keiiy]

Thank you for your replies, I'm glad she isn't on her own! I've just never heard of any other cat doing it!

There is no way on god's green earth that she will stay in. She was pregnant - I mean HUGE! And still played hell to go out. One day I was trying to load up my car and had to lock her in the bathroom to do it! She was only in there like 3-4 minutes but peed on the floor in protest!
She was a great mother but wanted to leave the kittens when they where quite young to go out! We set up 2 nest boxes in the garden for her just in case she escaped then had to have them outside
The vet said that she was roughly 3 when we took her in, we have no idea where she came from or if she was indoors/outdoors but she had never been pregnant before (vet thought she was spayed).

 

[DreamerRose]

When she lived outside, she was probably so undernourished that she didn't come in heat. If she lived on her hunting skills for a year or two, that's another good reason for her to eat her prey - it's habit.

 

[keiiy]

She kills enough rats to keep a small army of cats alive and well!!
Think it's more likely she wasn't very experienced back then but who knows?

I'm astonished that she wasn't chipped, she is a beautiful bengal and had 4 stunning bengal kittens.

 

[DreamerRose]

You'll have to show us some pictures! We love kittens and pictures.