# Dead mouse: Gift? Or misunderstanding?



## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

What is the proper etiquette to follow when a cat gives you a dead mouse? I am only assuming it was meant as a gift because it was laid in front of the doormat.

It came from Gladys, who is still mostly feral, so her feelings toward us are unclear. I thanked her profusely for her generosity. But when my husband picked it up to dispose of it, she paced anxiously back and forth, and looked sad when it was gone.

Did we commit a faux pas? Was she expecting us to eat it? :?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

My childhood cat, Snow, always brought me mice gifts. I would praise her lavishly and then tell her thanks, but I wasn't hungry and I'd urge her to eat it for me. We'd stay outside and I'd pet her for 5-10 minutes until she threw it up and then she could come inside.

Could you ask Gladys to eat it? Offer it back to her?


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## seashell (Dec 5, 2003)

The etiquette of receiving gifts of dead prey is very tricky isn't it? 
Since your husband obviously didn't appreciate the gift of a mouse, perhaps Gladys might try something different next time. Such as a small bird. 8O 

seashell


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## Huge2 (Jan 28, 2008)

You have to eat it.


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## Dave_L (Jul 31, 2008)

It could be a threat. "This could be you, human."


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Huge said:


> You have to eat it.


You made me LOL! :lol:


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Jet Green said:


> What is the proper etiquette to follow when a cat gives you a dead mouse?


Look interested, make some approving-type positive-sounding comment, and then leave it alone for the cat to do whatever with it.

I have a theory on why cats bring their prey to their people. It's generally thought that cats chose to affiliate themselves with humans when humans started settling down and farming. The stored grain attracted rodents and the cats found the clusters of human habitations to be easy hunting. The humans realized the cats were performing a service by killing the rodents and saving their grain, so they offered food and shelter.

Today, when a cat brings its prey to its human, my theory is that the cat is acting out this by-now genetically-implanted role of showing the human that it's doing something useful, something which earns it its place in the human's company. So the cat expects you to approve of the dead prey, but expects to be able to have it to eat itself.

When Rocket catches something, he invariably brings it in the garage to the connecting doorway to the house, kills it and eats it there, and if it's large enough, leaves some bit of the entrails there for me to find, so that I know that he's "on the job."

On those occasions on which I took prey away from him, whether dead or alive, he seemed pretty put out. But I don't think Jet & hubby should worry overly much. Cats are very forgiving when it comes to human faux "paws".


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## furmew (Sep 5, 2008)

Gift! It's an endearing gift. I grew up with a gorgeous (Angora snow-white goddess) cat who used to sit in our front window. Across the street a lady had hundreds of cats (sad, actually) and the males used to bring us TONS of gifts for our cat. Sometimes still half alive. Sometimes bloody.

Don't feel bad about any quick disposal. You'll get it right next time.  Show her your love, appreciation, and like others said, maybe see if she wants to eat it.


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

Laugh, I'm enjoying all these theories! :lol: Gladys seems to have forgiven us, anyway. But I'm sure it won't be long before our little huntress brings us the next mouse/bird/lizard/frog/big insect.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Jet Green said:


> ...I'm sure it won't be long before our little huntress brings us the next mouse/bird/lizard/frog/big insect.


So. Which of you (you or Hubby) get to eat the gift? *batts eyes innocently*


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

Heidi n Q said:


> So. Which of you (you or Hubby) get to eat the gift? *batts eyes innocently*


Oh, that sounds like a husband type of job to me! :devil :lol:


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## nklincoln (Aug 2, 2005)

Ok I am the one that feeds Beans and cleans her potty box why does she bring hubby her gifts? Because hubby tells her she must not be doing her job as he hasn't seen any gifts in awhile. Next day the mouse, bird or whatever is presented to him.


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## Starlinka (Nov 23, 2008)

Sorry, but this is NOT a gift. Cat's natural instinct is bringing prey home to where it is safe and she usually eats.


nklincoln said:


> Next day the mouse, bird or whatever is presented to him.


I feel bad about poor birds that live in your yard. You should keep her indoor.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

A female cat's instinct is also to bring live prey back to the kittens in the nest, both to feed them and to teach them to hunt and kill. I suppose that's something like a gift when a cat does that with its people.


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## Huge2 (Jan 28, 2008)

Starlinka said:


> Sorry, but this is NOT a gift. Cat's natural instinct is bringing prey home to where it is safe and she usually eats.
> 
> 
> nklincoln said:
> ...


It's what cats do though.


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## Starlinka (Nov 23, 2008)

Huge said:


> It's what cats do though.





> Domestic cats vs. native predators
> 
> Although cats make affectionate pets, many domestic cats hunt as effectively as wild predators. However, they differ from wild predators in three important ways: First, people protect cats from disease, predation and competition, factors that can control numbers of wild predators, such as bobcats, foxes, or coyotes. Second, they often have a dependable supply of supplemental food provided by humans and are, therefore, not influenced by changes in populations of prey. Whereas populations of native predators will decline when prey becomes scarce, cats receiving food subsidies from people remain abundant and continue to hunt even rare species. Third, unlike many native predators, cat densities are either poorly limited or not limited by territoriality [19]. These three factors allow domestic cats to exist at much higher densities than native predators. In some parts of rural Wisconsin, densities of free-ranging cats reach 114 cats per square mile. In these areas, cats are several times more abundant than all mid-sized native predators (such as foxes, raccoons, skunks) combined. With abundant food, densities can reach over 9 per acre, and cats often form large feeding and breeding "colonies" (81 cats were recorded in one colony, and colonies of over 20 are not uncommon) [20, 21]. Unlike some predators, a cat's desire to hunt is not suppressed by adequate supplemental food. Even when fed regularly by people, a cat's motivation to hunt remains strong, so it continues hunting [22].


http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/speaker3.html


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I read somewhere that the domestic cat is the only predator that hunts for sport, not for food.


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## ShadowKitty (Nov 18, 2008)

Most wild predators simply aren't successful enough in their hunts to do anything more than eat all they can kill.

There are exceptions, of course. Wild predators who enter an enclosure with human food animals often get excited over the abundance of prey and kill far more than they could eat. Any unusual abundance of prey can trigger similar responses in predators. I have unfortunately seen what coyotes do with cats (not mine, mine have always been indoor cats) in a neighborhood filled with pet cats. In bad years the coyotes eat the cats. In good years, they just kill the cats and leave them uneaten.


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