Cat Brings Mouse

Does a "little souvenir" from your outdoor cat regularly end up in front of your door or even in your house? It is often assumed that cats want to give their cat owners a "gift", but there can be other reasons behind this . Although our velvet paws mean well with us with this surprise, but at the latest when it becomes a daily ritual, the nerves are on edge. Why cats bring mice to us humans and what you can do about it, you can find out below!

Cat Brings Mouse and Meows: Meaning and Reasons

You certainly know that today's domestic cats are descended from powerful wild cats. To ensure their survival, their ancestors had to hunt for birds, mice, rats, frogs or even rabbits in the wild. This hunting instinct is a remnant of that time and is still present in many cats today.

When your four-legged friend brings his prey home to you, he lives out his natural instinct. But as the owner, you are probably asking yourself what exactly he wants to tell you with this gift and the subsequent meow? This behavior can be due to various reasons:

• Care: Your cat may want to provide you with the prey, believing that you are incapable of hunting for food for yourself. In the same way, cat mothers teach their offspring to catch mice.

• Protection: Your furry friend feels safe with you and wants to eat their prey at home in peace.

• Proud: Look what I caught! Your outdoor cat wants to proudly show you how good his hunting skills are.

Every cat is unique and so the reason behind this behavior can vary. Maybe you can watch your velvet paw and find out what it wants to tell you based on its body language? But one thing is for sure: your cat can live out its natural instinct and sees you and your home as an integral part of its pack.

How can you react if the cat brings a mouse?

Even if there are good intentions behind the hunt, the sight of dead prey in front of the door is not exactly pleasant. Nevertheless, you should not react with anger or disgust, because your furry friend has only followed her hunting instinct. Instead, try to deal with the souvenir as follows:

1. React calmly and collectedly.
2. If your cat wants to bring its prey indoors, you can stop it with a clear "no".
3. Distract your outdoor cat with a toy .
4. If he no longer shows interest in the prey, you can eliminate it. In Germany, small animals may be disposed of in the organic waste bin.

What can you do if the cat brings a live mouse?

If the mouse is still alive, quick action is required:

1. Distract your cat with a toy .
2. Put on gloves to protect yourself from bites.
3. Try to catch the mouse without hurting it.
4. Consider whether to abandon them in a safe place or whether the help of a veterinarian may be necessary.

Tips to prevent bringing mice

Since hunting wild animals is part of your cat's natural behavior, you can't train them to hunt. But maybe the following measures will help you:

• Cat flap: If you attach a cat flap to your front door, you can prevent your outdoor cat from bringing its prey into the house. Since cats usually hunt at dusk and during the night, you can close the cat flap completely during this time. However, there are also flaps that only open in one direction - so your fluffy hunter can roam through his territory at any time, but only enter the house with your help.

• Cat repellent belts for trees: To protect small birds from your cat's claws, you can strap cat repellent belts around trees – so cats can't climb into the treetop and catch birds.

Which cat hunts mice best?

Some cat breeds are particularly passionate mouse hunters: over time, some breeds have been adapted for mouse hunting through centuries of breeding, so that they could rid people's homes of both urban and rural environments of the annoying rodents. Due to their behaviors and physical characteristics , these breeds are particularly skilled hunters:

• Maine Coone

• Siamese cats

• Norwegian Forest Cats