Why Cats Kill for Us

You know your cat loves you. But would he kill for you? Mine would, and they have. As over the top as it may seem to us, cats are good at this.

My first experience came as a child when a bat found its way into my bedroom through a small hole in my window screen. I slept through the whole thing, but in the morning I came down to breakfast my mom I found out just what Calico had been up to that night. In the bottom of a glass jar was the small winged creature, dead. I don't know if she killed it for sport, for food, or out of concern for me, but there it was. A dead bat, courtesy of the most timid cat I've ever owned. This is the cat as a protector.

Sometimes cats kill things we'd rather they not, such as other pets. Calico did also kill one of our hamsters and my lizard. This is the cat's killer instinct rearing its ugly head in a way that is undesirable.

Cats like to leave their dead for us as a gift. One morning as I stepped out the front door my foot glanced something rounded and furry. A small rabbit lay dead on our doorstep. Its placement was intentional - it was a gift from the cat to us. Just because we buy our meat at the store rather than kill it ourselves doesn't mean our cats don't operate that way. No doubt the cat thought we would be delighted

Aside from the dangers to cats who are allowed outdoors, the most talented feline hunters are a danger to wild birds. I have never felt all that concerned about it; I love cats. Nothing against birds, but when was the last time a cat defecated on your car?

Most touching is the cat who makes a conscious effort to show you his kill and basks in the praise. My male cat would bring half-dead crickets up from the basement and cry until I came to observe his quarry. Only after I petted and praised him would he dispose of the cricket for me by eating it. He made sure his kills were recorded in my absence by leaving cricket legs throughout the house, black spiny little trophies left on the stairs.

If you don't wish to experience any of the above scenarios, you can curtail your cat's predation by neutering him and keeping him indoors. By taking great care to restrict his access to other pets, you can avoid your cat's killing another pet. You're on your own with situations involving crickets and spiders.

Your cat means well and is killing with your welfare in mind. How far you let your little mercenary take things is up to you.