My cat hunts birds and brings me prey: why it does it and how to reduce it
It's one of the most unpleasant moments for any owner: finding a dead bird or mouse on the doorstep. Cats hunt out of instinct, not hunger, and the instinct can't be removed. But hunting can be greatly reduced, and there are good reasons to do it, both for wildlife and for your cat.
Why a well-fed cat still hunts
A cat doesn't hunt because it's hungry. The hunting instinct works independently of hunger: a well-fed cat still responds to the movements of a bird or a mouse, because in the wild a cat can't wait until it's hungry to hunt, given that most of its attempts fail. That's why feeding it more doesn't reduce hunting. Some cats are far keener hunters than others, because of their genes and what they learnt from their mother: hunting mothers teach their kittens to hunt by bringing them prey. Young cats tend to hunt more than older ones. And access to the outdoors is, of course, what most affects how much a cat can hunt.
Why it brings you its prey
There's a popular explanation, that your cat brings you prey as a gift, or to teach you to hunt because it thinks you're useless at it, which is charming but unproven. What's most likely is that the cat takes the prey somewhere it considers safe, its home, to eat it or play with it in peace, and often leaves it half finished, because it isn't hungry or because it's more interested in the hunt than the meal. Either way, don't scold or punish it when it brings you prey: it won't understand why and you'll only stress it. Remove the prey with gloves or a bag, without making a fuss, and wash your hands well afterwards.
The impact on wildlife
The impact of cats on wildlife is real and well documented. Several scientific studies estimate that domestic cats kill billions of birds and small mammals around the world each year, and the domestic cat is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's list of the world's most damaging invasive species. The impact is especially serious on islands and in areas with threatened species, and in Spain in rural areas, near nature reserves or where there are ground-nesting birds. This doesn't make your cat a villain, but it is a good reason to cut down hunting as much as possible, especially in spring, during the breeding season.
Most effective: no unsupervised outdoor access
The most effective way to stop a cat hunting is to not give it free access to the outdoors. An indoor cat with a rich environment and enough play can live a full life, and on average lives longer than one that roams freely, thanks to fewer road accidents, fights and diseases. There are halfway options: a balcony or terrace secured with netting, a fenced garden or a cat enclosure, what some people call a catio. If your cat goes out, keeping it in at dawn, at dusk and overnight greatly reduces the hunting of mammals and also the risk of being hit by a car. And in Spain, the animal welfare law requires every cat, whether it goes out or not, to be microchipped and neutered before six months of age, except those belonging to registered breeders.
Play hunting games at home
A British study published in 2021 found that spending 5 to 10 minutes a day playing with the cat at chasing and catching toys, imitating a hunt, reduced the prey cats brought home by around 25 per cent. It makes sense: a cat that has been able to express its hunting instinct at home has less need to look for it outside. Use wand toys with feathers or soft toys, move the toy like prey, let it catch it and finish with a treat. It isn't a complete solution, but it's easy, free, and it also improves your cat's wellbeing and your relationship. It's the same logic as puzzle feeders, which make it hunt for its own food.
Diet matters too
The same study found another striking result: cats that switched to a high-quality food, with protein mainly from meat and no cereals, brought home around 36 per cent less prey. The researchers suggested some cats might hunt partly to make up for a nutritional shortfall, although the exact cause isn't clear. This finding should be treated with caution, because it comes from a single study and the mechanism hasn't been proven. But if your cat is a big hunter, it's worth discussing with your vet in case better food helps. Any change of food, though, should always be gradual.
Bells and brightly coloured collars
Bells on a collar reduce hunting a little, especially of birds, because they warn the prey, although many cats learn to move without making them ring, and they don't solve the problem completely. There are brightly coloured fabric covers that go over the collar and that, according to several studies, considerably reduce the number of birds caught, because birds see bright colours well and spot the cat sooner; they're no use against mice. If you put a collar on your cat, always make it a safety collar, the kind that opens if it snags, because an ordinary collar can strangle it or trap a leg. And remember that a collar is no substitute for a microchip.
The risks for your cat
Hunting has risks for the cat as well. Prey can pass on internal parasites, such as some types of roundworm and tapeworm, and a cat can pick up toxoplasma by eating rodents or birds, so a hunting cat needs more frequent worming, on a schedule your vet should set. A mouse poisoned with rat poison can poison the cat that eats it, and anticoagulant rodenticides cause serious internal bleeding that may appear days later. If you suspect your cat has eaten a poisoned rodent, go to the vet even if it seems fine. Cats can also suffer bites, wounds and infections. Cats that go outdoors need more frequent vet check-ups.
If you find a bird that's still alive
If your cat brings in a bird or other animal that is injured but alive, separate it from the cat, put it in a cardboard box with air holes in a dark, quiet, warm place, without giving it food or water, and contact a wildlife rescue centre (in Spain, the one run by your region) or the environmental authorities. Even if it seems fine, a bird caught by a cat usually needs treatment, because cat saliva contains bacteria that can cause a fatal infection very quickly. Don't try to treat or feed it yourself. And above all, use it as a chance to rethink how to cut down your cat's unsupervised outings.
Cats hunt out of instinct, not hunger, and they shouldn't be punished for bringing in prey. What reduces hunting most is not letting them out unsupervised, especially at night and at dawn. Daily hunting games at home and a good-quality, meat-rich diet also help, as do brightly coloured covers on a safety collar. And worm more often if your cat hunts.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.