Catty Habits
Cats are lovely, cute and cuddly pets on the one hand, but can be strange, perplexing creatures with odd habits on the other. One of the main habits that can horrify and upset me in equal turns is when my pet cat brings dead animals home with what appears to be great ceremonial aplomb!
I have woken on many occasions to find my bedroom littered with decapitated field mice or arrived weary after a day at work to find a trail of feathers around the house, the last remaining remnants of some unfortunate birds last moments at the murderous claws of my cat.
I have rescued many a poor, trembling rodent from my cat in fact one time I found one scrunched up into a quivering ball under my pillow! In these moments I can’t help but look at Tikka saucer-eyed. Where is my cute loving cat and who is this tail swishing, predatory, killer machine impostor?
I had heard that cats do this to bring their owners a present but after doing a bit of research apparently this is just not the case. Cats kill because it is their nature to do so. In the wild they would have killed prey for their kittens and themselves for food. In these moments their natural hunter instincts are triggered. They kill their prey and bring it home to eat – then somewhere in between they revert back to being a tame pet and leave the job unfinished.
I was quite reassured when I read this – as I often felt I was somehow offending Tikka by not tucking in to his gory breakfast offering. I was relieved to know that I could enjoy my cup of tea and toast guilt-free instead!
Some things I've noticed