Kitties Keep Bringing Us Dead Presents. How to I Fix That?

Take the cat door out.

They'll just come in through the hole D'uh.

Not my field of expertise really as I have impecable table manners...
Del

Stop feeding the cats, they won't be so anxious to share....

The only method that works with an outdoor cat, puts the cat at risk to other predators. Don't let the cat out or endure the gifts.

I was sort of hoping there was a fix for the wife.

I grew up on the farm so dead stuff the cats bring home really doesn't bother me one bit.

In the many years I've had outdoor cats in the isolated suburbs that is Lawn Guy Land Nu Yawk the only method that reduced the number of dead prey presented was treating and praising the cats that brought them back alive and not making a fuss but quietly disposing of the dead ones. Predators will always capture prey.

What is funny is I have two outdoor cats that react completely differently to the wild turkey that comes around. Blackie freaks out and leaves whenever the turkey comes around, unless Fred (a large [18lb], muscular Maine coon cat) is with him. Fred will swat the turkey once if the bird disturbs him but otherwise couldn't care less.

Don't let the the Cats outside!!

I have probably 12-16 cats.

One especially stays in my shop all alone, she is about 5 pounds max and not one of my hound dogs will go near her. She is a hunter/killer.

when they bring in a dead mouse or a part of dead mouse ( nutria rat, baby possum, dove, pigeon, snake, etc) they are showing YOU that they are earning their keep and are on the job.

A dog gives allegiance to the one who feeds him( her).

A cat CHOOSES who they give allegiance to.

In your case, the cat wants to impress either you or the wife. Its an honor.

As for the wife... i understand... i do not kill snakes as they are the best mouse catchers of all.... and with thousands of $$ of netting laying around, a rat is as dangerous as can of gasoline and a lit match! My wife runs for the shovel... i catch them as quick as I can before she goes Marie Antoinette on them.

Sorry ol' buddy....the cat is probably not going to stop until you lock it outside.

Set your cat door to allow the cat to go out but not to come back in.

Additionally be thankful all you get is dead rodents. Try chasing a half dead, bleeding and pooping bird around your living room while holding a full glass of red wine after your thoughtful cats bring it in alive to play with in front of you to really impress you.

You could try some standard conditioning tactics to discourage the unwanted behavior.

.

There are a couple factors working against potential success: you have previously encouraged the behavior (by playing fetch with a imitation mouse) and there is a strong evolutionary drive to chase/catch/deliver rodentia to pride/pack leader.

.

The following might be part of the conditioning:

Purchase toys that are not similar to mice or birds.... something that doesn't have fur or feathers....perhaps a ball with a christmas bell inside. Reward and praise the cat profusely for interest/play with the toy.

Do not remove the other mouse-like and bird-like toys, but spray the cat with a water bottle every time the cat plays with or notices the prey-like toys.

Spray the cat anytime it brings home dead, half-dead, or live mice or birds.

Leave non-prey-like toys in the yard. Treat and profusely praise the cat for bringing these to you.

.

.

It would be interesting to see the results, perhaps you would be willing to video tape the experiment?

.

.

Another thing to think about would be; how does a cat distinguish between other cats and prey? I've never heard of a cat dragging another cat in as a present, but I have heard of things as large as small cats being brought in.

.

Perhaps the prey has to be sufficiently different. I don't think it is feasible to glue fur to the tails of all the rodentia in your vicinity (what other significant difference besides size is there, really?). Perhaps, just regularly shaving (or waxing?) the hair off the cat's tail will remove sufficient difference to reduce the slaughter.

.

Again, video would be great.

Where is Del when needed?

Just wait until your cat catches a bat! Die fledermaus!

"You could try some standard conditioning tactics to discourage the unwanted behavior."

Perhaps but I have been working on my wife for two years now and not much has changed.

Maybe I will have to start using the spray bottle method?

...But I have been working on my wife for two years now and not much has changed.I think you'll find inter spouse conditioning usually works the other way round.Del
(Yes dear... I'll do it in a minute!)

Try feeding kitties every now and then, then they won't have to resort to catching their own food.

Seriously though, in this situation, I have found that remote control shock collars give impressive results in curbing unwanted behavior.. Just put one on your wife, everytime she complains about kitties latest kill, ZAP!!, problem solves itself in a day or two.

Living on a farm there are two rules I have learned to live by regarding our cat and dogs (3) and un-wanted gifts;

1. Physically check kitty before allowing access to the interior of your home if you do not want gifts brought in.

2. Never, ever, under any circumstance let the dogs lick your face. (unrelated but equally important)

You will not break kitty of this habit. He/she does this as a show of affection towards you and your family (or so I have read).

Dogs will do this also.

My #2 dog, female coon-dog/lab mix also used to bring in gifts. Before I would let her in, I would remove whatever carcass was hanging from her mouth. This seemed to work but I was still finding dead, wet, goopy carcass in the house on occasion.

Dog #2 caught on to my frequent searches and was sneaking them in, in her cheek rather than hanging out of her mouth. Once I caught onto that trick, all was good and it kept wifey off the kitchen table.

Well if you could get the wife interested in taxidermy?

Now that's funny!

It would be easier to get the kitties to do the taxidermy work than getting her to do it.

She is basically vegan (except for when she goes into meat protein withdrawals) but that's a whole different story to deal with.