How do you get your cat to stop bringing home dead and alive animals?

Answer 1

The best way to curtail this unfortunate occurrence is to keep your cat indoors at times when rodents, birds, etc. are most susceptible, namely around sunset and at dawn. If you have a catflap/dogflap, or keep a window open or closed for the cat to get in and out, then this should be manageable.

This is only a way of minimising opportunities that your cat has to catch prey; unfortunately, as long as your cat is allowed indoors, there is no single way to stop it from happening altogether!

Hunting is a cat's natural instinct and your pet sees nothing wrong in bringing its prey indoors and proudly presenting it to you as a sign of love or a gift of food, to show that it is earning its keep by protecting your home and its territory. For this reason, yelling at your cat will not make it stop. It will not understand why you do not want to see its caught prey.

If it is dead, dispose of the mouse but NOT IN SIGHT OF THE CAT. Praise the cat first, then dispose of when you get the chance. There is no way to stop your cat from doing this, because your cat is showing you respect and affection. You cannot make a cat what it is not through any amount of training, though you can warp their psyche by being disapproving of them.

Usually a hunting cat will lie in wait for its prey, so bells on collars are usually ineffective.

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Well, the best way is to STOP letting your cats outdoors. It is almost impossible to stop them from bringing in animals if they have access to outside; it's just what they do. It is actually a gift for you (nice, eh?)

Just dispose of the animal out of sight of the cat if you don't want their gifts.

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If it wears a collar then try attaching a bell. This won't stop the hunting instinct but it could warn the prey of the cat's approach in time for them to escape.

Answer 2

Try keeping your cat indoors to prevent them from hunting. Additionally, provide plenty of toys and playtime to keep them mentally and physically stimulated. You can also train them to drop items on command and reward them when they bring you toys instead of animals.