"Garret Swayne" writes:

-to not react with anger or displeasure at the sight of his kill, for it's
really a "gift" that he's offering me and I don't want to appear
"ungracious".

Now this latter observation, I must say, I can't help but be skeptical
about. Is that really true? Or are we just stretching to ascribe
"positive" human attributes to our feline buddies, whom we love and cherish?
If cats were really "givers" by nature, I'd think they're smart enough to
figure out a lot of other things we'd prefer to receive rather than a dead
carcass! Seriously, is there any scientific research to suggest that they
really are bringing us what they consider a "gift"?

I don't think looking at it as a "gift" is the right perpective.
As you say, it's too complex a trait to attribute to a cat.

Mother cats will bring home kills for the kittens.
That may be the basis of the evolution of the instinct.
Instincts aren't reasoned, they are built in.
Most likely the instinct operates in females even when they don't
have kittens and in males even though they don't normally provide
food for kittens.

After a cat kills it's prey and eats it's fill it is no longer hungry
and it's no longer satisfying the hunting instinct.

Therefore weaker instincts are going to take over.
It's going to return home, why not take the animal with it?
It's not a complex behavior, it doesn't require complex motives
to operate.


We once had a mother cat bring home a full grown pheasant.
Small cat, really large bird.