Hunting

Despite hundreds of years of domestication, most cats display am instinct to hunt if given the opportunity. This predatory behavior has been passed down to the domestic cat through the mists of time. While cats are born with a hunting instinct, killing and eating prey are generally learned behaviors. While a cat may catch and kill a mouse, it might not eat it, even if it is hungry, unless it has been taught to.

Kittens begin to show hunting behavior from as young as six weeks of age. Programmed from birth to chase, kittens practice hunting skills by crouching, pouncing, play fighting and fake attacking with their littermates. A mother cat might use her tail to help teach her babies hunting skills, using it as a tease to teach them to stalk. If the mother is an outdoor cat, she will bring small, dead prey to her kittens. She will eat in front of them, encouraging them to join her. Next she will bring injured prey and encourage her kittens to play with it. She will kill it in front of them. Slowly the kittens learn that prey can be caught and eaten. Eventually the kittens accompany the mother as she hunts and learn to catch and kill on their own.

Cats will exhibit teaching behavior not only toward their own kittens but also other cat's litters. Some cats even include their human owners in the lesson, bringing home dead prey and dropping it on the doorsteps. The hunting feline patrols a specific territory. The size of the territory varies depending on the availability of prey. Most adults are solitary hunters, although at times cats kills with a lethal bite through the spine at the base of the neck. If a cat isn't hungry, it will delay or even defer killing the prey, instead opting for the excitement of repeated stalking, capturing, and playing with the victim. My mum used to received all kinds of 'gifts' in front of her doorstep: birds, duckling, rats, small snakes, huge grasshoppers, even babies of rabbits (I guess it must be from next door as they have lots of rabbits running freely in their garden). I told my mum not to scold the cats. They are proud of their hunting result, and they are waiting to be praised. So what we normally do is just to throw the corpse away. 

Why do cats often appear to torture or play with their catch before killing it? There are several theories. One theory is that these cats lack confidence. They may still be wary of their prey, which if not killed quickly can fight and bite back. Another theory is that domestic cats that live in a relatively rodent-free environment lack the opportunity to catch real live prey. When they finally do catch a mouse, they want to prolong the process of playing as much as possible.

Cats owners may also notice cats will chatter their teeth when seeing prey. It is a kind of special noise cats will make especially when they see birds, dropping/moving feather and squirrel. Indoor cats may just be showing their excitement or frustration at seeing potential prey that they cannot reach. Kusky and Kurimu chattered alot every morning in front of my bedroom's window when seeing birds standing near to the balcony. I shall upload video of them chattering next time.