Why Does Your Cat Bring You Toys? Learn What It Means · Kinship Leave a comment

You’ve in all probability woken as much as discover cat toys in your mattress greater than as soon as. Otherwise you’re on the most suspenseful a part of the film, and right here comes your cat, meowing insistently and dropping their toy at your toes. Possibly you stroll away out of your morning espresso solely to come back again and see your cat sitting subsequent to the mug, making an attempt to fish out the toy they simply dropped in it. Why is your cat bringing you toys, typically on the most inopportune occasions? Let’s get into it.

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Explanation why cats carry toys to their pet mum or dad

Cats do what they do for a motive. There’s a driving drive behind even the best habits. As I all the time say, the extra you recognize about your cat’s motivation, the higher you’ll perceive their wants and might present for them. Meaning everyone seems to be happier — you and your cat.  

After all, we will’t ask our cats why they do issues. We now have to make educated guesses based mostly on what we all know and expertise. Listed here are some causes your cat could also be bringing you their toys.

Pure looking intuition

Your cat’s looking instincts are on the root of plenty of their habits. Cats don’t simply hunt after they’re hungry. They’re opportunistic hunters, which means they hunt when a possibility presents itself, hungry or not. In actual fact, well-fed indoor/out of doors cats will nonetheless hunt round 3 hours a day, given the possibility. It’s an instinctual want.  

In case you’ve seen your cat torturing that poor cricket who sadly discovered its means inside, you recognize additionally they benefit from the course of. They need to replicate that have, which often requires your assist. Your cat learns to carry you the toy as a result of that’s how the toy strikes to allow them to hunt it. 

Affection

Play is a bonding exercise. You in all probability give your cat a number of verbal reward, pets, and love throughout a play session. It is smart that when your cat desires a bit of love, they carry their toy over to you and drop it at your toes. 

Boredom

A bored cat is … effectively … a bored cat. It’s not their pure state. Within the wild, they’d be looking 20-plus occasions a day, exploring, climbing bushes, following scents, and extra to fill their days. That’s why play and enrichment are so vital for indoor cats. In the event that they get bored, they begin on the lookout for methods to occupy themselves. It’s possible you’ll not like what they provide you with. 

In case your cat brings you their toy, they might want one thing to do. Take a brief break and have a play session. It’s good for his or her psychological well being and yours. 

Looking for a reward

Cats study greatest with optimistic reinforcement. In case your cat will get reward, pets, love, and even only a second of your consideration after they carry you a toy, that’s optimistic reinforcement for the straightforward act of bringing you that toy. Because of this, when they need consideration, they’ll carry the toy, anticipating the “reward” they’ve gotten prior to now. 

In search of you to guard the toy

Your cat could also be looping you into their looking habits by bringing you the toy. Being opportunistic hunters, it’s frequent for cats to catch a critter, see one other critter that sparks their prey drive, drop the primary one off at homebase, after which take off after that second one. 

You’ve in all probability seen your cat do that if you’re taking part in. They seize the lure on the finish of the wand toy and run off with the entire thing. Possibly they drag it beneath the desk, chomping on it for a second and guarding it earlier than they’re able to get again to taking part in. 

Your cat may very well be bringing you their toys after a hunt, as that “homebase.” It’s like, “Hey, are you able to control this for me? I do know you received’t eat it or let it get away.”

Educating you tips on how to hunt

We used to assume cats introduced us half-dead prey as a present. I keep in mind many rescue missions once I was rising up, with the entire household making an attempt to catch and launch the mouse, lizard, chicken, or bug that one in every of our cats introduced in. They’d often drop it at our toes and begin meowing. Then, the prey would come out of its stupor and take off.

Now, it’s thought that our cats are literally making an attempt to assist us out. They assume we’re poor hunters and need to educate us. 

How did specialists provide you with this concept? It’s what mom cats do for his or her kittens. They convey dwell prey again to the kittens for observe. It’s a creepy thought, however they’re predators, and that’s how they study. Your cat could also be bringing you toys, in the event that they don’t have entry to dwell prey, that will help you study to hunt.

The toy could also be damaged or scent totally different

Some recommend that your cat might carry you toys when there’s one thing improper with the toy. Possibly you washed it, or your canine slept with it, and it smells totally different, or items may very well be coming free. 

I wouldn’t say I see this fairly often. However it definitely can occur, particularly if the toy wants some type of setup or activation (like a battery-powered toy that wants you to hit the facility button). In case your cat is aware of you make the toy go, they might carry it to you when it’s not going. 

Why does my cat carry me toys at evening?

Cats are crepuscular, which means they’re most energetic at nightfall and daybreak. That is when a number of critters are out looking and gathering for themselves. It’s an opportune time on your cat to perform a little looking. 

This inside clock doesn’t change as a result of they’re fed by us. They’re nonetheless programmed to be energetic early within the morning and because the solar goes down. That’s one motive your cat might carry you toys at evening.

It will also be a last-ditch effort to get some play earlier than you fall asleep. In any case, that’s when all of the enjoyable stops. The house will get quiet, the lights go off, and (in the event that they’re not getting sufficient play and enrichment at different occasions) your cat will get bored. They might attempt to get one final play session in by dropping a toy at your toes or in your pillow. 

Backside line

• In case your cat is bringing you their toys, there’s a motive for it. They’ve a necessity that you could assist with. A whole lot of your cat’s habits relies on their instinctual have to hunt, together with getting you to play with them, typically by bringing you their toys. Cats want issues to occupy their time. In addition they need love and a spotlight from you. Bringing you a toy in all probability means you’ll cease no matter you’re doing for a couple of minutes and play. 

References

“Understanding the Looking Behaviour of Cats.” Icatcare.org, 2025, icatcare.org/articles/understanding-the-hunting-behaviour-of-cats. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.