If you let your cat wander outside, they may come home with an unpleasant surprise, like a dead bird or rodent, in its jaws. This may be bewildering to pet owners. After all, why would your cat kill an animal without the need to eat it and then give it to you as a "gift"?
It isn't because you aren't feeding Fluffy enough. Instead, it lies in your kitty's evolutionary history. "Cats are predatory by nature," said Dr. Stephanie Liff, a veterinarian and medical director at Pure Paws Veterinary Care in New York City. Although cats were domesticated over 10,000 years ago, modern domestic cats have generally retained their instinct to catch prey. This means that they have a drive to hunt.
