Why do cats bring you toys?
When a cat brings you its toy, it is expressing its affection. Gifting the items they love is a sign of trust, and you should consider yourself flattered if you have a ball of fluff that shows you such consideration.
Cats are possessive creatures and can even become possessive of their humans. Therefore, when they bring their toy and drop it off at your feet, they are expressing their love and affection for you by trusting that you have their toy’s best interest.
Sometimes the item they bring and drop off isn’t a toy, but instead, a mouse or something they worked hard to catch.
Either way, it is an honor if your furry friend presents its favorite toy or hunting trophy at your feet. Interestingly enough, there are also several other reasons that your cat may be giving you their toys.
3 Reasons Why My Cat Bring Me Toys
Now, let’s look at the question in-depth. As previously stated, when your cat leaves a toy or any other item that they catch or admire at your feet, it is them showing affection and trust.
This is a common trait for house cats that feel a sense of belonging to their owner and want to prove that you have their trust and test your reaction.
The best way to react to your cat when it shows you this affection is to return the favor and give it a scratch on the head or a loving pet. Just be careful, you may get stuck in their soft, fluffy fur and their loving purrs and have to cancel any other plans.
While the main and most common reason your cat may be dropping off their toy at your feet for safekeeping, there are also other reasons they could be expressing this behavior.
1. Showing Off
If you have a domesticated cat, you know that it either wants all of the attention or none of it. While the recommended daily attention for your cat is 20-30 minutes, your cat may have something different in mind.
Because this is the tendency of most cats, when they do want your attention, they like to show off.
One way they do this is by showing you how great their toys are and how much hard work it is to catch the darn thing. Hunting for cats is a fulfilling exercise.
Therefore, when they throw their toys around the room and eventually get it to hold still, then drop it off for you to see, they are showing you their trophy.
If you notice your cat dropping off their toys at your feet after a long spat of trying to catch it, they are likely showing you their catch and wanting some recognition.
Go ahead and feed your cat’s ego by congratulating it on its catch showing interest in the toy along with a head pat.
2. Wanting to Play
One of the more obvious reasons your cat brings you its toys is because it’s feeling playful and wants you to join in the fun.
You may be asking yourself, why does my cat bring toys to my bed? Because cats are nocturnal, they tend to want to play during the nighttime hours. This is common displeasure for a lot of cat owners as sleeping time for humans is often playtime for cats.
Yes, it is possible to train your cat. If your cat brings you its toys at night or to your bed, the best thing you can do is not acknowledge the toy until the morning. If you throw the toy or engage in playtime when you’re trying to sleep, it can teach your cat bad habits.
When your cat wants to play during the day, engage in their desire by tossing their toy and chasing them around. Playtime with your cat helps them release some energy and even stimulates their brain.
3. Teaching You to Hunt
It’s evident that cats are superior to all other species-at least that’s what they think and want us to understand. While this may not necessarily be true, it is evident that domesticated cats do possess successful hunting instincts, as they are responsible for the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles.
Even if your cat isn’t the most reliable hunter, it wants you to think so and will, therefore, act as a teacher to the lesser species of human it calls its owner. If your cat drops off its toys or another trophy at your feet, it is mimicking an act that mother cats perform with their kittens.
When a cat has kittens, it must hone the kittens’ hunting skills. To do this, they hunt and catch prey but don’t kill it. They bring the injured mouse or bird to the kittens and have them finish it off. This increases the kitten’s hunting instincts, allowing it to eventually hunt for itself.
Don’t take it personally, but your cat may be telling you that it doesn’t believe you have the hunting skills necessary to survive on your own and must help you out. How thoughtful! Right?
Conclusion
You may be wondering, why does my cat bring me toys at night? Or why does my cat bring me toys and stare at me?
When your cat shows you affection, it may be that it is giving you its toy to keep, showing you its favorite toy and allowing you to play with it, or hoping you give head scratches for their hard work in catching the toy. Either way, when your cat wants attention or expresses its trust towards you, you are a unique person.
Don’t let the misconception that cats are evil and unlovable blind you from the fact that they do love affection and request it in ways you might not be expecting.
