We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how cats can show their love for you through certain sounds. But what about their other “love language” ― gift giving?
The instinct may run deep with some feline friends. PetMD writes, “Mothers will bring back dead or live prey to their kittens to teach them how to hunt. Some cats may have similar inclinations to share their prey with their owners.”
Alternatively, they might bring you toys when they’re up for playtime. But whatever the reason, there’s no denying that the gifts they, er, kindly (?) give can be dubious at best.
In a recent Reddit post shared to r/Cats, Redditor u/disgruntled_ass asked, “What warm and comforting gifts do your cats bring you? I get cricket legs.”
Here are just a few of the colourful responses:
1) “I get our shower drain stopper and noisy cat toys at 3 AM.”
2) “I get hair ties, but only when the food bowl gets empty. She’s stolen dozens of them over the years, and when the food bowl is empty she’ll put one in it as if to say, ‘I give you this in exchange for more food.’”
3) “We got leaves. He’d spend hours in the backyard finding the perfect one, and drop it by our feet.”
4) “Frogs, birds, his monkey toy, lace from my shoes (and then peeing in my shoes), a sock that I thought my washer or dryer ate, but my cat had it the whole time, and of course, then the other sock of the pair goes missing… spoiled brat, thief, but my lovely!”
5) “My cat brings in lizards but doesn’t kill them. I once turned around in the shower and there was a giant tail-less lizard just hanging out with me.”
6) “Mine puts his favourite old dirty toy right next to my pillow every night!”
7) “Dismembered centipedes. 🥲”
8) “She ‘hunts’ my plants and brings me the pieces.”
9) “My baby brought me a live bee… cue panic that his super allergic ass might have gotten bitten.”
10) “I mostly get lizards, but she will occasionally bring in a giant cockroach, but leave it alive and hunt it around the house chirping.”
11) “Used Q-tips.”
12) “Our oldest kitty sneaks into our daughter’s room every night, steals a stuffy, and brings it upstairs to us. She does this about five times every night.”