Why do cats hunt and how to reduce it?

This article covers

• Why do cat’s hunt even though they are fed regularly?

• Four ways to help reduce your cat’s hunting

Why do cat’s hunt even though they are fed regularly?

Domestic cats are fed by their owners and therefore do not need to rely on catching food to survive. However, many cats still hunt despite not being hungry. Here are three reasons cats who are regularly fed still hunt:

1. A cat’s instinct to hunt is not directly related to hunger. Therefore, a well-fed cat will still have an impulse to hunt. In the wild, cats hunt alone and their success rate is only around 50%. If unowned cats waited until they were hungry to start a hunt, there’s a high chance they would starve. Cats are therefore opportunistic hunters as they will engage in predatory behaviour whenever they see prey, whether they are hungry or not.

2. The quality of food that a cat is fed can have an affect on predatory behaviour. The diets of unowned cats tend to have a much higher protein content compared to owned cats. Therefore, cats that are fed a poor-quality diet will have a higher motivation to hunt in order to fulfil their nutritional needs.

3. Cats are generalist hunters. This means that they tend to prey on a relatively wide range of prey species, based on availability. Unowned cats spend around 12 hours a day hunting, whereas owned cats spend about three hours or less per day. The smell, taste and physical characteristics of food all influence the appeal of food. Unowned free-ranging cats would eat small meals, grazing throughout the day (approx 10-20 times per day). Therefore, if an owned cat is being fed one type of commercial food, they may hunt to satisfy the preference for a variety of foods and for regular small meals.

Four ways to reduce your cat’s hunting

It is important to protect wildlife and biodiversity wherever we live. For this reason, it is useful to consider how our cats affect wildlife populations, and how we can help support our local ecosystems by reducing our cat’s hunting.

1. Feed small, regular meals throughout the day and try puzzle feeders to provide further mental stimulation and make meals last longer. This may help reduce the drive to hunt. However, although feeding cats can reduce the tendency to hunt, visual and auditory stimuli from prey will override considerations of appetite

2. Make home more attractive to your cat

• Cat friendly plants

• Cat trees - or other cat furniture such as shelves, high resting places such as hammocks or platforms

• Cat toys - there is a massive variety of toys on the market so you can regularly update the toy selection to keep it interesting

• Cat treats - treats in moderation are acceptable, particularly if you are using them to train your cat or provide other enrichment. Cats can actually learn commands such as sit so this is a great way to provide stimulation

• Cat litter trays - make sure you provide a litter your cat likes and provide enough litter trays, the general rule is one more litter tray than the number of cats in the house. This will help prevent them from roaming too far to toilet

4. Encouraging your cat to play is an important part of reducing unwanted predatory behaviour towards live prey. Instead, predatory behaviour can be directed towards non-edible sources and thereby reduce frustration. Hunting stimulates the release of dopamine in cats, therefore providing play opportunities attempts to mimic this effect. Hunting is unpredictable, so using toys in an unpredictable manner, and making it harder work for your cat, will help to redirect predatory behaviour; wand toys are ideal for this

When should you contact your vet?

If you have any concerns or questions about your cat book a video appointment to have a chat with one of our vets.

This article was written by Tanith Lee RVN. Tan qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) in 2014. Since then she has worked in a variety of first opinion and referral clinics throughout the UK. She completed the ISFM Diploma in Feline Nursing with Distinction in 2016, and is currently completing the ISFM Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour. Tan is our Veterinary Practice Manager for FirstVet in the UK.