'A cooked mushroom': The 20 Funniest Things House Cats Have “Hunted” and Brought as Gifts for Their Humans

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Oct 8, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

One of the things that we love the most about housecats is that they have not lost their instincts. Yes, evolution made house cats smaller and fluffier and perhaps cuddlier, but it did not take away everything from them. And the things that make cats who they are remain. That's why our cats steal food off our plates sometimes - because they're hunting, and this is what they have to hunt from. It's why our cats hide in weird places sometimes, because they have to make sure they have shelter for when predators appear. It's why our cats like drinking from sinks, because running water just makes sense to them.

And it is why our house cats bring us gifts. Because bringing nourishment for their family is just something that you have to do. Except that they can't quite do it the way that wild cats can, so… our cats bring us whatever is possible for them, and if that means laying a cherry tomato on our pillow, then well, that's better than nothing.

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via Liliāna Legzdiņa

^{This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
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via Sonia Timmington

The rest of the casserole is not out there, we are so sorry to inform you of that. Chances are that the cat took the whole thing, ate as much as it could of it, and brought you what they thought you deserve. And really, a whole mushroom is a lot more than what our cats bring us.
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via Roberta Ramirez Sanchez

And you should be thankful! As we should all be. It's not every cat that will bring you gifts, let alone food. You should be honored for the nourishment that they bring you. Because they could eat it themselves, but they show us that they love us by bringing this stuff to us and making a mess out of our pillows.
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via Nicole Broeders-Krijnen
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via Kasey Lynn
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via Elizabeth Crawford
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via Kaitlin Hyde
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via Fleur Tegwyn Smith
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via Jennifer Bennett
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via Natasha Mann-Harwood
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via Liz Hilton Maurer
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via Juliet Upton
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via Laurie Kilborn
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via Melanie Kowalewski
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via Chris Portman
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via Jennifer Traylor Pond
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via Sheri Taylor Finta
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via Caoilainn D'Arcy
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via Risa La Fountain
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via Tina Youssef
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via Sarah Thompson