We all know it's true--cats have some strange eating habits...
He spots grass!
Have you ever noticed that one of the first things a cat does when let outside is run over to the nearest blade of grass and start chowing down? This drives me insane! All I've ever known grass to do for a cat is to induce vomiting. But according to Banfield Pet Hospital,
not only is it completely normal for cats to do so, but it is safe! They do this in order to "supplement their diet with vegetation." As long as there are no known pesticides on the grass, there's no problem with a cat acting in this manner.
A book called "Why Do Cats Do That? Real Answers to the Curious Things Cats Do" also suggests that cats may eat grass or plants to help eliminate hairballs. It suggests growing a cat his own box of wheat grass that he can nibble on instead of eating your plants or grass outside. But if there are no harmful pesiticides and you are not bothered by this activity, then let your cat graze in peace!
Look what he brought you!
How sweet! A massacred and mangled bird on your front porch! And what do we have here? A squirrel tail and a lizard without a tail by the back door! That's not as bad as yesterday--a dead mouse in my shoe.
Sound familiar? If you let your cat outside, chances are that you'll sometimes come across the remains of your cat's most recent hunting adventure. While humans tend to find this act disgusting, it's a natural part of their hunting skills. The author of "Why Do Cats Do That?" says that the mother cat brings prey back to her kittens to feed them. Could it be that our cats are bringing us food to help US survive? How thoughtful!
Another suggestion is that cats bring their food back to a safe place before they can enjoy it. Naturally, a cat probably feels safe in or near his house...or especially near his food bowl.
But as a personal rule of thumb for my household, we've learned to always check inside our shoes before putting them on. There have been far too many surprises in the past, and we'd rather not come across too many more dead animals in our shoes!