![\"LilySock\"](\"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/LilySock-225x300.jpg\")
I finally got it! A picture of Lily bringing me a sock. Does she do this because she knows I wear these cozy sock in the morning? Is it my scent on the sock that attracts her? Is it pure hunting instinct\u2014my sock is her prey? Is she showing off her hunting prowess? Or does she simply want to play? These are some of the theories as to why cats carry things in their mouth and why they bring them to their people, usually with a loud meow.<\/p>\n
While Lily is the first cat I\u2019ve known to carry things in her mouth, a quick search around the Internet shows that this is not unusual behavior, especially for an indoor cat. I found many stories of cats who take things or who pick up certain things and carry them in their mouth\u2014pony tail holders, twisty ties, small make-up brushes, dirty clothes, socks, their own stuffed toys\u2026 One cat digs toilet paper rolls out of the trash, another grabs paper when it comes out of the printer. One cat even drags shoes around at night and lines them up leading to the bedroom.<\/p>\n
Now this is a puzzle too\u2014where cats leave their treasures<\/em>. I read about a cat who takes I read about a couple of cats who have favorite items\u2014a sock or a particular toy\u2014that they always put in a corner of the bathroom at night\u2014as if they\u2019re protecting their treasure or are they hiding their prey?<\/p>\n In my Klepto Cat Mysteries, Savannah tells of her cat, Rags\u2019s activity when he was an inside\/outside kitty. He\u2019d bring home all kinds of things he\u2019d find in backyards. On weekends, she\u2019d load them all in a wagon and walk through the neighborhood trying to find the rightful owners. Of course, Rags still takes things and finds things and hides things\u2014that\u2019s part of the stories I tell in these cozy mysteries. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/Klepto-Cat-Mysteries <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I finally got it! A picture of Lily bringing me a sock. Does she do this because she knows I wear these cozy sock in the morning? Is it my scent on the sock that attracts her? Is it pure … Continue reading ![\"lilytoybox\"](\"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/lilytoybox-300x225.jpg\")
jewelry and deposits it in his litter box. Sometimes I find Lily\u2019s toys in her water bowl or next to her food dish\u2014as if she\u2019s washing her food, drowning her toys, or feeding her babies\u2026 But most often, she brings me her toys. At night, they are lined up all around the bedroom door.<\/p>\n![\"LilyToys\"](\"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/LilyToys-300x225.jpg\")
Most believe this is hunting related\u2014the cat is showing off her hunting skills. It\u2019s pure instinct. In nearly every case I read about, the cat does as Lily does\u2014they meow as they carry the item in their mouth. Many cat people do as I do and praise the cat for bringing them a \u201cgift\u201d of a toy or an item of clothing. And I do believe that if these cats were allowed to roam the neighborhood, their cute habit might accelerate into something quite illegal. The \u201cgifts\u201d they bring or the prey they \u201ckill\u201d might become items from your neighbors\u2014dog toys, flip-flops, laundry, children\u2019s toys, etc.<\/p>\n