Why Does Your Cat Bring You Toys?

You’ve probably woken up to find cat toys in your bed more than once. Or you’re at the most suspenseful part of the movie, and here comes your cat, meowing insistently and dropping their toy at your feet. Maybe you walk away from your morning coffee only to come back and see your cat sitting next to the mug, trying to fish out the toy they just dropped in it. Why is your cat bringing you toys, often at the most inopportune times? Let’s get into it.

Reasons why cats bring toys to their pet parent

Cats do what they do for a reason. There’s a driving force behind even the simplest behavior. As I always say, the more you know about your cat’s motivation, the better you’ll understand their needs and can provide for them. That means everyone is happier — you and your cat.  

Of course, we can’t ask our cats why they do things. We have to make educated guesses based on what we know and experience. Here are some reasons your cat may be bringing you their toys.

Natural hunting instinct

Your cat’s hunting instincts are at the root of a lot of their behavior. Cats don’t just hunt when they’re hungry. They’re opportunistic hunters, meaning they hunt when an opportunity presents itself, hungry or not. In fact, well-fed indoor/outdoor cats will still hunt around 3 hours a day, given the chance. It’s an instinctual need.  

If you’ve seen your cat torturing that poor cricket who unfortunately found its way inside, you know they also enjoy the process. They want to replicate that experience, which usually requires your help. Your cat learns to bring you the toy because that’s how the toy moves so they can hunt it. 

Affection

Play is a bonding activity. You probably give your cat lots of verbal praise, pets, and love during a play session. It makes sense that when your cat wants a little love, they carry their toy over to you and drop it at your feet. 

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Boredom

A bored cat is … well … a bored cat. It’s not their natural state. In the wild, they’d be hunting 20-plus times a day, exploring, climbing trees, following scents, and more to fill their days. That’s why play and enrichment are so important for indoor cats. If they get bored, they start looking for ways to occupy themselves. You may not like what they come up with. 

If your cat brings you their toy, they may need something to do. Take a short break and have a play session. It’s good for their mental health and yours. 

Seeking a reward

Cats learn best with positive reinforcement. If your cat gets praise, pets, love, or even just a moment of your attention when they bring you a toy, that’s positive reinforcement for the simple act of bringing you that toy. As a result, when they want attention, they’ll bring the toy, expecting the “reward” they’ve gotten in the past. 

Looking for you to protect the toy

Your cat may be looping you into their hunting behavior by bringing you the toy. Being opportunistic hunters, it’s common for cats to catch a critter, see another critter that sparks their prey drive, drop the first one off at homebase, and then take off after that second one. 

You’ve probably seen your cat do this when you’re playing. They grab the lure at the end of the wand toy and run off with the whole thing. Maybe they drag it under the table, chomping on it for a second and guarding it before they’re ready to get back to playing. 

Your cat could be bringing you their toys after a hunt, as that “homebase.” It’s like, “Hey, can you keep an eye on this for me? I know you won’t eat it or let it get away.”

Teaching you how to hunt

We used to think cats brought us half-dead prey as a gift. I remember many rescue missions when I was growing up, with the whole family trying to catch and release the mouse, lizard, bird, or bug that one of our cats brought in. They’d usually drop it at our feet and start meowing. Then, the prey would come out of its stupor and take off.

Now, it’s thought that our cats are actually trying to help us out. They think we’re poor hunters and want to teach us. 

How did experts come up with this idea? It’s what mother cats do for their kittens. They bring live prey back to the kittens for practice. It’s a creepy thought, but they’re predators, and that’s how they learn. Your cat may be bringing you toys, if they don’t have access to live prey, to help you learn to hunt.

The toy may be broken or smell different

Some suggest that your cat may bring you toys when there’s something wrong with the toy. Maybe you washed it, or your dog slept with it, and it smells different, or pieces could be coming loose. 

I wouldn’t say I see this very often. But it certainly can happen, especially if the toy needs some sort of setup or activation (like a battery-powered toy that needs you to hit the power button). If your cat knows you make the toy go, they may bring it to you when it’s not going. 

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Why does my cat bring me toys at night?

Cats are crepuscular, meaning they’re most active at dusk and dawn. This is when lots of critters are out hunting and gathering for themselves. It’s an opportune time for your cat to do a little hunting. 

This internal clock doesn’t change because they’re fed by us. They’re still programmed to be active early in the morning and as the sun goes down. That’s one reason your cat may bring you toys at night.

It can also be a last-ditch effort to get some play before you go to sleep. After all, that’s when all the fun stops. The home gets quiet, the lights go off, and (if they’re not getting enough play and enrichment at other times) your cat gets bored. They may try to get one last play session in by dropping a toy at your feet or on your pillow. 

Bottom line

• If your cat is bringing you their toys, there’s a reason for it. They have a need that you can help with. A lot of your cat’s behavior is based on their instinctual need to hunt, including getting you to play with them, often by bringing you their toys. Cats need things to occupy their time. They also want love and attention from you. Bringing you a toy probably means you’ll stop whatever you’re doing for a few minutes and play. 

References

“Understanding the Hunting Behaviour of Cats.” Icatcare.org, 2025, icatcare.org/articles/understanding-the-hunting-behaviour-of-cats. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.