A well-fed domestic cat continues to hunt, and owners often find this puzzling. The explanation is that the motivation to hunt and the motivation to eat run on separate systems.
Two motivations, not one
In a solitary hunter that catches small prey, a single kill provides little energy, so waiting until hungry before hunting would be a poor strategy.
Selection therefore favoured animals that hunted whenever opportunity arose, storing the outcome as a kill rather than as an appetite decision.
The behavioural sequence of stalking, chasing and pouncing is consequently triggered by prey movement rather than by an empty stomach, and it runs to completion regardless.
Why the sequence gets interrupted
Predatory behaviour breaks into distinct stages, and each can be performed without the next, which is why cats catch prey and then release it repeatedly.
What looks like play is often the pre-kill stage running without the finishing bite, particularly in cats that were fed rather than taught by a hunting mother.
Kittens learn the killing bite by observing and practising, so cats raised without that instruction may hunt competently and dispatch prey inefficiently.
What cats actually take
Domestic cats hunt small mammals most often, with birds forming a smaller but significant share and reptiles and amphibians varying by region.
Prey brought home represents only part of what is caught, since much is eaten or abandoned outdoors, so household observation understates the total substantially.
Individual variation is large. A minority of cats account for a disproportionate share of kills, while many take almost nothing.
Why feeding more does not help
Since hunting is not driven by hunger, increasing food quantity has little effect on how often a cat hunts.
Some evidence suggests diet composition and structured play sessions can reduce hunting, apparently by satisfying the behavioural need rather than the nutritional one.
Collar-mounted bells and bright collars reduce success rates for some prey types by removing the surprise that stalking depends on, though effectiveness varies between cats.
What actually limits the impact
Keeping cats indoors, or restricting outdoor access to daylight hours when small mammals are less active, removes the opportunity rather than the motivation.
Enclosed outdoor runs allow access to fresh air and stimulation without contact with wildlife, and they also reduce road deaths and fighting injuries.
Indoor cats need compensating stimulation, since the hunting drive persists, and problem behaviours in confined cats frequently trace back to that unmet motivation.