Oh yes, the hunting instinct! Willy once caught a sparrow on my balcony, I don't know how, because they are really quick, and brought him indoors. When I managed to take the poor bird away from him, he had already killed him and I was devastated! I never leave him alone on the balcony now!
If he brought you the bird, he meant it as gift, a way to say "thank you for everything you do for me: this is potential food forme, but I leave it for you". I read it somewhere and I think it's true. Besides, the hunting instinct is a fact...you should not blame them too much!
Sadly, this is indeed the hunting instinct ... on the positive side, it is also this ability to fend for themselves that gives abandoned or lost kitties a chance at survival. Cats are highly successful predators, even our domestic cats that we pamper and love so much.
Does this happen to you too? It was terrible...I wasn't there...but my family told me in three seconds he caught and killed the bird...it wasn't possible to save him. This is the hunter instict...Fauve's stomach is full, he doens't need to hunt.