When I toss a foam ball for Licky to chase, he gets really serious
about it. He crouches down, head protruding forward, and watches the
ball intently before running after it - still low to the ground. When
he catches it, he picks it up in his mouth and looks around (no doubt
to make sure nobody's going to try to take his "prey"), then drops
it and starts batting it around.

Roxy also loves to chase the ball, but she doesn't seem clear on the
concept of *why* she's chasing it. She'll race after it, but then will
suddenly veer off to claw her scratching post excitedly (if she's near
that), or will suddenly turn around and get the zoomies in a totally
different direction, the ball forgotten. She has a great time, but it's
not about hunting.

If Licky were an indoor/outdoor cat, he would be a fearsome hunter,
I'm sure. Clearly he received an education from his mom or some other
cat, about what to do after pursuing the moving object. Roxy has a
well-functioning chase instinct, but if she were to go outside, any
mice, birds, or insects in the area could happily go about their
business without worry. :)

Joyce