Housecats form rather strange and variable societies. Neutered cats retain much of their playfulness, and when they hunt, they tend to play with anything they capture.
I have had adult males that brought back live prey for younger cats to torture. Often they bring things into the house and free them so they can catch them again. If we're lucky, they do.
This would of course be a sensible behavior in the wild. I can almost hear Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young singing "Teach Your Children."