pray, prey

Pray or pray means to appeal to a deity, or to worship a higher being--
The Sunday school teacher taught the children to pray.
The congregation knelt down to pray.

Prey or prey ( rhymes with pray ) means the creature another creature hunts for food--
Birds and mice are the natural prey of cats.
The tiger stalked its prey.
Prey  may also mean the act of hunting another creature for food--
Lions prey on antelopes.
We were afraid the dog would prey on the neighbor's rabbit.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If mice pray, they might pray not to become the prey of cats."

Note--prayer is a noun ( thing or idea ) meaning  an appeal or petition to a deity--
They offered a heartfelt prayer for his recovery.
Her aunt gave her a prayer book as a confirmation present.
Prayer may refer to a person praying--
Each prayer was on his knees with folded hands.
Note # 2--"praise" ( pronounced praze ) means commendation, or words of approval or admiration--
The child was delighted to hear her parents praise her work.
Not to be confused with "prays" ( pronounced praze ), the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "pray"--
He prays every morning before breakfast.
Not to be confused with "preys" ( pronounced praze ), the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "prey"--
The cameraman wants to be there when the lion preys on the antelope.
Note # 3--the creature preying on another creature is called a predator--
The predator in this case is a lion. Its prey is an antelope.
The behavior is called predatory--
The cat's predatory instincts were aroused by the sight of the mouse.
Prey, predator and  predatory are sometimes used in TV crime shows to describe human behavior--
This criminal preys on unsuspecting old women.
The predator stalks his victims as they leave the bank.
The perpetrator's predatory behavior has gone unsuspected for years.