Is It Safe for Your Cat to Eat Bugs?

Is it okay for your cat to eat bugs?

The indicators of the differences between these two species are all around us, so you don't need to be an expert on cats or dogs to recognize them. While dogs are regarded as "man's best friend" and are domesticated, there are some murky areas in the relationship between people and cats. It seems as though the cats took our offer of food and a comfortable place to sleep into consideration and said, "Ok, we'll take care of the rodents, but as for the rest of that stuff—you're on your own."

Photos of cats frequently appear to depict a wild predator lying just beneath the surface, in contrast to images of dogs, which we may perceive as the embodiment of domesticity. The cat has been successfully removed from the jungle (or desert, to be more specific) in our contemporary environment, but we haven't been as successful in doing the same for our cats. Even the sweetest moggy is a little bit wild at heart, whether your cat is continually hiding in a corner waiting to pounce on your feet as you pass by or brings the spoils of an outdoor hunt to your welcome mats and carpets (or to your bed!).

Cats are avid hunters. They enjoy pursuing, catching, and stalking. And having a food dish that is always full doesn't seem to lessen this craving in the least. When there is little wild wildlife available to them indoors, many cats will turn to insects as their next best option.

Why Do Cats Chase Bugs?

Chasing bugs is much more enjoyable than chasing a feather on a stick or a bell-filled ball. Such cat toys don't appeal to your cat's "inner panther" the way a living thing fighting for its life does, therefore it's not surprising that cats just naturally like catching insects. But is a cat's health harmed by this practice?

Hunting frequently has nothing to do with hunger, according to Dr. Meghan Herron, a veterinarian and clinical assistant professor of behavioral health at Ohio State University.

Because cats are "obligate carnivores," a small number of insects do not offer a significant supply of protein,  

A real carnivore, also known as an obligatory carnivore, is an animal that relies exclusively on animal sources of nutrition for survival. Minks, tarsiers, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and walruses are a few more land and marine animals that are obligate carnivores. Numerous snakes and amphibians, as well as salmon, rainbow trout, hawks, eagles, and crocodiles, are examples of non-mammal obligate carnivores.

Cats need a lot of protein to thrive, and they largely obtain their sugar needs through gluconeogenesis, a process that turns protein, not carbohydrates, into glucose. Dr. Jennifer Coates, a veterinarian in Fort Collins, Colorado, claims that cats in the wild obtain their protein by hunting other creatures including "mice, rats, birds, rabbits, and even the occasional snake." "As long as you are giving your cats an acceptable amount of a high-quality, low-carb cat food, they should be getting all the protein they require," says the expert.

This bug hunting phenomenon so appears to have a behavioral rather than biological origin.

According to Dr. Herron, "I believe that chasing and eating bugs is primarily both enjoyable and intuitive, as bugs are swiftly moving little objects that cats' brains are programmed to chase." "This instinctive impulse to hunt and practice predatory behavior through play is still extremely strong in domestic cats since they are not quite as fully domesticated as their canine relatives."

But can your cat become sick from eating bugs?


Internal Parasites in Bugs

According to Dr. Katie Grzyb, DVM, "internal parasites are not a [major] problem with consumption of insects." "Eating insects carries virtually little risk,"

There are several insect species that can transmit parasites that can infect cats, such as Physaloptera, or stomach worms, however these instances are quite rare.

The digestive tract of cats may also become irritated by bugs. Diarrhea and/or vomiting are frequently the outcome. Contact your veterinarian if it is severe or doesn't go away on its own in a day or two.

But according to Dr. Coates, some insect species that invade or reside on a cat's coat can undoubtedly cause problems. "While ticks aren't technically insects, they can spread a number of diseases to people and animals, including tick-borne disorders like tapeworms and anemia in cats. Dr. Grzyb continues, "bee stings and spider bites undoubtedly can create an allergic reaction, localized or anaphylactic, which often needs to be treated by a veterinarian. In other words, there may be more to worry about when the creature that is biting."


Do Pesticides Make Bugs Poison to Cats?

We try our best to keep insects out of the house, but when they do get in, many of us use insecticides to get rid of them. Pet owners might be worried about what would happen if their animals ate a poisoned insect because these toxins can be discovered on and inside the bodies of insects while they are still living. It turns out that majority of the time there is no need for concern.

According to Dr. Grzyb, the dying bugs contain such a small amount of toxin that it is quite unlikely that a pet owner will notice any adverse consequences.

Ancak bir kedi pestisit ile yakın temasa geçtiğinde durum tamamen farklı olabilir. Evcil hayvan sahipleri, ister böcek ilacı ister diğer kimyasallar olsun, ev çevresinde herhangi bir tür kimyasal kullanacaksa, küçük bir araştırma her zaman en iyi şansınızdır. Başka bir deyişle etiketi okuyun.

Dr. Grzyb, bazı kedigillerde nöbetlere, şiddetli titremelere ve yüksek vücut sıcaklıklarına neden olabileceğinden, sahiplere piretroidlerin bulunmadığından emin olmak için böcek ilacı etiketlerini dikkatlice incelemelerini tavsiye ediyor.

Hamamböceği yemi kullanımı ise, "Birkaç vaka gördüm, kedilerde neredeyse hiç olumsuz etki yaratmaz; belki hafif mide-bağırsak belirtileri olabilir, ama o kadar."

Dr. Grzyb, evcil hayvanlarının böcek ilacı tükettiğine inanıyorlarsa, sahiplerine yerel veterinerlerini veya ASPCA gibi bir Zehir Kontrol Hattını aramalarını tavsiye ediyor. Bu kaynaklarla iletişime geçildiğinde, aktif bileşenlerin listesi için eldeki şişe gibi ürün hakkında mümkün olduğunca fazla bilgiye sahip olunması sahiplerinin yararınadır.


Do Cats Miss Hunting?

Kedilerimiz günlük oyun arayışını kaçırıyor ve sadece böceklerin bu içgüdüyü faydalı bir şekilde doldurduğunu mu buluyor? Yoksa kedilerimiz ısrarla yavru kedi benzeri davranışlar mı sergiliyor?

"Evet, kedilerin böcekleri avlanma alternatifi olarak kullandıklarını düşünüyorum. Yavru kediler tipik olarak daha canlı olduklarından, daha sık "avlanıyor" gibi görünebilirler, ancak Dr. Grzyb'e göre bu gerçekten sadece oyun zamanı.

"Kedileri gözlemlerseniz, genellikle böceği sindiremezler, avlanırlar, üzerlerine vururlar ve hatta bazen dişleriyle yakalarlar. Bu nedenle, hiçbir zaman emin olamasak da, evcil kediler böceği geçmek için avlanır gibi görünürler." zaman.

Kedinizin böcek avı, evinizdeki böcekler için korkunç bir haber olsa da, her şey kedilerin kedi olmalarına ve eğlenirken yürekten çılgın olmaya devam etmelerine bağlıdır.