If you have a kitten at home, you must have noticed that cats love to hunt. Therefore, if you have parasites at home, such as cockroaches, your pet will be more than happy to chase and kill them. But after all, is this activity safe for the kitty? So check it out why cats eat cockroaches and if this does any harm to the health of the pet. Keep reading!
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Can cats eat cockroaches?
Pet cats have the same hunting instincts as any other big cat, like the lion. However, for him, this activity is more for entertainment and fun purposes than predatory. In this sense, cats like to capture insects and give them as a gift to their tutors, as it is believed that they think they should feed us just as we feed them.
Surely you have already witnessed such an episode. Upon spotting a cockroach, the cat will slowly crawl closer to the insect, eyes fully dilated to try to make a capture.
As soon as the parasite stops or slows down, the cat will make a killing move. After this move, he can play with the cockroach, as he can nibble on the insect. These urban pests shouldn't harm your kitten, but there are some necessary care that should be taken.
Why do cats eat insects?
Cats feed on insects because, by hunting instinct, these parasites are easy-to-reach prey, even though they are not really part of the mammal's diet. Therefore, to explain this curious trick, we must take a closer look at two peculiar characteristics of the domestic cat:
- Hunting instinct;
- The basic principles of nutrition.
Therefore, it is by knowing these two elements better that we can understand the real reasons that lead a cat to chase and hunt insects and other small animals.
Is ingesting these insects harmful to the health of the cat?
In this sense, the ingestion of an insect, especially if it has a specific exoskeleton, can generate gastrointestinal irritations, which can cause vomiting and even diarrhea, but these are symptoms of short duration.
Furthermore, it is worth remembering that, although this happens only in rare cases, it may be that the ingested insect is a vector of the Physaloptera parasite, capable of infecting the cat, causing a serious and difficult intestinal infection. diagnosis.
With that, it's good to avoid letting your cat consume insects and small animals. Therefore, restrict your food to only quality food.