My cat eats bugs like roaches. Can she get sick? How to prevent it?

Some parasites and insects can be carriers of bacteria as well as other infectious agents. However this is not an uncommon behavior in cats and certainly not every cat that eats a bug will get sick. Keeping Pearl on a flea/tick preventative will help prevent some of the more common infections. Be careful about applying any agent to prevent bugs as they can be toxic to cats.

Hello, sorry to hear about Parvo. Cats are naturally hunters and thus this behavior may be part of her instinct. However, this may also be caused from a dietary insufficiency. I would recommend that you make sure Paro is being offered a well balanced commercial diet. Eating lizards may predispose her to some parasites, but these vary by region so your local veterinarian may be able to offer better advise on what risk Paro may be at if she continues to eat these lizards. Monitor for any signs of vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, and yellow tinged gums. If you note any, then contact your veterinarian to have her evaluated. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There is a risk that she may be stung in the throat. If that is the case, she may develop signs of breathing difficulties within a few minutes from eating the bug. If that happened, it should be treated as an emergency. If Myla ate the bug a while ago and she looks fine now, there should not be any problems, she will likely digest the bug.

If ingested in high doses, indoxacarb can lead to seizures in cats. However, this medication has a relatively high margin of safety in both dogs and cats. I do not know how many indoxacarb-containing cockroaches would constitute a toxic dose., but it is unlikely that eating an infected cockroach or two will cause significant problems. Obviously try to avoid ingestion of any cockroaches if at all possible. Ideally consider kenneling Fox or sending him to a friend's house while you are treating your home for cockroaches to avoid exposure.

Yes it is a problem if Elvis does this. The soil could container fertilizer which has chemicals that aren't safe for him to ingest, and the exoskeleton of the cockroach be hard on a cat's stomach leading to vomiting. I hope this helps!

Hello. Without knowing the product used for the debugging it is hard to answer your question specifically, however in general toxins that will kill bugs can be toxic to cats. Watch carefully for tremors, seizures, hyperactivity, wobbliness, or any other concerns. MOST of the products are neuro-toxins so you are looking for clinical signs such as these. If you know for sure that your cat ate some of the cockroaches then you can have her to the vet to get some activated charcoal, however this may not help and does have risks of aspiration pneumonia. If you are going to be with your cat for the next 6-12 hours then I would just monitor very carefully and if any clinical signs present then take her right to a vet. Good luck with Ryuk.

The main insect to be concerned about would be a venomous spider like a black widow or brown recluse. Bites from these spiders can cause large wounds and tissue necrosis and can be very complicated to treat. Other insect bites will be a nuisance but should not cause any major problems. Additionally, if your cat eats the bugs, the only symptoms you may see are those related to GI upset. These symptoms would include drooling excessively, inappetance, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Or you may not notice any symptoms at all. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!