Do your cats love to hunt and play with flies? Perhaps your cat eats flies often? Well, let me tell you that cats are naturally from hunter families that relish pursuing targets. Evolution has offered cats a severe vision and sense of hearing that is ideal for detecting waves. Even the least sound or sight that shows the existence of a target can make the cat jump into the hunter mode. That’s why flies are so fun for them to chase after and also play with.
Among the several curious queries that come up regarding cats is, why would a cat eat flies? Well, not all cats are fond of eating flies. However, in case your cat is among those, it is a quite gross thing to an eyewitness.
Even though there is the additional advantage of your cat removing that irritating fly from your room, but still, it is disgusting!
The main cause for your cats eating flies is due to the reason that they are hunters in nature, and they cherish chasing things that wriggle in haphazard directions.
The fly is nearly like the best toy for your cats. It flies from place to place, typically not afraid of getting near a big threat that’s a cat, as well as will buzz over their faces.
It is too much to struggle for nearly any cat. And as for consuming the fly, it is just excessively for maximum cats to struggle. After catching that target, they have chased it is normal for them to have a bite of it or just play with the flies in their mouths.
But the question is “is it safe for your cat to eat flies? Well, in this article below… we are going to discuss every possible thing to find out whether it is good or bad for your cats.
Why Do Cats Eat Flies?
Is it okay for a cat to consume flies? We are here to discover in a while concerning whether flies are ok for cats’ health or not.
First of all, let’s start easily by understanding why your cat eats flies. Here and now, the foremost reason behind cats eating flies is that your cat is a natural hunter and is intuitively considered to chase whatever that moves, not just flies.
Cats might have lived with human owners for more than thousands of years now. But these creatures have not lost the maximum of their natural characters, among which is their severe target drive.
Being natural chasers, cats be inclined to chase flies and other insects that move around in haphazard motions. In case the cat thrives in hunting a fly down, it may just also eat that insect. In the end, the entire idea of chasing a target is to play with it or eat it.
One more reason why your cats go after flies is that it represents the best toy for them. Flies are pretty difficult to catch. And nonetheless, your feline cat is an extremely flexible creature, it may take several hours to hunt one fly down successfully. However, the cats love it that way only, it is a game to them.
While flies branch on as well as jump off the surface haphazardly to avoid being trapped, the cat truly believes that flies are enjoying the game too.
So, your cat will keep on chasing the flies until it either hunts the fly down or it vanishes from the cat’s sight entirely. And this again takes us to our previous question back, is it okay if your cats eat flies?
Fine, the truth is that you cherish it when your cats chase the insects but hate it as soon as they hunt the flies down as well as eat them.
However, we have already emphasized that flies bring no instant danger to your cats, thus, it is safe to undertake that cat-eating flies can accompany long-term health consequences to your feline cat. Additionally, the sight of your cats biting a fly down is pretty gross.
What Happens When Your Cat Ate A Fly?
Here are the maximum feasible risks of the cats usually eating flies that cat owners should know:
- Flies might have got in touch with toxic pesticides and there is a risk the fly may be shifted to your cat while catching flies
- Flies generally carry bacteria as well as other germs that can threaten the cat’s health
- your cat might similarly be vulnerable to fly bites particularly in case the cat goes out-of-doors and flies lay eggs such as the botfly on your cat’s skin which become maggots as well as may lead to some skin infections
- Eating flies might result in stomach parasites such as Isospora that might cause gastrointestinal bacterial contagions
Should the domesticated cats have a slight stomach upset because they practiced eating flies as well as experiencing vomiting and diarrhea, it should lessen and also go away after one day or so.
However, in case the signs continue longer than that, then you must consult the veterinarian immediately because your cat might have gotten gastrointestinal bacterial contamination.
Similarly, be alert in case your cat is establishing signs such as dripping saliva, has lost its body coordination, or has trouble breathing.
These are symptoms that they may be infected as the flies or insects that they ingested might have come in touch with insecticides. Immediately take your cat to the pet doctor for instant treatment.
Good Sides Of Your Cat Eating Flies:
It is thought that bugs make up to one-third of a cat’s food, so eating some flies is not somewhat to be excessively concerned about. Fly is a source of the following formulae of nutritions:
Protein
Like several other insects, like crickets, the flies are also a decent source of protein. For instance, the larvae of a fly have 45% protein.
Physiology and Comparative Biochemistry clarifies how cats are unscrupulous omnivores as well as adjust cat food intake as per the obtainable energy mass.
While your pet cats would have to eat several flies to get the required amount of protein their body needs, a small portion of protein is better as compared to none. Thus, flies give a good source of instinctive protein to the wild cats when another nutritious cat food is not available there.
Cats need protein for liveliness. The amino acids present in protein are making blocks for the cat’s body tissue, skin, organs, hair, blood, tendons, and also muscles. It similarly fuels vital procedures within the cat’s body, keeping them strong and healthy.
In case of firm amino acids are absent from your cat’s diet menu, the body will not be able to function appropriately. In severe shortages, health problems and blindness can develop.
Iron
Both black soldier flies and houseflies hold small portions of iron, which aids in preventing cats from turning deficient. Iron is vital for:
- Removing carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Carrying oxygen (O2) through the cat’s body
- The formation of hale and hearty red blood cells
Cats get all the iron they require through their food but can speedily become deficient in case high-quality cat food sources are not available. Consequently, the infrequent fly can recover the iron levels of the cat.
Calcium
A housefly maggots’ meal is a decent source of calcium for cats. Calcium is a vital nutrient for your cats as well as should make up about 0.6% of your cat’s total nutritional necessities.
Calcium works together with phosphorous to keep your cats healthy. As per the National Animal Supplement Council, the cats must have 1.2% of calcium for every 1% phosphorous. It is similarly considered an electrolyte. Calcium is vital for:
Contracting muscles, together with the heart
Regulating fluid absorptions in the cat’s cells so that it can conduct energetic urges within the cat’s body
Sending & receiving neurotransmitters
Strong bone as well as teeth structure
Coagulating blood
Symptoms of calcium deficiency in your cats include the following:
- Restlessness
- Muscle twitching
- Stiffness
- Panting
- Lethargy
- Convulsions
- Increased injuries
- Limping
Consequently, the cat gets a small calcium enhancement each time it catches and eats houseflies.
Magnesium
Magnesium is vital for the emission of hormones, healthy bones and teeth, and enzyme function. It similarly lets cats engross vitamin C & E, calcium, sodium, and potassium.
Whereas magnesium shortages are infrequent, cats cannot engross these vitamins & minerals appropriately, leading to other health issues in the long run.
Bad Side Of Your Cat Eating Flies?
Source
A few cats have subtle stomachs, which means flies can lead to unpleasant health issues, together with diarrhea and sickness.
As per Cornell University, house flies can carry as well as transmit over 100 human & animal diseases.
Damaging Transmissions
Fly feed on decaying matter and waste, drinking liquid food as well as vomiting on items to dissolve it. Consequently, the fly picks up, carries, as well as transmits a variety of damaging bacteria, pathogens, and fungi that can make your cats sick.
House flies can carry the subsequent bacteria and gems, which can cause illnesses that are damaging to your cats:
- Campylobacter
- Bacillus
- Escherichia
- Listeria
- Staphylococcus
- Helicobacter
- Salmonella
House flies similarly carry these subsequent fungi:
- Moniliella
- Microsporum
- Rhizopus
- Scopulariopsis
- Rhodotorula
These lead to infections that make your cats sick. Consequently, infected flies are hazardous, and it is similarly impossible to distinguish whether the flies that your cat has consumed are carrying something damaging or free from pathogens.
Insecticides
When your cats acquire contact with a toxin by consuming an affected fly, they cannot absorb it. Consequently, the poison disturbs the nervous system of the cat, causing it to blackout. Symptoms of insecticide intoxication include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Drooling
- Loss of coordination
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Tremors
- Oversensitivity to touch & sound
- Twitching
- Seizures
As soon as poisoned your cats must be taken to the vet immediately to make a full retrieval. However, in case the toxic is left untouched, it will kill your cat.
Whereas this is upsetting, the probability of intoxication is infrequent. It similarly depends on the number of poisoned flies your cat has eaten.
Diarrhea And Vomiting
In case your cat has a delicate stomach or your cat is suffering from some underlying health problem, flies can cause them to vomit. This can similarly give them hostile watery diarrhea. This’s because of the pathogens they transmit.
Occasionally, the illness clears up within 24 hours on its own. In case it does not clear up, the cat needs urgent treatment to see what is wrong. Regrettably, it is hard to express what precisely is making the cat ill without a veterinarian check-up.
What Insects Are Measured As Toxic To Cats?
Whereas flies aren’t measured as toxic to the cats, your snooping feline may similarly take a fondness for other bugs that crawl, skitter around, or fly. Here are a few sorts of insects that can cause great perils for the cats when they try to consume them.
Toxic Spiders
Usual house spiders are not harmful to your cats but there’re toxic spiders to look out for such as the Hobo Spider, the Brown Recluse, and Black Widow. These kinds comprise venom that leads to paralysis, diarrhea, vomiting, and also muscle tremors in case your cat gets bitten while chasing them. Take your cat to the veterinarian immediately so that your cat will be treated at once.
Bees
The bees may lead to an allergic response that can cause anaphylaxis when your cat eats as well as ingest them. Ensure to consult the vet on the appropriate medicine to provide to your cat.
Fireflies
It releases self-defensive toxins that can harm small lizards and animals that have been recognized to die due to the said contaminants. A consumed firefly can cause diarrhea, drooling, and vomiting in cats. Take your cat to the veterinarian immediately in case this occurs for instant treatment.
Centipedes
Tiny centipedes that are usually found in houses are not harmful to cats but the larger ones might be unsafe because these creatures have venoms. This may cause weakness and fever when your pet cat gets bitten by such crawlers throughout the hunt.
Tiger moth
It has orange and black stripes in its abdomen area and is measured as toxic as soon as ingested by your cats.
BOTTOM LINE
It is best to stop your pet cat from eating flies. Whereas the infrequent fly is not going to lead to too much injury, the risk of worms and parasites alone is sufficient to bring your cats a health risk.
Your cat’s hunter instinct demonstrates itself at any specified time by chasing flies, rodents, or even smaller animals. A few cats might also eat flies at some point while some others might routinely snack on them.
There is nothing to be concerned about in case your cat eats an infrequent fly but in case your cat is frequently doing it then you must do something to prevent the habit by making your house fly-free to protect your cat’s well-being and health.
FAQ:
Q. Can my cat get sick from eating flies?
A. Some cats may have further sensitive stomachs as compared to others. Consequently, infrequently, eating flies might lead to minor stomach distress characterized by diarrhea or vomiting and also impermanent loss of hunger. Therefore, in case a cat keeps on eating flies, it’s more probable to catch the illness.
Q. Is it safe for cats to eat flies?
A. The risk of eating insects is quite small. A few sorts of insects can transmit parasites that are capable of infecting cats, such as stomach worms or Thysanoptera, but these cases are rare. Flies may similarly have an irritation effect on the cat’s gastrointestinal tract.