| Title: | Meower Power is Valuing Differences |
| Notice: | FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY |
| Moderator: | MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO |
| Created: | Sun Feb 09 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Tue Jan 11 1994 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 5089 |
| Total number of notes: | 60366 |
Are bugs hazardess to a cat's health?
Let me explain...
The other night my cats went airborn -- chasing after flying bugs.
NOT your ordinary bug, mind you, but those lovely 17 year locusts,
better known as cicadas. Charlie caught it, then decided it was
big enough for him AND Shanti to bat around. Well, I do not like
bugs, especially ones as big as that was! So, I (after hitting it
approx. 12 times with a magazine) killed it. I went into the kitchen
to get a towel to clean it up, and came back and the little one
had already eaten half of it -- crunching the whole time.
Now, in this area (Wash, DC) there are some people who enjoy frying,
cooking, boiling, etc. these cicadas. I really don't know about
that (they're so UGLY!). Does anyone know if they really are okay
for the cats to eat? They only are here another 2 months, but they'll
be back in 17years! Shanti hasn't been acting funny or anything,
but you never can tell!
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 611.1 | don't worry | PARITY::WHALEN | Denise | Tue Jun 09 1987 18:35 | 18 |
Cats love to eat bugs! ALways have, always will. If I kill a fly
or something in the house, by the time I can clean it up, they usually
do it for me, if you know what I mean. Some of the aerial leaps
and dives they end up doing in order to catch these things are
incredible! Fun to watch, except when your favorite houseplant
goes crashing to the floor.
I really dont' think bugs are harmless in any way. They must taste
pretty good to a cat. Remember, cats are the ones who swallow baby
birds whole, eat their kittens afterbirth and eat enough hair to
make some pretty big hairballs. So at the risk of sounding too gross
here, I'll just say that cat's systems are pretty rugged, they can
handle a lot of tough outdoor things.
However, if us humans keep feeding them Fancy Feast and those
neat little foods, maybe someday in the future cats will lose their
cast iron tummies! But we're talking WAY in the future of evolution.
Denise
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| 611.2 | great toys! | NEWVAX::BOBB | I brake for Wombats! | Tue Jun 09 1987 21:49 | 20 |
I too was worried about the cats munching on the cicadas and I asked
the vet about it. She said that the bugs shouldn't be a problem,
unless the animal can't handle the additional protein. Of course,
this is if the bugs haven't been sprayed with any bug killer.
There was even an article in the paper about this and the author
of that article said the same thing. The article even mentioned
that one woman was catching them and freezing them for treats for
her dog for later in the year.... how's that for yucky!!!! Not in
my freezer!
Anyway.... Merlin thinks they arre great fun! He's already brought
several home, with the wings whirring on either side of his mouth!
Oh well!
have fun with the new toys and other then having moth breath - the
kitties should be fine!
janet b.
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| 611.3 | 25175::KALLIS | Hallowe'en should be legal holiday | Wed Jun 10 1987 09:21 | 6 | |
Re above:
People eat crabs, shrimp, and lobsters. These are underwater bugs.
Don't blame your kitty if he or she develops similar tastes.
Steve Kallis, Jr.
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| 611.4 | Watch out for Spiders! | DONJON::SCHREINER | Go ahead, make me PURRR... | Wed Jun 10 1987 17:29 | 9 |
One thing to watch for is Spiders. Some of these are very poisonious
to cats. A close friend lost a beautiful Silver Persian after it
was poisioned by a brown spider.
I don't know whether the spider bit the cat or the cat ate the spider,
but it was a tragic loss.
cin
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