Do Cats Eat Bugs & Insects? Nutrition Facts & FAQ (Vet Answer)
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Just the thought of bugs may make your skin crawl! Cats, however, love to chase, catch, and sometimes eat these creepy crawlies. In the wild, insects form a not-insignificant part of a cat’s diet, along with small mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. A study in the British Journal of Nutrition looked at the dietary profile of feral cats around the world and found that bugs and insects make up 1.2% of a feral cat’s diet.1 Our well-fed domestic cats probably don’t hunt bugs and insects for their nutritional value, but rather because these creatures bring out their hunting instincts.
Killer Instincts
Cats are predators, which means that in the wild, they hunt for food. Small prey is appealing because felines are solitary hunters, and their prey has to be small enough for them to catch alone. However, due to the small size of their prey, a cat will need to make several kills throughout the day to meet their daily nutritional and energy requirements.
Experts have estimated a cat has to eat 10 mice per day to meet its daily energy requirements.2 In the wild, if a cat only hunted when they were hungry, they would run the risk of starving, as prey is not always readily available, and not every hunt ends in a successful kill. It is estimated that less than 50% of a cat’s hunting attempts are actually successful.
Hunting is, therefore, not always motivated by hunger. If an opportunity for hunting presents itself, a cat will take it, regardless of whether they are hungry at the time. This opportunistic instinct remains strong in our domesticated felines, so the sight of bugs and insects triggers predatory behavior even in well-fed cats.
Is It Healthy for My Cat to Eat Bugs and Insects?
Most common bugs and insects are harmless, and unless a cat eats a poisonous critter, this bug-eating behavior shouldn’t be an issue. It is perfectly safe for your cat to play with insects like moths, butterflies, crickets, and flies. That said, certain bugs and insects can pose a problem if ingested, including poisonous spiders and caterpillars and stinging insects like bees, wasps, and fire ants.
What About Spiders & Stinging Insects?
Most spiders are not poisonous to cats, but there are a few exceptions, such as the black widow spider and brown recluse spider. A bite from a black widow spider can cause severe pain, vomiting and diarrhea, tremors, paralysis, and even death. A brown recluse spider’s bite will cause the tissue in the affected area to die off, but the venom can also cause the destruction of red blood cells, kidney failure, and death. Immediate veterinary attention is required if your cat is bitten by a poisonous spider.
Stinging insects, such as bees, wasps, and fire ants, deliver painful stings that cause swelling and inflammation in the affected area. It is also possible for a cat to be allergic to these insects and have an anaphylactic reaction. If your cat’s face or tongue starts swelling up or if they have problems breathing, you should seek urgent veterinary attention.
If ingested, poisonous caterpillars can cause drooling, gastrointestinal upset, head shaking, and pawing due to oral discomfort.
Should I Use Insect Repellant?
Remember to only use pet-friendly insect repellent around the home, as insects poisoned by pesticides may, in turn, poison your cat if ingested. Pesticide ingestion can cause labored breathing, drooling, vomiting, fever, seizures, and tremors and requires immediate veterinary attention.
The Nutritional Value of Bugs & Insects
Even though domesticated cats that are fed a commercial diet probably don’t hunt and consume bugs and insects for their nutritional value, they are still excellent sources of protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. An insect’s nutritional value per pound closely resembles that of other commonly hunted prey, such as rats, mice, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The average cat is unlikely to consume enough insects to contribute significantly to their daily nutritional and energy requirements, so there’s no need to worry about over-feeding if your cat does like to hunt bugs.
The nutritional value of bugs and insects has not gone unnoticed. Pet food manufacturers have started producing cat food using insects as the primary protein source. Aside from its nutritional benefit, insect protein provides a more environmentally friendly alternative to the ingredients found in traditional pet food.
Insect production requires substantially fewer resources like land and water and produces much less waste and emissions compared to traditional livestock production. For example, the carbon footprint of insect protein is less than 20% than that of chicken. Insects raised for protein can also be fed by-products from human food that would otherwise go to waste.
Insect-based cat food may be suitable for cats diagnosed with food intolerances or allergies, as insects are considered to be a novel protein. A “novel” or “new” protein is one that a cat has not eaten before. This reduces the risk of an adverse reaction to the food.
Final Thoughts
Stalking, catching, and eating bugs and insects makes a cat’s life much more interesting and provides an outlet for a cat to express their natural predatory behavior. This is beneficial to a cat’s psychological and emotional well-being. Bugs are also excellent sources of protein and other nutrients, though the average pet cat is unlikely to consume enough insects to make a meaningful contribution to their daily nutritional and energy requirements. Don’t discourage this bug-eating behavior unless your cat is trying to catch a poisonous insect.
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Featured Image Credit: Olena F, Shutterstock
