Are Cockroach Bad For Cats?

Cats are good at hunting and eating bugs, and many city dwellers use them as a form of pest control. Most forms of roach are safe for cats to eat, though some are toxic for them. Cats can hunt and eat most roach species without incident, and they can even frighten them away. However, eating cockroaches doesn’t provide any benefit to your cat, despite their high protein content.

Cats love chasing cockroaches and will sometimes break them apart and play with them. However, this can lead to the spread of bacteria and parasites. Domestic cats also play with dead prey, which is dangerous because it contains a lot of tiny pieces and is a host of bacteria and parasites.

Cats may also find the exoskeleton of a cockroach to be a choking hazard. The shards can lodge in the throat, causing discomfort and laceration of the neck. This choking hazard is even more severe for larger cockroaches, which can obstruct the throat. In addition, cats cannot grind down cockroach shells to reduce their risk of eating them.

In addition to being a choking hazard, the exoskeleton of cockroaches is also an oral irritation hazard for cats. Moreover, the hard exoskeleton can contain many undesirable bacteria, and this can lead to an oral infection if consumed by a cat. This may also lead to vomiting or diarrhea, so cat owners should contact their vet immediately if their feline friend has eaten a cockroach.

Continue reading:

What Cockroaches Are in Georgia? Be Careful About What Cockroaches Are Attracted To, and How You Can Get Rid of Them How Small Are Cockroaches When They Hatch? How Hard Are Cockroaches to Get Rid Of? How to Get Rid of Cockroaches Cockroaches Release Gas Does Cockroaches Kill Borax? Why Do Cockroaches Keep Coming in My House?