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Conference misery::feline_v1

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

3046.0. "A Concern Cat/Flys (as in insects)" by SANFAN::FOSSATJU () Tue Nov 14 1989 22:48

    This may sound a little strange, but I have a real concern. As of
    late we've had a lot of FLYS in the area - you can't open a window
    without a mess of them comming into the house.  Pippin and Gino
    go after and eat a few but Stitch seems to be O.D. ing on them.
    He's much quicker at getting them before I can with the fly swatter 
    and I don't feel comfortable using a spray.
    
    My question is:  if a cat eats more of these beasts than the usual
    one or two occasionally, will it cause a problem?  I know the ingestion
    of fleas can bring about worms and other problems, but what about
    flys?  I mean this cat has been eating more of these guys that I
    think he should.  Is there anything to worry about?
    
    
    Giudi in SF (Pippin, Gino & Stitch Too)
    
      
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3046.1SCRUZ::CORDES_JASet Apartment/Cat_Max=3Wed Nov 15 1989 15:127
    Now that you've asked, I have a similar question about silverfish.
    Amelia seems to be able to find the yucky creatures no matter where
    they are (and the ones she misses I point out to her).  I've never
    actually seen her eat one, but then I've never seen them go scampering
    away either.  Will munching these critters hurt her?
    
    Jan
3046.2not a known health riskFORTSC::WILDEAsk yourself..am I a happy cow?Wed Nov 15 1989 16:388
I've never heard of flies carrying worms or the like so they should just be
a source of protein (not my choice of cuisine, but cats are, by nature,
opportunistic predators and not that choosey)...

The same should be true for slilverfish, etc.  I would be interested if
anyone's vet has a problem with cats eating either of these...my vet
simply said, "Dian, you have the WIERDEST questions - no, they aren't
bad as far as I know"..
3046.3Silverfish RemedyMICLUS::MTAGWed Nov 15 1989 19:5215
    Re .1
    Jan -
    
    I had a silverfish problem in my condo a few years ago.  I had the
    place exterminated by a professional 2x and it never worked.  Then, I
    went to a hardware store and bought regular bombs that said they worked
    on silverfish.  Well, it worked!  Also, Black Flag Flea & Tick Killer
    (in the blue can) works well on them.  My cats, though, were never too
    interested in them.
    
    Hope you don't mind this info.  I just assume you hate your silverfish
    as much as I hated mine.
    
    Mary
    
3046.4SCRUZ::CORDES_JASet Apartment/Cat_Max=3Wed Nov 15 1989 20:2319
    I don't really have a silverfish problem...yet.  I just find one
    every now and then.  I do hate my (they're not really mine, honest) 
    silverfish but, I wonder if I try to exterminate them if it will last 
    very long.  I have 3 other apartments touching mine that they could
    run to temporarily (or maybe they're just visiting from the other
    apartments).
    
    With my luck they'd bail out long enough to get away from the bomb and
    then scramble back in when it was over.  I can't afford a professional
    exterminator so its nice to know I don't have to waste my money
    on them.  What I'll probably end up doing for now (since I'm totally
    broke) is spray the area with Raid bug killer (I already have that
    so I don't have to go buy it).  The cats will have to be shut out
    of that part of the house for a while and Amelia will probably be
    disappointed that I'm trying to get rid of one of her favorite meals.
    
    Thanks for the info...
    
    Jan
3046.5CRUISE::NDCDTN: 297-2313Thu Nov 16 1989 10:374
    >> Amelia will probably be disappointed that I'm trying to get 
    >> rid of one of her favorite meals.
    
    Not to mention entertainment.....Isis loves her flies!
3046.6Getting Back to FlysSANFAN::FOSSATJUThu Nov 16 1989 15:2414
    Getting back to flies here, (I don't have silverfish but I'm sure
    if I did he'd inhale them too) is that they are nasty little disease
    carriers lighting on unmentionable things that are deposited in the
    street, etc. (dead and alive - God this is gross) and I'm wondering
    if these nasty germs can be transmitted to a cat if a cat eats too
    many of them.
    
    He was at it again this am and ate two big ones (well he spit 1/2
    of one out and I hate that even worse than listing to him chomp
    and crunch on them)
    
    Infested,
    
    Giudi - + Cats
3046.7one of life's little mysteries...FORTSC::WILDEAsk yourself..am I a happy cow?Thu Nov 16 1989 16:3731
>    Getting back to flies here, (I don't have silverfish but I'm sure
>    if I did he'd inhale them too) is that they are nasty little disease
>    carriers lighting on unmentionable things that are deposited in the
>    street, etc. (dead and alive - God this is gross) and I'm wondering
>    if these nasty germs can be transmitted to a cat if a cat eats too
>    many of them.
    
With some rare exceptions, EATING diseased things is the least efficient
method of getting a disease.  In most cases, disease causing germs or
viruses must gain access to the blood stream - such as contact through a cut
or the use of infected needles by IV drug users, etc.  Most virus and bacteria
simply cannot survive digestion.  Exceptions to this rule are, of course,
the food poisoning organisms which survive the trip through the
digestive system and make the host organism (human) VERY sick....as anyone
who has experienced this little affliction can tell you.

Cats in a wild state are "opportunistic predators", meaning they eat a
variety of things, including the forest equivalent of road kill, and
thrive.  This is why we have such an over-population of feral cats, they
are very good at living off of our garbage.  Their digestive systems
are tuned to process food that might make us physically ill ....and they
certainly can eat things that will ruin our appetite!  The closest relatives
we have to the domesticated feline are the German forest cats and the
Scottish wild cats, both of which routinely eat a variety of insects,
rodents, birds, and any left-over dead animals they can get their paws
on.  It is extremely unlikely a cat would get ill from eating flies or
other bugs that infest our urban environment....

I KNOW this is true, but I still wonder how it is that Hannah can eat
flies and be perfectly healthy......and when she eats ANY cat food but
IAMS, she upchucks EVERYTHING....sigh....8^}
3046.8SANFAN::FOSSATJUThu Nov 16 1989 20:0816
    =7
    
    I can see what you mean - these little guys do have cast-iron stomachs
    and I've nevery really paid attention to the fly consumption very
    much before this - except now that we've been plagued with them.
    
    I also wondered because Stitch's Rodent Ulcer seems to have gotten
    inflamed since he's "increased his protein intake".  Just wondered
    if one thing might be connected to the other.  I'll ask the vet
    when we go next month.
    
    
    Thanks,
    
    
    Giudi in SF (Pippin, Gino & Stitch Too)
3046.9I don't think there's much riskSUBURB::ODONNELLJThu Nov 16 1989 20:376
    There is, according to our vet, a very slight chance that kitty
    MIGHT just pick up a germ or two from scoffing flies, but she says
    that the risk is so unlikely that it isn't worth worrying about.
    
    We used to be more concerned about the WASPS that our little kitten
    was consuming!
3046.10furry vacuum cleanersORIENT::SANBORNWed Sep 12 1990 18:459
    
    	Actually, we've always seen fly eating as a positive benefit
    of cat ownership. As soon as we spot a fly we call one of the
    'little furry vacuum cleaners' to come suck the pest up for us...
    It has occurred to me that I ought to design a small wooden handle
    you could attach to your cat and then use to run him around the house
    once a week to suck up spiders, silverfish, etc. Frankly, I'd rather
    they eat insects than mice (having had the pleasure of cleaning up
    partially digested mouse guts from a carpet....)