If you’re wondering, Why Does My Cat Play With Roaches? there are a lot of things that could be factored in; so, why is my cat playing with the roaches?

Cats are mesopredators which means they are open to preying on small animals and insects, killing them at will. The scampering movements of roaches will trigger a cat to hunt them down–cats do this hunting resiliently.

Roaches may serve as a good source of protein but they come with heavier consequences for the cats, you cannot track where these insects have been and the amount of parasitic infestation they may be carrying, which is why it’s not good to let your cats be in a roach-infested place. Anyways, the cat will still leave some dead roaches on your doorstep.

In this article, we will give you an in-depth insight into why it seems like your cat is playing with a roach and everything you need to know about roaches and cats.

Table of Contents

• Why Does My Cat Play With Roaches?
  • 1. Boredom
  • 2. PICA in cats
• Do cats eat cockroaches?
• Is It Safe for Cats To Eat Cockroaches?
  • The risk of a cat eating cockroaches:
• How to Keep Away Roaches Out of Your Cat’s Food
  • My cat ate cockroach poison – Do This
  • Final thoughts

Why Does My Cat Play With Roaches?

Cats love to play with their litter box, toys, you, and even their food. They are playful and they will extend this activity to an insect or small animal they killed or want to kill.

It is normal for domestic cats and cats in the wild to play with the prey they intend to kill, they may have no instant need to eat, or they just want to tire out the prey until they can’t kick out, since a tired prey tends to stay one place, with no scuttling.

Here is a video of a leopard tiring out a baby buck before killing it:

While the domestic cats flip and bake the cockroach, they die, and possibly their carcass will scatter all over the place, this poses a great risk to your cat and you as the parasites and bacteria on the roach could be scattered all over the place.

1. Boredom

Boredom will eventually lead a cat to kill a roach even when it had no intention of eating the roach. Cat and roach sightings are fun to see since the cat keeps stopping the roach from moving.

Roaches bring about a lot of bad news for your pet, which is why you have to spend some time exterminating them from your home, and also provide your cat with stimulating activities that will keep it busy or tired out. But be sure that your feline friend’s instinct will always prevail.

2. PICA in cats

PICA simply means persistent chewing and ingestion of non-food objects. This condition makes cats go for things it doesn’t eat on a regular day like; papers, fabrics, and roaches. This could be the case if your cat eats the roach after playing with the roach. Contact your vet for a proper diagnosis.

Do cats eat cockroaches?

A cat can eat a cockroach or two and get away with it, but it will be placing itself in danger if they keep eating roaches. You have the risk of the hard exoskeleton of the roach lodging in the cat’s throat, and the parasites in the cockroaches poisoning the cat.

Cats usually do not need to eat roaches and roaches on the other hand are not attracted to cats. Roaches love to hide away, till there is less traffic in the house before they show up, or they go to rooms where there’s no one at all. However, the roaches may be attracted to the cat’s food, which will lead to a hunt down by the cat.

The only time a cat eats cockroaches is when it’s lacking nutrients, when it’s anemic or when it’s having a condition known as PICA, which makes it eat roaches in a bid to compensate for nutrients not present.

Is It Safe for Cats To Eat Cockroaches?

we spoke of the proteinous benefits of the turkey necks or chicken thighs, We have also encouraged you to use turkey necks to clean a cat’s mouth if you brush its teeth. In good faith, the roaches provide good amounts of protein for your cats to munch on, but this comes with its woes.

There is the risk of your cat eating a poisoned roach, also the exoskeleton of the roach could be trouble for your cat, asides the fact that it’ll sound like crunchy crackers, the fragments of the skeleton will cause the cat to have stomach upsets and nausea.

The risk of a cat eating cockroaches:

• Possible choking hazard

Your cat will choke on the exoskeleton as they can’t chew it to non-hazardous bits, they may have some of it lodged in their throat, lacerating the throat’s linens. This is why you have to help your cat get rid of those scuttling insects, except they are your new pets.

• Poisonous to the cat

The risk of the cat ingesting a roach that has been poisoned by insecticides or chemical deterrents is there: most of these pesticide companies lie about the ingredients used in preparing the deterrents–they say it’s not harmful to pets–just to sell their products.

If your kitten eats these roaches that have swallowed some poison it could lead to toxicosis, and irritation of the mouth and digestive system. An unwell cat, an old cat, and a young cat may need a visit to the vet if signs of poisoning are noticed.

• Parasites and bacteria

The cockroaches are not dirty naturally, they clean themselves. However, these unsightly little beasts(as some people refer to them) scuttle through a whole lot of rubbish: garbage, sewage, and even compost. This makes them disease carriers.

Roaches carry numerous parasites, most prevalently: hookworms. This crunchy bug can cause death, anemia, and diarrhea. Ensure to deworm your cat along with the schedule created with your vet. Also, make efforts, to help your cat get rid of the roach infestation(if any).

How to Keep Away Roaches Out of Your Cat’s Food

To keep roaches away from your cat’s food, there are safety measures you can adopt. Since you will have to leave out dry food in the mornings, you can make use of safe natural c-roach deterrents that will keep the big out of your cat’s way. You can also ensure your feline friend’s food is covered properly.

• Seal up any entrance for the insects

You have to work the extra mile by sealing fissures and small cracks around your home(windows, pipes, walls, etc.). Also, ensure to clean up the kitten’s feeding spot daily, this will ensure that no particles are left over for the insects to be attracted. Avoid leaving the cat’s food overnight as the roach loves moving when there is no traffic in the house.

• Make use of natural repellents

Since we know the harmful consequences of using insecticide sprays, it is best to use homemade cockroach repellents to keep the roaches away from your feline friend’s food. Natural vegetables like cucumber will repeal the roach, you can have the peels scattered throughout the place where you keep your cat’s food.

• Store the cats food properly

You should consider an air-tight plastic bag or a resealable plastic bag for storing your cat’s food–glass jars and metal containers are equally effective in keeping the invasive insect out of your cat’s food.

For canned food, leave them on the shelves till there is a need for them. The store opened canned foods goes in the refrigerator; leaving them lying about can attract those insects.

• Set sticky baits

looking for spots that attract the roach and sealing them off for good. Sticky baits will not harm your cat; they are made of strong glue that hooks the roach or any other invasive bugs.

My cat ate cockroach poison – Do This

If your cat eats cockroach poison, it’s nothing big to worry about. Cats and dogs are usually attracted to things set to keep insects away since they are made with sugar and peanut butter. These roach baits are usually tasty, this is what attracts your pets.

If your pet ingests the small quantity kept for the roach, it will likely do little or no harm, the visible effect you’ll see is a short-lived stomach upset, asides from that, your cat will recover on its own. The only issue is when the cat swallows the bait and its plastic bags–this will certainly lead to an intestinal blockage. You need to visit the vet asap.

Final thoughts

Cat playing with a roach is an instinctive behavior, since they are mesopredators they love to hunt after scuttling movements of insect, which is why they may chase down and keep flipping the roach around until they tire it out and possibly scatter its carcass around the place.

Cockroach poses a big threat to your home generally. You can also be a victim of the germs and bacteria carried about by these clean insects that shuttle on rotten things. This is why you should help your cat and get rid of them.

Ensure you use per-safe measures when you need to exterminate roaches from your household.