Have you noticed that your cat can’t see a fly and remains still? Or has eating flies become a habit for your furry friend and you are wondering whether such a peculiar behavior has any health implications? If so, it’s time we try to understand why cats eat flies and other insects and if it has any side effects on their well-being. 

Yes, cats can get sick from eating flies. Regular consumption of flies can lead to health issues such as:

1. Vomiting and Diarrhea

Cats with sensitive stomachs can have issues once they eat flies. If your cat is sick and has diarrhea that doesn’t go away in 24 hours, have it checked by your veterinarian.

2. Digestive Issues

Eating flies can cause gastrointestinal parasites like Isospora, which can cause bacterial infections in the intestine.

Flies can also be caught in a cat’s throat or intestines, which can lead to serious health problems.

3. Harmful Transmissions 

Flies feed on waste and can carry bacteria, fungi, and pathogens that can compromise your cat’s health. Some of the microorganisms that can be transmitted to your cat by flies include:

• Bacteria: Listeria, Salmonella and Staphylococcus
• Fungi: Rhizopus, Moniliella and Microsporum
• Parasites: Ascaries, Giardia, Taenia, Trichuris and Cryptosporidium

As infected flies are harmful, it’s important to keep your home fly-free.

4. Can Cause Poisoning

When sprayed with insecticides, flies don’t die immediately. The flies can be eaten by a cat, thus leading to poisoning.

Signs of poisoning include difficulty breathing, loss of coordination, diarrhea, vomiting, twitching, and seizures. If you see the symptoms in your cat, you have to seek immediate medical attention.

5. Fly Bites

Through their bites, botflies may deposit eggs on your cat’s skin, which can develop into maggots and cause skin diseases.

Is It OK If My Cat Eats Flies?

Eating flies isn’t something to be concerned about and is sometimes beneficial to your cat as it helps:

1. Keep your cat’s teeth clean. Flies have hard exoskeletons that can help scrub plaque off your cat’s teeth.

2.  The cat stays healthy. Flies carry bacteria and other harmful organisms; hence, eating them provides your cat with some immunity to these organisms.

3. Keep your cat mentally stimulated. As it takes concentration to catch a fly, eating flies keeps your cat’s mind active and engaged.

4. Flies contain a high amount of nutrients, such as proteins, iron, calcium, magnesium, and fats, making them nutritious for cats.

Can Cats Get Parasites From Eating Flies?

Yes, cats can get parasites from eating flies; however, on rare occasions, they have strong acids in their stomachs. But, in cases where the immune system has weakened, eating flies can result in gastrointestinal parasites such as Isospora.

These parasites can lead to intestinal tract infections, diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, lethargy, stress, dehydration, and, in extreme cases, death.

Can Cats Get Worms From Eating Flies?

Yes, cats can get worms from eating flies. However, this is not a common occurrence since most of the intestinal parasites that can be transmitted require close contact with an infected animal or the environment to spread. Also, cats don’t eat enough flies to cause an infection.

If not in good health, a cat can get tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, and stomach worms from eating flies.

Can Fruit Flies Infect Cats?

Yes, fruit flies can infect cats with Thelaziasis. This is an infection caused by Thelazia callipaeda that is carried and transmitted by fruit flies. 

A cat with such an infection displays mild or severe inflammation of the inner lining of the eyelids, swelling and oozing ocular ulcers and permanent blindness.

Why Does My Cat Love Eating Flies?

Eating flies is an inherent predatory behavior. As all cats are natural hunters, they are usually attracted to anything that moves. Hence, cats will hunt flies and other bugs for meat. It is normal for your cat to chase after a fly and eat it once the fly is caught.

Chasing the flies stimulates a cat’s mind and body, enhances agility, and keeps your cat entertained. Which is a source of exercise for your cat’s eye-paw coordination and brain stimulation. 

However, if your cat is excessively eating the flies, then it’s an indication of boredom or dietary deficiencies.

Is It OK For Cats To Eat Flies And Spiders?

Yes, it’s OK for your cat to eat flies and spiders.

Occasional eating of flies is not harmful to your cat. However, if done habitually, it can lead to health issues like gastrointestinal infections. The infections usually clear up on their own within a few days.

Common house spiders are harmless for cats, but you should watch out for poisonous ones like black window, hobo spiders, and Brown Recluse. These spiders contain venom that causes paralysis, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle tremors.

Can Cats Get Sick From Eating Insects?

Yes, cats can get sick from eating insects. This is because eating insects can create side effects or stomach problems, as some insects carry viruses and other unfriendly bacteria.

Insects with hard exoskeletons, such as grasshoppers and beetles, can cause problems for cats. Eating their shells can lead to injuries in the mouth, stomach upset if eaten in large quantities and other problems.

What Happens If My Cat Eats a Mosquito?

If you spot your cat eating a mosquito, there is no need to get concerned, as eating a mosquito cannot harm your cat. This is because cats have a digestive system that can nullify many of the harmful effects of anything ingested.

However, it’s important to protect your cat from mosquitoes, as their bites are harmful to cats. Such bites can transmit heartworm or your cat may develop an immune system reaction to a mosquito bite. This leads to the development of mosquito bite hypersensitivity, which can result in irritations, ulcers, or lesions in the bite area. 

What If My Cat Ate Cockroach?

Cockroaches are not toxic but may be dangerous for cats as they carry harmful parasites that could affect cats if ingested and may lead to a physaloptera worm infestation. 

Their hard exoskeletons can get stuck in your cat’s mouth, throat, or stomach, which can be quite painful for your pet.

How to Stop My Cat From Eating Flies

You can stop your cat from eating flies by:

1. Redirect attention. Provide your cat with feather toys, cat perches, catios, and cat shelves to play with to draw their attention away from eating flies.

2. Feed your cat treats when it doesn’t chase after a fly to instill good behavior.

3. Remove the flies by chasing them away.

4. Give the cat enough food.

5. Add screens to your doors and windows to keep flies out.

6. Don’t keep food out in the open to avoid attracting flies to the house.

7. Use insecticides that are safe for your pet to kill flies and other insects in the house.

8. Remove animal poop as soon as possible since it attracts flies.

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