Category Archives: Living with cats

My cat eats insects : is it dangerous ?

After the snow shower of last Tuesday, we had a magnificent sunny end of the week. The temperatures are more and more mild : it smells like spring !

Insects go out as soon as the sun shines, and we have so much fun to hunt them. Here are our advice for little kittens :

Is it dangerous for a cat to eat insects ?

flycockroachgrasshopperdragonflyladybugbugearwigcaterpillar Flies and cockroaches
It’s a delight, but attention : it’s essential to deworm your cat regularly, because flies and cockroaches can pass on parasites or parasites’ eggs (intestinal worms).

Grasshoppers and dragonflies
You get a little crunch, and they are very funny to hunt and to pull apart to scatter the pieces almost everywhere.

Butterflies and spiders
Yummy !

Ladybirds
The lively color of the ladybirds indicates clearly to their usual predators (birds) that they are toxic. However, a ladybird swallowed here or there is not dangerous for a cat.

Bugs
We strongly disadvise you to play with them, and even more to crunch them : these tiny creatures stink to defend themselves. That smells very bad, and if you have it in the mouth, it’s horrible!

Earwigs and small black ants
Why not ?

Red ants
Caution : they bite!

Caterpillars
Danger !
The processionary caterpillars have urticant and allergenic hairs ; the slightest contact causes a violent pain. The inflammation of the tongue and the mouth is almost immediate, and the tongue can even partially necrotize in the following days if nothing is done. The contact with the skin causes an oedema, nettle rash, and important itches. These urticant hairs can also damage an eye until the loss of sight, and cause grave respiratory issues. The nests of caterpillars, abandoned or not, are also dangerous.
The slightest contact with processionary caterpillars is an emergency : go immediately to the vet !

Wasps, bees, and other hymenopterans
Danger !
Never play with this family of insects, kittens ! Their sting aches and can be dangerous ! We explain it to you in this article.

Who says insect, says insecticidal
Cats are often poisoned by insecticides used by humans, either by direct contact, or by ingestion of a poisoned insect (more rarely).
These products are applied to textiles, plants, or grounds of the house. They appear in spray or powder, and most of them contain permethrin, which is highly toxic for cats.
Some anti-slugs products are also dangerous.

We live in Switzerland, and we are safe from some insects which live in other continents : what are the toxic or dangerous insects we can find near you ?

Pictures source : Pixabay

Why spay or neuter your cat ?

Pals, that’s my serious face : tomorrow, it’s World Spay Day. And it’s some serious stuff.
Why spay or neuter your cat ?
Let’s say that a couple of cats, then their descendants, has two litters of 2 or 3 alive kittens every year. Here is how the feline population is quickly going to increase within 9 years :
Spay and neuter your pet
By spaying/neutering your cat, you reduce the number of abandoned animals, you avoid unwanted behavior as urinary marking, you save expenses at the veterinarian (tomcats often fight and can be hurt), and you increase the good health of your cat by reducing the risk of certain cancers as the cancer of testicles or uterine cancer.

Spread the word, speak about it !

We are spayed and neutered, what about you ?

How much costs a cat ?

It’s useful to know it BEFORE adopting a cat, right ?

All the indicated amounts concern Switzerland, where life is rather expensive. If you don’t live in Switzerland, read first this example of household budget : it will allow you to put in perspective amounts given in this article.

Cat price

  • given or found : 0 CHF
  • shelter : 150 to 250 CHF
  • breed : 1000 to 2000 CHF

Identification microchip

  • pose and recording at AMICUS : 80 CHF

In our opinion, it’s essential !

Veterinarian

  • neuter (male): 80 to 100 CHF
  • spay (female): 170 to 200 CHF
  • vaccines = > 1x a year : 60 to 90 CHF
  • worm treatment = > 4x a year: 40 CHF
  • flea treatment => 4x a year if needed, or if your cat goes out : 50 CHF a year

The vaccinations expenses are higher first year for a kitten, because a reminder has to be done 3 weeks after the first vaccination.

Don’t forget that your cat can get ill or have an accident as our poor Angel Loupi : it represents additional veterinary expenses which can be important.

Insurance

  • 120 CHF per year

A hospitalization or an operation is expensive ; an insurance is very useful to face these spending.

Food

  • bowls = > at least 2 for food and 1 for water : 12 CHF
  • food : 50 to 150 CHF a month

For the long-term health of your cat, avoid low-end food from the supermarket ! We teach you here how to read labels to better choose your cat’s meals. You can also choose to prepare him his meals yourself or to give him  raw food, but then watch out the nutriments balance !

Toilet

  • litter box : 10 to 40 CHF
  • shovel : 2 to 5 CHF
  • litter : 10 to 20 CHF a month

Zorro is super economic : he does everything in the garden !

Basic accessories

  • transport box : from 25 CHF
  • cat tree: from 50 CHF (80 cms in 1m) or from 100 CHF (1m20 and more)
  • brushes and combs : 5 to 40 CHF
  • claws scissors : 5 CHF
  • diverse toys = > according to needs and renewal : variable
  • basket : from 20 CHF

According to your lifestyle, you may need maybe also a necklace, a harness, a leash, a pension, a cat-sitter, a passport, …

In summary, how much costs a cat ?

The first year, besides the price of the cat himself, it’s necessary to plan an additional budget from 400 to 700 CHF for the microchip, spay/neuter, the first vaccines, and the acquisition of basic accessories.

A healthy cat costs then between 120 and 250 CHF a month, all included.

Please, don’t adopt a cat if you can’t afford the basic expenses it involves !

RouXy

Used with permission

Beautiful RouXy, red acrobat with three legs, crossed the Rainbow Bridge between Wednesday and Thursday. He was going to be 16 years old. We send soft purrs to his humans and the humans of our buddy Frimousse who took care him so well for several years.