Since slugs are a great food source for cats, it’s essential to keep them out of your home.
If your favorite feline seems to be craving a slug,re’s nothing wrong with giving her a slug treat.
However, it’s important to understand whether it will actually eat the slug it gives you. So, can cats eat slugs?
Cats eat slugs because it tastes delicious to them! The skin of a slug has a mild flavor similar to the shell of a snail or clam which most cats enjoy eating. Some cats even love to eat slug slime!
Can Cats Eat Slugs?
Cats have a propensity of supplementing their diets with anything that they find on the ground, including snails and slugs.
Slugs are insects that go through four stages in their life cycles: hatching from eggs, feeding on plants and decaying matter, undergoing metamorphosis into a slug.
If you let your cat outside, they will naturally find several slugs and snails to eat.
Keeping in mind that cats are born prey and like to scavenge for meat, they’ll chase and catch a slug on their own. You can also train your cat to catch a slug and pin it down until it dies and dies with your assistance.
However, you can’t count on your cat eating any slug you drop on her if you’re feeding her a slug treat.
Cats are finicky eaters and may not like the taste or texture of slugs and snails.
Why Do Cats Eat Slugs?
Cats are notorious for their insatiable appetite; they literally eat anything they can get their hands on.
A cat may eat a snail or a slug because it can’t resist the slime and feels compelled to eat it or it may be a nutritional deficiency with the cat and she needs to eat something.
A cat would more likely play with a slug than eat it, but they may bite a snail’s shell or crush it and spit it out or swallow.
Do Slugs Spread Disease?
Slugs may contain a variety of parasites that can affect humans.
Some forms of slug infestations can cause sickness and discomfort in humans.
It’s important to understand that slugs aren’t the cause of most diseases, but they may carry some diseases in their slime or inside their bodies.
Some common diseases that are found in slugs are salmonella and parasitic worms.
It’s important to keep slugs away from both cats and humans so they don’t make your home a breeding ground for disease.
What Happens If My Cat Eats a Slug?
Slugs and snails have toxins in their slime that could hurt your cat’s health and cause vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.
In any event, be certain to wash your hands after handling a slug or snail to ensure they don’t have time to crawl into your nose or mouth.
Cats are not immune to the harm caused by slug and snail slime, so it’s important to keep these pests away from your cat.
Some exotic slug species are poisonous to cats, and while they aren’t common in the United States, it’s a good idea to avoid them at all cost if you suspect your cat has eaten one.
Slugs, on the other hand, are harmless to cats, but they may dig up and eat your garden’s plants so it’s best to keep snails and slugs away from your cat.
If your cat consumes a slug or snail and vomits, run some water over your cat’s mouth and throat to induce vomiting.
The parasitic illness lungworm may cause severe damage to the cat’s lungs and other organs if the cat is left untreated.
A cat with lungworm infection may show symptoms including coughing, sneezing, and difficulty breathing and their skin may turn yellow and may swell up or form blister-like lesions on their skin.
Lungworm infection is caused when a cat eats a parasite-infected slug that lives in the ground or eats snails.
In extreme situations it may also cause the cat to have difficulty breathing or even die if left untreated.
Are Slug Pellets Toxic to Cats?
A group of chemicals that have been associated with cancer in humans and a wide variety of other health issues and problems including reproductive disorders and neurological problems—the most common being neurotoxicity in children.
The chemicals are reportedly meant to suppress the snail and slug populations while ignoring other organisms that not pets as well as humans.
Because cats have a natural fondness for hunting down and eating slugs and snails throughout the garden, it is only natural that they may ingest some of the pellets when hunting.
Unfortunately, cats’ nervous systems will not necessarily see the pellet as a toxin and they may simply swallow it, causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.
Tremors, drooling and restlessness are symptoms that occur in cats after ingesting slug pellets.
Is It Possible for Cats to Die From Eating Slugs?
Slugs pose little or no threat to the general public but some cats, because of their hunting nature, may ingest slugs and snails accidentally or by intentionally eating infected slugs and snails.
Gardeners who diligently fight slugs and snails with slug pellets or slug bait products may inadvertently expose their pet cats to these substances as well.
Poisoned slugs pose a serious risk to humans because their slime contains toxins that can interfere with muscle control and breathing as well as cause illness.
Poisons taken by a slug before being digested may be transferred to a cat who eats the slug’s remains, and cats who eat snails or slugs that were previously poisoned.
A slug is unlikely to poison the snail or slug it eats before the snail or slug is digested or passes the toxin through its body.
A cat that regularly consumes poisoned slugs, on a long-term basis, may develop an immunity (tolerance) to the poison.
What Are the Symptoms of Slug Pellet Poisoning?
The effects of slug pellets on cats are similar to those offish fsh poison and rat poison.
As slug pellets dehydrate slugs, they can also cause dehydration in cats that consume them, resulting in drooling, vomiting and diarrhea.
Slug pellet poisoning symptoms in cats typically include gastrointestinal distress, muscular weakness, tremors and seizures.
Vomiting is one of the more characteristic signs of slug pellet poisoning in cats.
Metaldehyde disrupts the muscular system throughout the body and may cause weakness and tremors all over the cat’s body.
After vomiting, neurological symptoms may take days to appear.
You will notice that your kitten has been drinking or urinating more than usual because these symptoms present as excessive thirst and urination as well as decreased appetite.
Drooling, wobbly walking, and seizures may be symptoms of a poisoned cat.
Also Read: Do Cats Eat Lizards?
Can a Cat Get Sick From Eating a Slug?
Slugs may not cause immediate damage when ingested by cats because of their strong stomach acids.
Slugs poisoned by slug pellets will not die immediately but may die in several days.
Snails carry the bacteria that causes bile leak leading to jaundice.
Rat feces contain salmonella bacteria and can be fatal to cats if eaten.
Because slugs swallow feces, they can carry a number of diseases that can affect cats when they are eaten.
When cats eat slugs, they ingest worms and other parasites that can live inside the snail’s body and cause harm to the cat’s health.
Whether your pet has eaten a slug, you should be aware that it may cause some harm to your pet’s health.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the answer to the question “Can cats eat slugs?” is yes! If your cat eats slugs, it’s not an indication that he’s sick or that he needs to see a veterinarian right away.
However, it’s best to try to deter your cat from eating slugs so they don’t get sick and to avoid potentially toxic slug bait products.
If you’re concerned that your cat may be sick or injured after eating a slug, take him to a veterinarian right away for an examination.
