Do Cats Eat Turtles?

Cats can devour turtles, and the endangered turtles on your social media feeds are worth defending.

If you’ve noticed your turtle acting strangely, it may be suffering from an ailment. Fortunately, you can intervene and take care of your cat.

So, do cats eat turtles? People are often surprised by this question.

After all, cats aren’t known for eating turtles. However, cats have been observed eating turtle eggs in the wild.

In captivity, cats also eat turtles, even live turtles. So, to answer the question, yes, cats do eat turtles.

Let’s dive in now.

Do Cats Eat Turtles?

Cats do, in fact, consume some species of aquatic and land-dwelling reptiles from time to time.

Although turtles and tortoises have strong shells or carapaces to protect them from predators in the wild, that does not mean they are immune to predation by animals such as snakes and birds.

The size and species of the turtle will determine whether or not a cat will eat it.

Technically, if your cat is determined enough and has the appropriate tools, it could potentially be able to catch and eat a turtle.

However, the chances will increase if your pet is hungry.

Why Are Turtles in Danger When Cats Are Around?

Cats attack and hunt many types of animals, including fish and other aquatic creatures, such as frogs and crayfish.

Although it is uncommon for cats to hunt land-dwellers like tortoises or snakes, it has happened plenty of times.

This is more common in feral or stray cats than in pet cats.

However, cats will prey on both land and aquatic animals if they are hungry enough and they are given the opportunity to do so.

They may consume these shelled critters as a type of treat if they find them in their yard or around their house while scavenging for food outside.

Aside from that, it’s not every day that a cat will encounter a turtle in a domestic setting or while out hunting for food outdoors.

Do Cats Eat Baby Turtles?

Cats do eat newborn turtles since they are sluggish and fragile animals with thin protective shells, and they can easily be snacked on by a cat.

But an adult turtle that has grown big enough or gained enough weight to hurt a cat is usually more resistant to being eaten.

A baby turtle would be easier prey for a cat to attack and consume than an adult turtle would be.

You don’t have to worry about keeping turtles around if you have pets. However, there are some situations in which you might be concerned.

If you keep your turtle in an outdoor pond or a vivarium with an aquarium-style lid on it, your cat may be able to enter the enclosure through its lid and potentially injure your reptile or even eat it.

Do Cats Eat Turtle Eggs?

If your cat finds turtle eggs, it may eat them as they are a source of nutrition for the cat’s body.

There is no indication that a cat will deliberately hunt for them specifically.

However, if your cat is digging in your garden in search of food to eat, it may stumble upon a nest of eggs and may eat them.

The turtle egg may break into multiple pieces as it is being eaten, so it may be difficult to identify whether the egg was consumed in its entirety or just the shell was left behind.

It will, after a certain point, be impossible to tell whether an egg has been consumed or not if it is still whole when found in the garden.

On the other hand, if your cat eats or plays with a turtle egg while it is being eaten, it is much more likely to get hurt or crack open.

For this reason, it is best to keep cats away from places where turtles nest—whether they are on land or in the water.

Early in the spring, when many aquatic turtles are nesting, is a good time to look for turtle eggs.

If the eggs are tiny enough, your cat could accidentally swallow them when they are eating from your garden.

Will The Cat Attack The Turtle?

If your cat is scared of a hungry or angry adult tortoise, it may decide to give up its meal and leave it alone so it doesn’t get hurt by trying to attack the tortoise.

Even if your cat isn’t intending to kill your tortoise, it might unintentionally do so when it tries to play with it or otherwise interact with it while it is in its enclosure.

Even though your cat probably won’t hurt your tortoise on purpose, it could still do so by accident.

Can a Cat Kill a Turtle?

If your cat assaults a turtle, it will attack it with its mouth and will bite the reptile if it attempts to escape.

I don’t think turtles have much to worry about from cats, unless they have been bothered by cats before and are used to their presence and aggression.

Because turtles move more slowly than cats do and are relatively slow to run away, they are at a greater risk of being attacked by a cat than cats are of being attacked by them.

This does not, however, rule out the possibility that a cat can kill an adult tortoise—just that it is unlikely to do so without provocation.

If your cat assaults a very young baby tortoise, the chances of the cat killing the baby are higher because the baby has no defensive mechanisms at its disposal to ward off the attacks.

If your cat accidentally fractures the shell of a sea turtle’s egg while attempting to eat from it, this will not result in the death of the egg because sea turtles can lay up to 100 eggs in one clutch.

Do Cats Like Turtles?

Most cats will attract the attention of other cats because they are cute and easy to catch.

This does not exclude kids from enjoying the company of pet tortoises, because these animals can be very entertaining to watch when they are moving around the garden.