Topic: Cats eating ants (Read 6150 times)

blackcat · « **Reply #24 on:** April 20, 2008, 10:09:33 AM »

gorgeous, have spent some time in Torone, which is about as close to Turkey as I have managed so far. Lucky you! and sorry about the gender bender , lol

Nic · « **Reply #23 on:** April 20, 2008, 10:06:41 AM »

Quote from: blackcat on April 19, 2008, 14:22:10 PM

kalimera Nikos, sounds like you have your hands full at present. Good on you for taking on these babes. The Hellenes can be a little casual in their love for their animals, not to mention resistant to change. How close are you to Thess (the pearl of the Aegean!), it is a lovely part of the world you have chosen to live in!

Hello there blackcat,

I am in fact English and female so Nikos is off the mark! Never mind.
I live in the far northeast, up by the Turkish border. Its as far from here to Thessaloniki as it is from Thess to Athens! I am on the very edge of the Nationnal Park/Reserve of Dadia Forest which has a sample of all the raptors found in Greece, including all the vultures. I have eagles and buzzards swooping overhead daily. Just down the road is the Evros Delta which is an internationally recognised stopover for migrating birds and sports flocks of flamingos and pelicans amongst many, many more. Its not at all touristy up this way, mostly agriciultural.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #22 on:** April 19, 2008, 19:26:24 PM »

i am worryied about felaway containing this......does it mean it may attract ants Tan?

while reading this thread i suddenly felt like things were climbing my leg and phewwwwwwwwwwww it was frantas whiskers

Nic · « **Reply #21 on:** April 19, 2008, 18:59:25 PM »

I've just Googled cats eating ants and found someone else whose cat loves to eat ants quoted in www.answerbag.com. The answer given there was that cats are attracted to the sour sharp taste.
I'd love to know if a vet graduate had ever studied this!
Nic

Christine (Blip) · « **Reply #20 on:** April 19, 2008, 16:19:21 PM »

Quote from: Tan on April 19, 2008, 11:37:06 AM

Oleic acid is emitted by the decaying corpses of a number of insects, including bees and ants and triggers the instincts of living workers to remove the dead bodies from the hive. If a live bee or ant is daubed with oleic acid, it is dragged off as if it were dead.
Oleic acid is also one of the important constituents of the natural pheromone that cats wipe on objects with their chins. The active ingredient in Feliway is oleic acid.

Fascinating. If I ever knew that about dead insects, I had forgotten it

I hope you can suggest an organisation that will be able to help Nic with spaying little Puff.

blackcat · « **Reply #19 on:** April 19, 2008, 14:22:10 PM »

kalimera Nikos, sounds like you have your hands full at present. Good on you for taking on these babes. The Hellenes can be a little casual in their love for their animals, not to mention resistant to change. How close are you to Thess (the pearl of the Aegean!), it is a lovely part of the world you have chosen to live in!

Nic · « **Reply #18 on:** April 19, 2008, 13:35:00 PM »

My local "Animal Rescue Group" is in Alexandroupoli (in the far northeast of Greece) and they charge 60 Euros a spay (that is the reduced rate!) As I am currently unemployed and have been for several months finances are desperate. I will be starting a job next month but till I get economically straightened out it will take some time, especially with the animals I already have to look after.

I used to live in Southern mainland Greece and there I arranged spaying and neutering with various organisations over many years. If you know of one of the charities that occasionally visits Greece and goes around the country doing cheap or free spays/neuters please do tell me. I need all the help I can get.

Nic

Tan · « **Reply #17 on:** April 19, 2008, 11:37:06 AM »

HI Nic

to Purrs

Had a quick look and found this intersting info of a common thing in Ants and Cats - Oleic Acid.

Oleic acid is emitted by the decaying corpses of a number of insects, including bees and ants and triggers the instincts of living workers to remove the dead bodies from the hive. If a live bee or ant is daubed with oleic acid, it is dragged off as if it were dead.
Oleic acid is also one of the important constituents of the natural pheromone that cats wipe on objects with their chins. The active ingredient in Feliway is oleic acid.

Never knew that before!

It's great of you to help the two girls next door.

Sadly i know of the view over there to let cats and all animals be as they were born and not be nautuered or spayed but there are quite a few rescues that are trying to change the that. I have been in contact with a few rescues in Greece and many do free spaying. We might be able to put you in contact with one that can help you.

Where about's in Greece are you

alisonandarchie · « **Reply #16 on:** April 19, 2008, 11:36:42 AM »

Perhaps Greek ants just taste better

Well done you for rescuing the cats from your neighbour

Felix (Caroline) · « **Reply #15 on:** April 19, 2008, 11:36:37 AM »

Hiya and welcome to purrs, I've never seen any of our cats eating ants, one year we had flying ants which completely covered our whole kitchen, couldn't even see the walls,it was that bad.Had to ring hubby to come home and he didn't believe me till in came home and what a fright he and his mate had.xx

Moggy73 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 19, 2008, 11:32:35 AM »

Quote from: Leanne on April 17, 2008, 15:40:35 PM

Ours are spider hunters

Our friends cat spent 8 hours sitting outside a mouse hole once, it was so funny he wouldn't move for anything he looked like a girka

That comment made me laugh !!

My poosha eats flies.. She will sit bolt upright scanning the fly until it lands, then 'whack!!' down goes the paw.. She sits looking pleased as punch then after a few minutes she'll slowly lift her paw and scoff her reward .. i sit looking at her thinking mmmmm delightful

Quote from: Nic on April 17, 2008, 13:09:17 PM

I'm new to this so I posted this first in the chat room, so here we go again.
Today, after 35years of cat ownership, I saw for the first time 3 of my cats eating black ants from a nest in my garden. Has anyone ever seen or heard of this before and can anyone tell me what the cats might be gaining from this.
Nic

Perhaps your kitties just enjoy the taste of the ants

I guess it can be a little alarming watching our mogs secret feasts for the first time..
Isnt nature beautiful !!!

Moggy xx

Cheesecat · « **Reply #13 on:** April 19, 2008, 11:22:31 AM »

I love the thinking behind Robins name!

I think we need some piccies.

It made me laugh your description of them just lapping up the ants from the nest entry

I don't know if there are any cat rescues near you that might help with the cost of a spay for your cat? Its probably not good for her health being pregnant all the time

Nic · « **Reply #12 on:** April 19, 2008, 10:25:14 AM »

Hello Christine,

I can assure you all that hunting does not appear to have anything to do with their behaviour, there is no quick movement r any of the usual predatory gestures. This is a leisurely munch much like they would do at a food bowl when they aren't starving.

My cats-

I have one "Official" cat - Robin (as in Reliant) who is 3 legged, plus a couple of queens that a neighbour brought and locked in his storeroom till they broke out (one with a little assistance from me) who proceeded to get pregnant and I managed to spay one but I can't afford to do the other so I have the ongoing problem of kittens. Also the "alleged" owner wasn't too sure if he liked the idea of spaying although he neither lives here nor feeds the blessed things any more. But this is Greece and in the deep countryside too where the folk are a bit stuck in their ways and at least 50 years behind anything you may have come across. Puffy is the so-far un-spayed queen and her spayed sister is Hoppy (first seen with infected bite in fore leg, probably a rat, hence the name). Puff's current only surviving son is Sinbad, very nervous, and she is now fairly heavily pregnant again.

They are all out there sunning themselves now and occasionally wandering over for an ant snack while my horses crop the grass around them. After checking out all the excitement at the ant's nest the other day the horses decided it wasn't worth the effort and left the felines to it. One big happy family.

Nic

Christine (Blip) · « **Reply #11 on:** April 17, 2008, 19:40:02 PM »

and

to Purrs, by the way! How many cats do you have? What are they like?

Christine (Blip) · « **Reply #10 on:** April 17, 2008, 19:39:03 PM »

Blip eats spiders.

My suspicion, Nic, would be that they are just fascinated by the little scuttling things, which must therefore be prey. I cant imagine formic acid would taste that good. Although I suppose we humans like lemon juice and vinegar

Leanne · « **Reply #9 on:** April 17, 2008, 15:40:35 PM »

Ours are spider hunters

Our friends cat spent 8 hours sitting outside a mouse hole once, it was so funny he wouldn't move for anything he looked like a girka

Sam (Fussy_Furball) · « **Reply #8 on:** April 17, 2008, 15:17:01 PM »

oooh very strange .... my lot don't like ants .... on the rare occassion there is one in the house I try and encourage one of them to "deal" with it but they all totally ignore ants. They all eat flies, spiders and any other crawly they come across but never ants

Cats are funny creatures

alisonandarchie · « **Reply #7 on:** April 17, 2008, 14:43:24 PM »

How Strange

Archie likes spiders, flies, daddy long legs and moths but I have never seen him eat ants

Den · « **Reply #6 on:** April 17, 2008, 13:35:53 PM »

I don't think it's diet related. My bet is they do it because they like the taste.

Nic · « **Reply #5 on:** April 17, 2008, 13:32:15 PM »

It certainly isn't a case of entertainment as they are sitting there carefully and slowly licking up the little critters as they crawl around the nest entrance. I'm sure its some dietary need but I can't image what.
Nic

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #4 on:** April 17, 2008, 13:24:57 PM »

I have never heard of cats eating ants but we learn something everyday on Purrs LOL.

As long as they are black ants and not red ants, I dont think it will be a problem but if you have red ants anywhere I would purrrrsonally discourage this cos cats dont really see colour and think they would not enjoy a feast on red ants.

Cheesecat · « **Reply #3 on:** April 17, 2008, 13:11:25 PM »

Hi Nic

What they are gaining from it i'd imagine is a bit of entertainment!

Ours love attacking any insects if they are allowed before their dad takes the insect away and "frees" it. They love flies, spiders etc but never seem to notice ants as they are so small.

I don't think your kitties will come to any harm as they would eat them if they were living wild wouldn't they?

Den · « **Reply #2 on:** April 17, 2008, 13:10:57 PM »

Extra Protein.

I have a spider eater cat. My dog loooooooooooooooves eating ants though.

Nic · « **Reply #1 on:** April 17, 2008, 13:09:17 PM »

I'm new to this so I posted this first in the chat room, so here we go again.
Today, after 35years of cat ownership, I saw for the first time 3 of my cats eating black ants from a nest in my garden. Has anyone ever seen or heard of this before and can anyone tell me what the cats might be gaining from this.
Nic

Author Topic: Cats eating ants (Read 6150 times)