# My cat eats spiders



## slushpuppie (Aug 28, 2014)

Sometimes pretty big spiders come in our house, and my cat eats them if I don't get to them fast enough. Is this okay? I'm happy he has the opportunity to hunt but are there spiders in London gardens and homes that could possibly harm my cat and if so, how do I stop him eating them?

Thanks!


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## microgirl (Nov 20, 2012)

As far as I'm aware no, there isn't. Your cat is doing exactly what he evolved to do - in their natural habitat, in the wild cats would mostly eat insects (and presumably arachnids). Ours - well, one in particular really - eat spiders, moths, flies-I've even seen him eat a bee, anything he can get his fuzzy little paws on. Very funny to hear see a little thoughtful face and hear the muffled "bzzzzt" from inside a mouth before the chomping begins  

So yeah, experts here might have something different to say but I think just enjoy your spider-free home because I'm sure your cat is having a whale of a time being a cat


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## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

One of mine found one in the kitchen the other day, not a very big one, and was sniffing and pawing it when she suddenly jumped up in the air on all fours and ran off, don't know if it bit her. Spiders will bite but are otherwise harmless but there is one which you need to be wary of which is the false widow and it is the only poisonous spider in the UK, it has caused awful injuries to people who have been bitten and I expect it would be the same for cats and dogs. We have them here in the south both outdoors and indoors, we've seen them in our garden, one of my neighbours was bitten by one. Must admit I have always been scared silly of spiders but more so since I saw one of the very large ones coming over my shoulder a few years ago!


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## Guest (Sep 5, 2014)

My 2 eat them all the time and I encourage it because I'm deathly afraid of them. No way am I feeding and loving and playing with those 2 and they're not putting in work! A HUGE one was in the kitchen the other week, they batted it around, picked it up in their mouth *heave* swatted it some more and then they ate it. It was so big I really thought it may have spoiled their dinner.


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## georgypan (Mar 31, 2014)

I find dead spiders around the house, obviously killed by the cats, but they don't seem to want to eat them. They're also very good fly hunters, but they just maim them and play with them until they die and then lose interest, they never eat them. I've seen them chasing wasps and bees and it worries me that they will get their mouths stung but that has never happened. Just now my husband says a big beetle ran out from underneath a flower pot in the utility and met its maker at the hands/paws of Henry.


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## Polski (Mar 16, 2014)

If i see them first I put them out but I know my cats have eaten a load of spiders in their time...and daddy long legs, moths, beetles etc. 

I do have a fair amount of false widow spiders around, often wondered if cats can have a bad reaction to them but i'm guessing not as they're bound to have come across them by now.


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## HollynSmudge (Jul 21, 2014)

Charity said:


> Spiders will bite but are otherwise harmless but there is one which you need to be wary of which is the false widow and it is the only poisonous spider in the UK, it has caused awful injuries to people who have been bitten and I expect it would be the same for cats and dogs.


If it makes you feel any better the people who have have the bad injuries have been ether bitten by many of the false widows or been allergic to them, or another factor factor caused the reaction. This is one link I used to get info from, Is it or isn't it? False widow spider update | Natural History Museum

And to the OP my cat eats spiders all of the time it's great means I don't have to catch them


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## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

They've been around in the UK for donkey's years apparently though it seems their numbers are increasing. It just depends if a human or animal is unlucky enough to be allergic to their bite I suppose, same as it could be with a bee sting. This poor cat was 
Family cat left fighting for its life after false widow spider bite experts warn pet owners to be vigilant | Mail Online


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## HollynSmudge (Jul 21, 2014)

Aww poor kitty , though considering it took a whole nest of then to kill a rabbit (poor little thing), we and our cats probably don't have to worry too much. Especially since I've seen he daily mail describe people who have been safely taking pictures of Sharks, (with all precautions in place) as things like "TERRIFYING moment unsuspecting swimmer comes face to face with DEADLY shark" xD Daily Mail cracks me up.


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## slushpuppie (Aug 28, 2014)

Thank you for putting my mind at rest 

He doesn't like flies so much because he's a bit put out by the constant buzzing noise haha. But I will keep letting him rid my house of creepy things! Although it does still make me feel a bit sick when I can hear him crunching them to death in his jaws!!!


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## KathyM (Jul 30, 2008)

The hype you read in the news of people's legs having fallen off or them having grown a 2nd head (or similar fearmongering) have mostly been extreme examples of bacterial infections rhat have not even been proven to have been a spider bite, much less a false widow. They could've got that from a bramble or a paper cut but if they get a wound and see spider Web in the house a week later, oooo it's a false widow (cue 'da da daaaa' music) lol. The false widow's venom is negligible other than when it comes to very rare anaphylactic reactions or bacterial infections, and a cat could get that from anything. We can't bubble wrap them (sadly lol).

One of my old cats was a valued spider killer. You could pick her up, point her in the direction of said spider, move her side to side to ensure she had 'locked on target', then let her go. Brilliant.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I always rescue spiders from my cats if I can, before they kill them or eat them. 
Spiders are a householder's best friend, as they are not harmful (apart from the one type others have mentioned) and are great at catching flies. 

AFAIC, I am very happy to share my house with spiders. There is no way I would ever kill a spider, or put one out of the house. I really cannot understand why people are scared of spiders in the UK. In Australia I could understand it, as there are several deadly spiders there.


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## KathyM (Jul 30, 2008)

The whole point of phobias is that they are not rational lol. I have pet tarantulas but won't tolerate Tegenaria sp. In my house if I find them. Cats are welcome to them although my current ones are wusses and don't kill them. Hope Moomin turns out to be a spider catcher.


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## huckybuck (Jan 17, 2014)

I heard somewhere that insects will soon be bred for a human source of protein soon! In the meantimecan't be bad for cats

Entomophagy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## Dumpling (Feb 18, 2014)

chillminx said:


> I always rescue spiders from my cats if I can, before they kill them or eat them.
> Spiders are a householder's best friend, as they are not harmful (apart from the one type others have mentioned) and are great at catching flies.
> 
> AFAIC, I am very happy to share my house with spiders. There is no way I would ever kill a spider, or put one out of the house. I really cannot understand why people are scared of spiders in the UK. In Australia I could understand it, as there are several deadly spiders there.


Me too, I am a crazy spider loving lady


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

KathyM said:


> > The whole point of phobias is that they are not rational
> 
> 
> This is not true actually. Many phobias are based on fears of what "might" happen, even "could" happen. Some that spring to mind are : fear of heights, fear of flying, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, fear of motorways, fear of the sea.
> ...


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## KathyM (Jul 30, 2008)

I could really get into this as a discussion but don't want to sound a dick lol. I would argue you're right, my old tutors would've argued that probability isn't all that makes up rationality of a fear (the degree of phobia versus true probability might be closer). In definition they are said to be irrational in nature. We're all born with a fear of heights as a survival mechanism (I read snakes is another). To some they would seem irrational to others a cool clue as to what our brains do to protect out bodies. Fascinating subject. I don't consider my fear of spiders irrational as I think no creature needs 8 legs and therefore they must be the work of Lucifer.


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