# My cats are eating locusts



## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Last night about 8 pm I saw Tuffy pounce on something small on the lawn. I went to investigate, thinking it was some tiny hapless critter. 

I couldn't identify what he was looking at. It appeared to be a soft-bodied insect waving its legs, and my first thought was that it was a curled up spider. Then I realized it was a locust just emerging from the ground. The cicadas have been singing for a week now. I gave Tuffy the go-ahead to eat it.

No wonder my cats are camped out under the trees in the evening. It was a good size and a couple of those would make a good meal.

According to this fact sheet on locusts, they are quite edible:

_"Experts say that the *best way to eat cicadas* is to collect them in the middle of the night as they emerge from their burrows and before their skins harden. When they are in this condition—like soft-shell crabs—they can be boiled for about a minute. It is said they taste like asparagus or clam-flavored potato. _

_• *The animal world pigs out on the cicada feast.* Particularly, songbirds make good use of the bonanza, and their young are well supplied with the nutritious insects. Moles are said to flourish on the fully grown nymphs in the weeks prior to emergence. Other wild animals that enjoy the advantage include snakes and spiders. __• *Dogs and cats* may also avail themselves of the cicada smorgasbord. It does them no harm, although if they eat too many they may have some difficulty digesting a surfeit of cicada skins. There have been reported cases of dogs' digestive tracts becoming blocked by eating too many cicadas." _

Who knew?


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## Xanti (Nov 4, 2008)

Yumm! *crunch crunch crunch*


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## Larry (Jul 10, 2011)

Yeah, kitty's have a banquet outside. I feel bad keeping them couped up in the house but I live close to traffic so this is the way it's gotta be for now.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Extra protein!!


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## Cam (May 6, 2011)

Bertie was doing this a couple of weeks ago - he kept bringing them inside to play with and then crunching on them. Yucky cat!
He didn't always eat them tho, so I keep finding dead cicadas all over the house


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