Can Cat Eat Chipmunks?

Most pet cats do not have the opportunity to hunt chipmunks, because they are usually kept indoors. As such, if you have a pet cat and you care about chipmunks, you should try to keep them separate so that the chipmunk does not end up as dinner for your cat.

Yes cats can eat chipmunks. Cats are opportunistic carnivores, which means that they will eat any meat they can get their paws on. If a cat comes across a chipmunk, it will probably try to hunt and eat it.

**Note: This is not intended to be used as medical advice! If you suspect your cat is sick or injured, please seek veterinary assistance immediately.

Also read: Is Moss Toxic to Cats?

Can A Cat Get Sick from Eating a Chipmunk?

The short answer is no. It’s not likely a cat will get sick from eating a chipmunk. Cats are hunters by nature, and they’ll typically bring down their prey and eat it.

Now, there are some things to be mindful of when your cat eats chipmunks or other small rodents:

• Chipmunks can carry salmonella in their blood. This disease can be transferred to cats through the bite wound, so if your cat is showing any signs of lethargy or appetite loss after catching the chipmunk be sure to get her to the vet for an exam
• Cats are obligate carnivores, which means their bodies rely on protein for health; so make sure your cat has plenty of high-quality animal protein in her diet!

Can A Cat Get Worms from Eating Chipmunks?

The short answer is: It depends, but it’s also possible that your cat won’t get worms at all.

Here’s the thing: cats are carnivores, and they’re born to hunt and eat rodents like chipmunks. So in that sense, it shouldn’t be a problem if your cat e ats chipmunks. They’d naturally eat those kinds of prey in the wild, so they’re not likely to get sick from them.

But since chipmunks are also prone to carrying parasites, your cat definitely could get worms if they eat one that has them.

If you’re really worried about this, take your cat to the vet and tell them how much chipmunk eating they’ve been doing recently. If there’s any chance they’re sick, it definitely won’t hurt to have them checked out and given some medicine just in case.

What Do You Do If Your Cat Catches A Chipmunk?

If you own a cat, there’s a good chance that at some point or another, that cat has brought you a present.

Sometimes it’s nice; a dead bird or mouse, perhaps. Other times? Not so much. Like when your cat brings you a chipmunk.

It doesn’t matter if your cat is an indoor kitty who has never seen the light of day before: When they sense something in their territory that needs to be taken care of, all bets are off.

A chipmunk is basically just a cute squirrel, after all. And your cat is basically just a tiny leopard. So, if Fluffy sees one scurrying around the backyard, you can bet they’ll chase after it, and bring it back to you as a gift, dead or alive.

So, what do you do if your cat catches a chipmunk?

Well, first things first: If the chipmunk is still alive and flailing around in your kitchen sink while your cat watches on with hungry eyes, remove them both from the situation immediately and safely.

The last thing you want to do is foster hunting behavior in your cat by letting them watch their prey (or encouraging them by giving them treats).

Do Outdoor Cats Eat Chipmunks?

Outdoor cats certainly can eat chipmunks!

Cats are carnivores and will eat just about any small animal they can catch. There are some exceptions, though. For example, outdoor cats often hunt in packs, so it is unlikely that a cat could catch a chipmunk on its own.

Here’s why: because chipmunks are extremely fast (they can run up to 15 miles an hour), they can easily outrun a single cat.

But when cats join together to form a pack, they can trap their prey with relative ease. If a cat did manage to catch one on its own, it would probably eat it right away!

In addition to their speed, chipmunks also have sharp claws that make them difficult prey. As such, it’s unlikely that an outdoor cat would be able to catch one alone or in a pack unless the chipmunk was sick or injured.

How Do I Stop My Cat from Killing Chipmunks?

We know it’s scary to think that your cat is out there, stalking and killing chipmunks. Cats are hunters by nature, and they’re perfectly capable of catching chipmunks in the wild, but you don’t want them doing it in your yard!

If You Love Chipmunks, Let Cats Be Cats

Cats have a natural instinct to hunt, and even if you raise them indoors from a young age, this instinct might still manifest in their behaviors. If you have a cat who loves chasing chipmunks and other small animals, it might be best to let them do their thing.

Read also: Can Cats Eat Pastrami?

BUT! It’s important to make sure they’re safe while they’re out there. If you care about the safety of both your cat and the chipmunk they’re hunting (or if you just love chipmunks), here are some strategies for keeping everyone safe.

1. Supervise Your Cat While They’re Outdoors. The first thing you should do is supervise your cat while its outside. Sometimes cats will kill things for entertainment, so it’s important that you are there to distract your cat when it begins to act aggressively toward chipmunks.  Training a cat not to kill chipmunks requires patience and consistency.
2. You can try using a bell on his collar to keep the chipmunks away. The bell will alert the chipmunk and give it time to escape before the cat can get close enough to attack.
3. Keep your cat indoors more often: The second thing you can do is to bring your cats inside more often so they aren’t outside as much and therefore aren’t hunting chipmunks as much either.

 This will also prevent them from getting in fights with other animals or getting into trouble themselves while they’re outside alone without supervision (which is never safe!).

If you don’t want to use a bell, try making your cat stay indoors more often. The less time he spends outside, the fewer chipmunks he’ll be able to kill.

Will Cat Poop Deter Chipmunks?

You may have heard that the best way to keep chipmunks out of your garden is to decorate it with cat poop. Is this just an urban legend, or does it actually work?

We’re here to give you the scoop.

Chipmunks are attracted to gardens because they want to eat the seeds in the garden. Some people say that if you put cat feces in your garden, it will make the chipmunks think there’s a predator around and they’ll stay away.

But does this actually work? While we don’t recommend this as a method for keeping pests out of your garden it actually does work.

So, if you’re looking for a way to keep the chipmunks out of your garden without harming them, cat poop might be your solution. Just remember to use gloves when you handle it, and wash your hands afterward!

Where Do Chipmunks Live?

Different types of chipmunks prefer different kinds of environments, but they do typically like to stay close to the ground and near some type of shelter.

Chipmunks often make their homes underground, in a burrow with multiple entrances and exits.

These burrows can stretch as far as 30 feet underground and consist of a main chamber where they make their nest, as well as other chambers they use for storage or as latrines.

 They also like to keep an emergency exit inside the burrow, just in case!

When it comes to food, chipmunks are omnivores so they’ll eat just about anything! Their diets consist of nuts and seeds, berries, fruits and vegetables, insects, worms, snails and even bird.

Do Chipmunks Carry Any Diseases?

According to the CDC, chipmunks can carry diseases such as tularemia, bubonic plague, and hantavirus.

But if you’ve been bitten by a chipmunk you might be wondering: do chipmunks carry diseases? Well, the answer is yes.

 Chipmunks can carry plague, salmonella, tularemia and rabies. But don’t worry too much, they’re not deadly to humans, and they’re only very rarely seen in chipmunks anyway.

Read also: How Often Do Cats Get Sick?

Are Chipmunks Afraid of Cats?

YES! Chipmunks are afraid of cats. They are also afraid of other animals such as bears, foxes, and coyotes. You can use this to your advantage if you want to keep chipmunks away from your garden or other areas of your yard

A chipmunk is afraid of anything that can eat it, including cats! In fact, one study found that chipmunks in the wild were more likely to be eaten by cats than they were to die of any other natural cause.

However, chipmunks are great at scurrying away, which makes it hard for a cat to catch them! So don’t worry too much about your pet chipmunk, they can probably escape a cat if they need to.

Can Chipmunks and Cats Be Friends?

Yes, they can.

We know it seems like there should be some kind of natural animosity between chipmunks and cats, but there doesn’t have to be.

When you’re introducing a cat to a chipmunk, make sure you keep the cat in a cage or on a leash. This way, the cat won’t get out of control and eat the chipmunk.

Watch them carefully at all times and don’t leave them alone together until you’re sure they’re getting along well. It’s also important that you’re around if either of them gets upset/scared so that you can intervene quickly.

Start by putting the chipmunk in a small cage. This will help the cat feel more comfortable about approaching it. Once the cat is interested in sniffing the cage, open it and let the chipmunk out.

The chipmunk may run from the cat. This is normal and expected behavior. If they start playing with each other, watch carefully! Make sure none of their play involves biting or scratching, which can cause injury to each other or both parties involved

Conclusion

In summary, it is clear that cats can eat chipmunks and might not even have any ill effects from such a meal.

However, this does not mean that we should feed our cats a steady diet of chipmunks because cats may crave different foods at different times in their lives and putting an animal in the stomach of your cat could result in it being sick.

Resources

https://pethelpful.com/cats/is-it-safe-for-my-cat-to-catch-and-eat-wildlife

https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-should-i-feed-my-cat/

https://www.naturesvariety.com/en/cat/tips/hunting-and-feeding-behaviour-cats