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Why Cats Eat Ants
Why Cats Eat Ants
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You have certainly witnessed, at least once in your life, a cat that seemed almost crazy in front of a bunch of squashed ants.

When it sees such insects, the cat tends to rub its snout on them or eat them. It is one of those very funny feline behaviors, which could be a little disconcerting and disgusting in the eyes of us humans. there why cats like ants.

The relationship between cats and insects

cats-eating-ants
cats-eating-ants

Chasing insects is much more fun than chasing a feather tied to a stick or a ball with a bell inside.

No such cat toys they manage to let the predatory instinct escape which is inherent in your cat.

Cats therefore love to hunt insects. In the opinion of some vets, hunting often has little to do with hunger.

In fact, small numbers of insects do not provide an important protein source, which is what cats must eat to survive, as they are carnivores.

The relationship between cats and insects is, therefore, a different matter, which is not linked to the sense of hunger but to the instinct of felines. However, things are a bit different when it comes to ants.

Why Cats Love Ants

cat-ants
cat-ants

The reason cats love ants is the substance these creatures contain.

Ants are rich in both formic and oleic acids, which act as pheromones for ants, helping them to communicate with each other.

When ants die and are crushed, they emit these substances, which cats can smell with their highly developed sense of smell.

Oleic acid has a calming effect on cats and their innate response to this substance is to rub their snouts on it.

why-cats-like-ants
why-cats-like-ants

Hence, meeting a bunch of squashed ants gives the cat a cozy, homey feeling that makes him feel happy right away.

And it is for this same reason that cats want to bring their faces to olives as soon as they see them on your table, because the latter contain oleic acid which is so attractive to our happy friends.

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