flies!

Question
Hi!
Our cat loves to catch (and eat) flies and other insects. Lately she's been having a bout of diarrhea and we're wondering if it could be the bugs. She probably catches about 4 or 5 a day.
Thanks,
J. MacLean

Answer
It is not unusual for cats to chase after and bite at insects. Dogs do it too. They may actually eat them. I can't say for certain that the flies are making her ill, but flies generally hang around things like garbage and dog excrement and definitely carry contamination because of this. Flies are known to carry both human and animal diseases. They carry disease by transporting infectious agents on their feet. Certainly, diarhea is very unhealthy and must be treated and stopped before dehydration sets in and your cat becomes very ill. Call your vet for treatment of the diarhea.  

I am wondering is how she is catching up to 5 flies every day. Where is she staying that there are so many flies around? While the flies may or may not be the cause of the illness, the best way to prevent any further problem is to get her out of the environment which is allowing this behavior. If she is not around flies, she can't eat them. That is certainly what I would do.