OK to let cat eat toad?

I was giving Rocket some time on leash & harness in the backyard when we flushed a baby toad. I debated letting him have the thrill of catching and eating live prey, but not knowing the consequences of eating a toad I held him back and let it get away.

I suppose this will never happen again, but if it does -- what do you guys think? Should I let him go for it?

I think you'll notice that as soon as he tastes it, he'll start foaming at the mouth.
They taste bad, and those warts secrete poisons.

They can leave a terrible taste, or cause a trip to the ER vet.

No toads I guess then We have had one coming on the patio and with 7or 8 kittys crowding around the slider trying to get it, I knda wondered that to.

Ask John (AmberTheBobcat) about toad poisoning, I believe one of his exotics did some toad licking last year.

good thing you held him back, i probly would have made the mistake of letting him go for it

No, toads usually have some kind of poison or yucky tasting stuff in them to discourage predetors from eating them. I might let the cat play a little catch with them but not eat or kill them.

Our barn cats (kittens) would chase after the little toads in the yard, but none of the adults would go after them!

Originally Posted by Arlyn

Ask John (AmberTheBobcat) about toad poisoning, I believe one of his exotics did some toad licking last year.

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I recall John almost lost Boris.

Let the toad grow up so it'll eat insects.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

I think you'll notice that as soon as he tastes it, he'll start foaming at the mouth.
They taste bad, and those warts secrete poisons.

They can leave a terrible taste, or cause a trip to the ER vet.

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That is what memory told me... No TOADS

I guess the neighborhood toads will have nothing to fear from my cats.

My persian cat picked a large toad up in his mouth years ago. he had a severe allergic reaction. He started foaming at the mouth vomited and diareah it came on sudden . I rushed him to vet By the time I got there he was starting to not be able to breath good. Luckily I got him there in time. I flew through that door with him. They gave him shots quickly and within a couple of hours he was ok. But when I brought him back home. He sat in front of his water dish for about two hours and just keep taking a lap every few minutes. So beware of toads.

We found half a toad in our garden a few year ago that our neighbours cat had tried to eat.

I know you guys in different climates have different toads, but we in South Florida have Bufo toads (aka Cane toads) that are extremely toxic to dogs and cats. Among my grooming shop clientel I bet we lose 4-5 dogs a year, and these are well cared for indoor dogs who just snatched one up for a few seconds without the owner realizing. If you see it happen you just rush the animal to a hose or faucet and rinse the inside of his mouth really well, and they are usually OK. Smaller dogs are more at risk and need emergency veterinary treatment asap. But newcomers to the area often haven't heard about them and don't know what to do- they are a horror.

And they are huge, too- they get over 2 pounds and are large enough to eat birds. Whe we installed our new fencing years ago we buried wire mesh several inches underground all the way around to help keep them out of the yard. That was a difficult and time consuming chore but it did the trick- previous to that if you looked out in the middle of the night you could see 25 of them just sitting there.

I know toads eat insects and many folks love them, but I kill these on sight. As I see it they are lying in wait to murder one of my dogs, and it is 100% "justifable toadicide".

Yuck-a-mundo!!

Have some sympathy for the poor toad.

I once saw a special on the animal planet that ranked the most extreme killers of the feline species. Guess which specie ranked # 1? Our house cats. They kill over a thousand species of critters, insects, rodents, birds, frogs anything they can catch and because our kitties live in the lap of luxury they often do not eat their kill. They kill primarily for pleasure. The show even said the words "Don't be fooled by their cuddly exterior. These cats are extreme killers." I have no problem allowing my cats to catch insects as these are pests but considering the fact that cats do plenty of killing I don't think we should encourage it. I love the adorable furry murderers, they're my favorite animals but I'd rather take a really good cat toy and allow the cats to play as rough as they want and kill and torture their toys as much as they want. I value the lives of frogs, birds and toads. Rodents? That's kind of controversial but cats are after all mousers and if the farmer needs to rely on cats for that purpose that's fine. I would of course never scold a cat for acting on natural instincts. That's against nature.

If memory serves, Bufo Toads are not a native speices, are they? I'm thinking they were brought in to control something else and they got out of hand....or was that Cane Toads? Grr now I'm confused! Anyhow, if they are a non-native species I see no harm is getting rid of them. Especially since they are poisonous.

Bufo toads are cane toad and they are introduced (unless you're from South Centeral or South America).

Originally Posted by moggiegirl

Have some sympathy for the poor toad....

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I actually rescued a toad from my basement window well not too long ago. Maybe he/she was a parent of the little toadlet Rocket found.

About a week ago our 4 year old cat tried to play & kill a toad but he wasn't as dopey as we thought he was and he let it go after having a quick sniff of it. But it was very tempting for him but I don't think he'll be eating a toad ever.

If memory serves, Bufo Toads are not a native speices, are they? I'm thinking they were brought in to control something else and they got out of hand....or was that Cane Toads? Grr now I'm confused! Anyhow, if they are a non-native species I see no harm is getting rid of them. Especially since they are poisonous.

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Aren't certain species of toads and frogs endangered? My boyfriend was telling me that frogs and toads with their sensitivity to environmental changes are very useful in letting us know the state of our environment. If the environment is healthy frogs will be a dark green in color, toads almost black, if the environment is not so healthy they will be lighter in color. And if the environment is polluted, they get sicker and will have skin discoloration, open sores, birth defects, and the population of frogs and toads decreases. Scientists can use frogs and toads to study our environment because these creatures are so sensitive. My boyfriend has a gold necklace with a golden frog around his neck and I swore to him that I would never order frog legs in a restaurant. For one thing it's a waste of an animal just to eat the legs. I don't know if you live in an area where toads are common but in most places I think it's very rare to see a toad. I can't remember the last time I saw one. Anyway, these out of control toads, are they just poisonous to eat or poisonous to touch? If they're just poisonous to eat I say let them live. That's their defense against predators. I don't think there are that many toads in the world compared to the mass population of people in the world. There's tons more cats in the world than there are toads and we're quite protective of cats so why not toads and frogs too?

These cane toads compete directly with native amphibians for food and breeding puddles.

I believe (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) their tadpoles are carnivorous and often devour the tadpoles of native species.

Native animals, from amphibians to reptiles to mammals and birds see these toads, and having no experience with them will try to eat them, the result is usually death.

Ask some of our Aussie posters about the cane toad situation where they are.

I love all animals, but I think when an introduced species is this invasive and resiliant, drastic measure do need to be taken.

Originally Posted by fatkitties

If memory serves, Bufo Toads are not a native speices, are they? I'm thinking they were brought in to control something else and they got out of hand. Anyhow, if they are a non-native species I see no harm is getting rid of them. Especially since they are poisonous.

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Originally Posted by Arlyn

These cane toads compete directly with native amphibians for food and breeding puddles.
I believe (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) their tadpoles are carnivorous and often devour the tadpoles of native species.
Native animals, from amphibians to reptiles to mammals and birds see these toads, and having no experience with them will try to eat them, the result is usually death.
Ask some of our Aussie posters about the cane toad situation where they are.
I love all animals, but I think when an introduced species is this invasive and resiliant, drastic measure do need to be taken.

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I agree completely.
Moggiegirl, I understand where you're coming from and it is frightening how we're devastating the environment. Introduced species are part of the problem though, and eradicating them from places where they don't belong is a step towards saving that environment.