Cats shouldn’t eat real feathers – but if they do, it’s not much cause of alarm. Felines of all kinds, including domestic cats, will eat feathers without hesitation, and they have been doing so for hundreds of years. They’re biologically prepared to do so, but that doesn’t mean they should.
You should treat eating feathers the same way you treat your cat eating raw meat. Do they do it out in the wild? Yes! Will that hurt them? Probably not. Should you allow it? Not if you can.
Certain parts of a feather are non-digestible for cats and will cause a little bit of trouble. On the other hand, certain birds carry diseases that are transmittable to cats. Because of that, if your cat went on a feather binge, you should keep an eye for any stomach-related symptoms, like vomiting.
If nothing happens after 24 hours of eating a feather, your cat is probably clear from danger.
Can cats eat fake feathers?
Cats should not and cannot eat fake feathers. Unlike real feathers, certain fake feathers are made of or carry chemicals that are not fit for consumption and can cause real trouble for a cat. You should avoid toys made with fake feathers and work with more organic alternatives.
If you want your cat to have a new toy with some feathers on it, the safest way to do it is to make one yourself. Collect feathers you find on the street or ask a friend with a pet bird to collect the ones that fall to the ground, and little by little get a collection for the future cat toy.
Don’t rip them from birds, wait until they fall! Once you have enough, boil them with water to clean them and craft the toy.
What happens when a cat eats a feather?
When a cat eats a feather, or a bird, there are two possible outcomes: number one, the feathers are digested just like any other piece of food would be; number two, the entire feather or part of it cannot be digested and leaves the cat’s body somehow.
If a cat cannot digest a feather, the feather will come out of the cat one way or the other. Most of the time, the cat will cough until the bird goes out the same it went in, through the mouth. Other times, you will find an intact feather (or parts of it) on your cat’s litter box.
Why do cats like to eat feathers?
Cats are predatory animals. When they are out in the wild, they will hunt down small animals, such as birds, and eat them whole, feathers included. Cats probably have a biological urge to eat feathers, one that comes from their ancestors hunting in the wild.
There’s no way to know why cats eat feathers. At least, not for certain. We can guess they like feathers for the same reason they like to chase stuff, whether they are toys, a laser, or another animal. It’s in their nature to do so!