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Occasionally, a persistent cat may help keep roaches away. As predators, many felines will “hunt” roaches and when done enough, this may prevent some infestations or help curb existing infestations.
However, this is based on many assumptions. Some cats have higher hunting instincts than others. Many cats may attack one or two roaches, only to quickly get bored. There is no guarantee that a particular cat will keep roaches at bay.
Plus, roaches are very secretive. While cats are known to slink around in the dark, they don’t always go to the places where the roaches are. Roaches can fit underneath appliances and inside walls, for instance—far away from your cat.
Cats may help curb some infestations and play a small role in keeping roaches away. However, they are not as effective as other pest control and cannot replace them.
Can Cats Detect Roaches?
Cats can likely smell roaches to some extent. After all, cats have a strong sense of smell compared to people and they can probably smell roaches and the waste they leave behind. If your feline starts acting strange in an area of your home, then it could be that they are detecting an infestation that you cannot yet see.
However, just because a cat can detect an infestation doesn’t mean they will do anything about it. Not all cats have equally strong hunting instincts, as we discussed above, and they generally get bored after a while anyway, especially if the chase isn’t much fun.
Also, cats cannot always access these places to reach the roaches—even if they want to.
Does Cat Poop Attract Roaches?
Luckily for all cat lovers out there, roaches don’t seem to be particularly interested in cat feces when it’s covered up. Usually, they are not drawn to a litter box so you don’t have to worry about your cat attracting roaches (though you should still keep their box clean).
Roaches will consume cat feces if uncovered and if there is no other food available. Usually, in our homes, there is plenty of food available and they won’t have to turn to the litter box as a food source.
With that said, a litter box will attract roaches once you already have a sizable infestation.
What Animals Keep Roaches Away?
Roaches do have natural predators. These predators prey on roaches in the wild and help keep their numbers low. Sadly, none of these natural predators are domesticated and there is no common pet that can roam around your house and eat roaches.
Cats are often thought to keep roaches away, but a single cat won’t be able to handle an infestation. Plus, not all cats are interested in roaches, even if they do see them.
Natural predators may include animals like mice, amphibians, birds, beetles, spiders, and other animals. You probably don’t want any of these animals wandering around in your house, however.
What Kills Roaches But Is Safe for Cats?
Most pest-control options out there are toxic to most animals, including cats. Because cats are so curious and agile, they can often get into any pest-control substances we leave out. Therefore, it’s vital to choose an option that is safe for felines, as well as to apply it away from the area the cat frequents, or locking them out of the room while treatment is in progress.
Of course, this can be extremely difficult, but there are a few options that are safe and effective. Consult with your vet before using any products and check the manufacturer’s instructions and spreadsheet carefully.
Diatomaceous Earth is effective and generally considered safe depending on the formulation, as long as the safety precautions have been taken. However, it needs to get onto the roaches to be effective so you’ll need to apply them regularly. For this reason, it’s often not as effective as other options and require more work.
Conclusion
Cats may hunt and terrorize roaches, but they aren’t likely to make a huge dent in an infestation or keep roaches away alone.
Not all cats are equally interested or skilled when it comes to hunting. While all cats do have some level of hunting instincts, some have a more powerful urge to hunt than others. Besides, hunting for roaches is not that much fun after the first one or two have been caught.
Furthermore, roaches are sneaky. They tend to shy away from traffic areas and can easily fit in places cats cannot. For these reasons, cats are not considered effective pest control.
Featured Image Credit: Amonrat Joysampao, Shutterstock
