Is this problem worse in Appalachia?

On Sun, 02 May 2004 15:33:52 -0400, Appy Bob
wrote:

Tiny Human Ferret wrote:

Appy Bob wrote:
Cicadas Like 'Chicken Nuggets' To Pets

Humane Society Issues Health Warning

POSTED: 4:49 pm EDT April 27, 2004

HAGERSTOWN, Md. -- This spring's crop of 17-year cicadas
will seem like junk food to dogs and cats, and like junk
food, they can make pets sick, the Humane Society of the
United States warned Tuesday.

"Imagine a yard full of chicken nuggets. That's sort of
what it's going to be like," Randall Lockwood, a Humane
Society vice president and animal behaviorist, said Tuesday.

snips

Lockwood said cicadas are meaty, and eating a few won't
hurt your pet. But too many can overload an animal's
digestive tract with chitin, the hard substance of which
insect shells are made. If a pet has more than two vomiting
episodes or appears to be in pain, a trip to the
veterinarian may needed, he said.

Yup. I had a cat die of an intestinal blockage from eating too many
cicadas. Poor kitty!

She should have watched how the squirrels eat them. (Yes, squirrels are
insectivorous, something most people don't seem to know. During the
summer most of their diet may consist of such things as crickets and
grasshoppers.) The squirrels pounce on them, and gnaw their abdomens
off, and then toss the rest.


I never dreamed cats would try and eat them! I'll be
glad when these insects have come and gone!

Yesterday TuTu caught and ate a large bug. I could not see what it
was. TuTu had a very ptoud, self-satisfied look after that and didn't
coax for treats all evening.

On Sun, 02 May 2004 15:33:52 -0400, Appy Bob
wrote:

Tiny Human Ferret wrote:

Appy Bob wrote:
Cicadas Like 'Chicken Nuggets' To Pets

Humane Society Issues Health Warning

POSTED: 4:49 pm EDT April 27, 2004

HAGERSTOWN, Md. -- This spring's crop of 17-year cicadas
will seem like junk food to dogs and cats, and like junk
food, they can make pets sick, the Humane Society of the
United States warned Tuesday.

"Imagine a yard full of chicken nuggets. That's sort of
what it's going to be like," Randall Lockwood, a Humane
Society vice president and animal behaviorist, said Tuesday.

snips

Lockwood said cicadas are meaty, and eating a few won't
hurt your pet. But too many can overload an animal's
digestive tract with chitin, the hard substance of which
insect shells are made. If a pet has more than two vomiting
episodes or appears to be in pain, a trip to the
veterinarian may needed, he said.

Yup. I had a cat die of an intestinal blockage from eating too many
cicadas. Poor kitty!

She should have watched how the squirrels eat them. (Yes, squirrels are
insectivorous, something most people don't seem to know. During the
summer most of their diet may consist of such things as crickets and
grasshoppers.) The squirrels pounce on them, and gnaw their abdomens
off, and then toss the rest.


I never dreamed cats would try and eat them! I'll be
glad when these insects have come and gone!

Yesterday TuTu caught and ate a large bug. I could not see what it
was. TuTu had a very ptoud, self-satisfied look after that and didn't
coax for treats all evening.

On Mon, 03 May 2004 03:04:19 GMT, "Snake" wrote:

Maybe I'm missing something here, but do 17-year cicadas come out in huge
numbers in different years in different regions?

This is making me feel very old. I was thinking that this must be a
different cycle than the one that hit Michigan when I was a grad
student in Ann Arbor, because it wasn't that long ago. Then I did the
math and realized that it *was* 17 years ago - yikes!

On Mon, 03 May 2004 03:04:19 GMT, "Snake" wrote:

Maybe I'm missing something here, but do 17-year cicadas come out in huge
numbers in different years in different regions?

This is making me feel very old. I was thinking that this must be a
different cycle than the one that hit Michigan when I was a grad
student in Ann Arbor, because it wasn't that long ago. Then I did the
math and realized that it *was* 17 years ago - yikes!