Yes. Cats can catch and eat squirrels, but that does not make squirrels a safe or suitable part of a cat’s diet. Wildlife contact can cause injury or expose a cat to disease; the chance of infection from eating a squirrel is not established by the available evidence. If your cat ate or fought with one, prevent further contact and call your veterinarian for advice tailored to your cat.
Why might a cat eat a squirrel?
Cats may catch and eat small mammals, including squirrels. However, the available official guidance does not quantify how often pet cats eat squirrels or establish that squirrel meat is nutritionally suitable for them. A squirrel is wild prey, not a recommended or necessary cat food.
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For a cat’s main diet, the CDC advises choosing food labeled “complete and balanced.” Its pet-food guidance also does not recommend raw pet food. It does not specifically assess squirrel meat or prescribe a special diet after a cat catches prey. CDC pet-food safety guidance.
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Injury and general wildlife exposure
A fight or close encounter can injure a cat. More broadly, the CDC advises owners to keep pets from approaching or interacting with wildlife and not to let them eat dead wild animals. It recommends asking a veterinarian about protecting pets from diseases including rabies, leptospirosis, and Giardia. That general guidance does not establish that squirrels specifically carry each disease or quantify the risk to a cat after squirrel contact. CDC wildlife guidance.
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What one squirrel study found—and what it cannot tell you
A CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases report on a 2014 event involving dead red squirrels in the Netherlands found Toxoplasma gondii DNA in 13 of 14 squirrels tested. This was a small investigation in a particular place and event. It does not show the likelihood that a cat will become infected after eating a squirrel, or establish that the finding applies to squirrels elsewhere. CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases report.
The evidence cited here does not establish squirrel-specific infection rates in cats, a symptom list for cats after squirrel ingestion, or a clinical timetable for seeking care. Do not assume that every squirrel carries disease or that infection is inevitable.
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What should you do if your cat ate or caught a squirrel?
- Stop further contact. Keep your cat away from the squirrel and other wildlife. The CDC also advises against allowing pets to eat dead wild animals.
- Call your veterinarian for individualized advice. Explain whether your cat ate the squirrel, whether there was a fight or bite, when it happened, and whether your cat seems injured or unwell. The cited guidance does not provide a squirrel-specific emergency threshold or time window, so ask the veterinarian how to proceed rather than relying on an invented rule.
- Review preventive care with your veterinarian. The CDC recommends regular veterinary care, routine rabies and feline distemper vaccination, and discussing flea, heartworm, and tick prevention. Tell the veterinarian whether your cat lives indoors, outdoors, or both so advice can reflect its circumstances and location. CDC cat-care guidance.
FDA guidance on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) discusses reducing risk for cats exposed to sick or dead animals, particularly in a bird-related context. It does not establish squirrels as a source of HPAI, so it should not be used to infer a squirrel-specific risk. FDA HPAI guidance.
How can you reduce the chance of another encounter?
Follow the CDC’s advice to prevent pets from approaching or interacting with wildlife, and discuss your cat’s outdoor access and preventive care with its veterinarian. The guidance cited here does not evaluate or rank particular collars, enclosures, traps, or repellents, so it cannot support a claim that one specific product will prevent squirrel encounters.
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