Cat eating Chrysalis

[JFS61]

Just saw something today that I'd never seen before, which infuriated me no end. I caught one of my cats eating a fresh (just a few hours old) chrysalis. I was so mad about it that I almost did the unthinkable, and that was to kill that cat on the spot as a lesson to him for having killed a defenseless brother (or sister). Fortunately, I was able to overcome that fleeting primeval urge for retribution, and just simply moved it over to another branch so he couldn't do it anymore, as killing him would have just meant that there were going to be two less butterflies in the world, instead of one.

So, I was curious, is this common behavior among cats, or just simply an aberration?

[Mona Miller]

In the beginning was the eggs, the tiny caterpillar hatched. Then, if his sibling was too close, he munched away on that, too. Forgive them, they don't see very well. And, isn't their brother made of the materials that they eat. Doesn't the pupa look just like a leaf. Sometimes, I've seen them eat around a pupa and cause it to fall to the floor of the container--sometimes it breaks or if it isn't hard, it leaves one side flat. Sometimes, they will do this if they are overcrowded or there isn't enough food.

Suggestions, don't overcrowd--I'm not saying you did, just making this recommendation. Another suggestion is separate caterpillars according to large and small. They play better together. I know many of us work during the day. When possible check on them to make sure they aren't having problems. These problems include running out of food, eating their siblings, falling and not being able to get up to dry their wings, a predator in the container sucking the life out of them, etc.

[BlizzardNole]

Wow that is something! I'm lucky that didn't happen to me -- at one point I had over 100 chrysalises crowded in a 15" by 5-foot area, and many more cats in the cage with them. They pupated very close, with many within an inch and did OK.

I am definitely going to use a better system next year though. I just ordered myself three 2-foot by 2-foot by 3-foot butterfly castles, and one 1-foot cube from LiveMonarch.com.

[Mona Miller]

Did you supply enough food? Maybe the food supply was enough that they didn't need to eat each other. You had some very well behaved monarchs.

[Wyvern]

Yeah it happens sometimes even when there is no crowding or lack of food availability. I came home one day to a container with 3 chrysalis's and 1 cat... well.. 2 chrsysalis and the nub of what had been a chrysalis and a fat cat....even though there was milkweed in the container.

[skates4marty]

I have a friend who gave some cats to a teacher, who put the cage in a window, and they had cats eating C's. My theory is that the cats were dehydrated. J: Was your cage in the sun? Are you misting?

[BlizzardNole]

Did you supply enough food? Maybe the food supply was enough that they didn't need to eat each other. You had some very well behaved monarchs.

I used cut milkweeds in water, which last 2-3 days before having to be replaced. I take 20-25" cuttings and put them in jars of water with plastic wrap to prevent drownings. I put three or four plants in each jar. Seems to work very well. I think I just had luck, but maybe one factor is that the ceiling is pretty high - about three feet up. So, maybe they don't go all the way up here until they are ready to pupate.

I look forward to using the butterfly castles...at 2-feet by 2-feet wide, and 3-feet high, I'll be able to put several potted tropical MWs in there at a time.

[libraryguy]

Yes, it is discouraging and not uncommon. One of the teachers at my school documented this behavior with a cat and one of her chrysalis'. She has since made it a practice to keep her chrysalis' in a separate aquarium.

[JFS61]

I had them in one of the 2X4 Butterfly Farm collapsible tents stood on end, with a 6-8 plants in gallon pots. However, although the food was running low, there still should have been enough until next morning, except they all went on a major eating binge overnight. Despite that, there was still food available on the adjoining plants, but unfortunately the doomed chrysalis apparently happened to be in the direct line of this cat's particular path to those surrounding plants. And, as said before, since they don't see well, he most likely took it for the food his senses told him laid in that direction.

As for my overwrought and melodramatic tone in my original post, my apologies. As anyone who knows me would say, the thought of harming any insect or critter, no matter how beneficial or destructive it maybe, is anathema to me. In fact, its gotten to be a source of constant annoyance (and even embarrassment) to my friends and family, as I'm constantly catching and releasing bugs back outside, not only at home, but in public places as well, such as groceries and shopping malls, etc. That, combined with my stopping to help every turtle, frog, and as well as caterpillars and other large insects that I happen to find crossing the road, has my mother in a constant state of fear whenever she's know I'm going to be traveling. So therefore, I guess I just kinda lost it there for a microsecond, as the irony of having raised all of them from eggs brought inside from the garden in order to protect them from falling victim to predators or any other such misfortunes as might befall them, only to discover that they were predating upon each other, was just a bit much for this overprotective dad to handle at the moment.

Anyway, definitely another lesson learned the hard way, although I still feel awfully bad for the poor little guy that didn't make it.

[Mona Miller]

I raise hundreds. You see a lot of things happening. Don't beat yourself up. You will still be releasing more butterflies than would ever make it in the wild.