As they say, you can train animals to be nice and well-behaved, but you certainly cannot control their natural intrinsic behavior. Carrying on the traditions of their ancestors, cats love to hunt. It is quite normal if your cat hunts mice, but when it comes to lizards you might just have to take a little bit more precaution, as eating a lizard might source parasitic liver fluke which can even be fatal for your cat.
Even though if you are giving a balanced and good diet to your cat, your cat will always hunt as this will please its mental stimulation for hunting and give them good playtime. Furthermore more it is also observed that cats like to bring ‘gifts’ to their master as a gesture of love. Sometimes it can be a stuffed toy and on unfortunate days it can even be a lizard.
Why Lizards?

Lizards make perfect prey for cats as they sit still and with their small size and relatively slow movement, hunting lizards is a child play for cats. Usually, cats do not eat lizards they hunt, but you never know when your cat decides to have a ‘lizard party’.
Toxic Lizards
Adding on further, not all lizards are poisonous. Lizards that possess bright-colored skin are more prone to be toxic. Take care of these three types of lizard species, and keep them away for your cat if they exist in your backyard.
- Newts
- Salamanders
- Juvenile blue-tailed skinks
Observe These Symptoms if your Cat Eats Lizard

In case if your cat in its hunting adventures has snacked a poisonous lizard, it might induce it with a toxic parasitic known as a liver fluke as discussed earlier. This parasite shows its toxic effects after 8-12 days and can cause severe liver inflammation. If not cured in time, this can pose a great threat to your cat’s health.
Major symptoms of this toxicity include the following
- Drooling
- Tremors
- Diarrhea
- Yellow gums
- Lack of appetite
- Frequent vomiting
If your cat is experiencing any of these symptoms after consuming a lizard, it is recommended to take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible. The doctor will probably recommend a medication to kill the parasite and, if required, he will prescribe a steroid-based treatment to cure liver inflammation.
In Case of Emergency
In case your cat has consumed a lizard at the spur of the movement or a medical vet is not available to your nearest access, then give your cat a careful mouth rinsing. But extra care should be taken that the cat should not consume any water from rinsing. If you think you will be able to do this then go ahead. If not, drop this idea, as you do not want water with toxic contaminants in your cat’s tummy.
Preventive Measures to stop a cat from Eating Lizard

To prevent your cat from eating lizards you can take some precautionary measures that can reduce the risk of lizard consumption by your cat.
Keep the Cat Indoors: The best thing you can do is to retain your cat indoors and try to keep doors and windows closed as much as possible (For as long as your cat is alone).

Distract Attention: Try to distract your cat’s attention when outside, and use voice gestures to refrain your cat from any such activity that includes eating.
Stuff Toys for Cats: Bring stuff toys for your cats, so they will get used to bringing toys rather than lizards as a gift for affection.
Lizard consumption by cats can put your cat’s life in great danger if not catered properly. Keep your cat indoors and train it to refrain from eating from unknown sources. If somehow if it has consumed a lizard, consult a veterinarian immediately.