Do Cats Like Milkweed

Silky Gold tropical milkweed is healthier than scarlet in this area.

Do cats like milkweed. Some talk more or less than others. Humans can eat milkweed but its. CATS CAN BE RAISED ON A COMBINATION OF MILKWEED AND SQUASH FROM EARLY INSTARS if you baby them I checked on them every couple of hours during the day but they are more susceptible to disease than cats raised on all milkweed.

However milkweed also hosts a wide variety of other insect species such as red milkweed beetles milkweed aphids and a moth called the milkweed tussock also known as the milkweed tiger moth. Milkweed Tussock moth caterpillars appearance changes as they grow but I dont think they match your description. Monarchs actually use the toxins in the milkweed sap as one of their defense mechanisms.

To increase monarch populations people are increasingly planting ornamental types of milkweed and encouraging common milkweed to grow wherever it occurs in uncultivated areas. Key characteristics of Showy Milkweed Asclepias speciosa. According to an ARS and Iowa State University study of nine milkweed species native to Iowa female monarch butterflies laid eggs in all nine milkweeds but the swamp and common milkweed averaged the highest number of eggs.

Just like monarchs these species have evolved to be able to eat and accumulate milkweed toxins in their bodies as a defense mechanism. The best thing to do is to plant MORE milkweed because this is the only host plant they feed on. So lessons learned.

A kitten might practice her Hiss at you even though. Generally for single leaves its every other day or so based off of one leaf per small cat and for cuttings it all depends on how many you have eating milkweed. Last week I noticed this fellow noshing on a pot of Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata.

If Milkweed is a host they may be competing for Milkweed leaves with the Monarch caterpillars. It is known for its long blooming period drought tolerance and easy propagation. You really want to keep the milkweed fresh for your cats for fresh food means a healthy Monarch butterfly someday.