this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2026
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They don't.
Not every cat chews on any plant, but if you're unlucky your outdoor cat is munching on bad flora and slowly wearing down their organs.
You'd think one of the most successful predators of the animal kingdom would know not to eat random plants
But what so I know, I'm not a cat
Yeah, you'd think it's kill or be killed... but it's more like kill and be killed.
Evolution doesn't require each individual to live to a ripe old age when they can successfully spread their genes by producing litters of 4-6 babies up to three times per year, starting before they're even one year old.
Even if they slowly poison themselves and die at five years old they'll have plenty of genetic descendants that might also think poison tastes good.
Or they'll run into plants that arent native to their ancestors environments.
Or they have a deficiency for something so they're compelled to eat plants they might not had they not lacked a nutrient.
Or they're just menaces, munching up the neighbours flower bed for kicks.
One of the many reasons why life expectancy for indoor cats is ~15 years while outdoor cats is generally about half of that.