Southern Cuisine

Dear Fisher,

I’m obsessed with lizards. I’m an inside Florida cat, but my human lets me go outside on our deck when the weather is nice. He thinks it is good for me to get some fresh air. Or, maybe to air out. I have to be supervised, of course. I wouldn’t purposefully do anything wrong. You know, a cat is a cat.

Anyway, when I see a lizard, I go nuts! I love to catch it and play for a very short while and then I munch on it. Chomp it right down….Yum. They are a tasty delight, but my human get all weirded out and I don’t understand why. They don’t make me kick or anything, so I think they are a great treat. Do you see a problem with this? Will you please tell him it is fine for me to continue my hunt for these luscious morsels?

Thank you for your time.

Domino

Dear Domino,

You must be very dedicated to getting your own dinner snack – those lizards are fast little critters! But I guess it is the game as much as the meal that entices you so. Your particular Florida snacks are called Green Anole (uh’no-lee) or Cuban Brown Anole, which are becoming more prevalent.

As a rule, they are not harmful. They are a vested part of the Florida lifestyle. But…lizards eat fleas and flies who could have tapeworm or other diseases. Like any other food whether for human ingestion or cat ingestion, there is always a possibility the food is not as fresh and pure as it appears.

These creatures live in the wild and can contract diseases from the insects they eat. For instance, one day you could choose a lizard that happens to harbor salmonella. You then become a victim of the bacterial strain most commonly known as food poisoning. This will likely cure you of your lizard hunger. Your digestive system will let you know. Contact your pet doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms:

1. Lethargy
2. Increased hunger and thirst
3. Any out-of-the-ordinary behavior

Your human can also take a few steps to help you resist those extra calories: Check the plants on your deck to see if they are harboring colonies of little bugs. Moving the plants out into the yard will entice the lizards to move as well. Or, your human can spray the deck with pet safe bug spray to keep insects off. But I suspect you will be more in favor of getting served a civilized dinner before going outside. That may curb your appetite and reduce your infatuation to play only. Learn more about your prey by visiting FloridaGardener.

I have never been able to get close enough to eat a lizard. I am just wondering – do they taste like chicken?

Your friend,
Fisher

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