Ways to discourage hunting bees?

[danteshuman]

When Jackie is outside, I have see him a few times hunt a bee. Yesterday he tried to bat at one & I pulled him back by his harness & slowly waved my hand in the area the bee was at, to get it to go away. I know when it comes to bees, the best thing you can do is freeze but I was worried about my cat. What can I do, to try to discourage his bee hunting? He thinks they are just big yellow flies!

What do I do to treat his injury when my dumb cat inevitably gets stung?

The type of bee he was hunting:

 

[Azazel]

That looks like a honeybee. It’s unlikely that it will sting. I don’t think you can guarantee your cat won’t hunt bees or bugs if they’re outside. Only way to discourage it is to keep them inside.

 

[klunick]

I had a cat that got stung by a bee on its paw. Other than a little swelling, she was fine. Boone and Gracie go after mud dauber and although it takes a lot for them to sting, I don't want to risk it because they sting multiple times.

 

[ArtNJ]

Last summer when I had 2 indoor/outdoor cats, I had a hive of bees or yellow jackets (I was never sure) only about 2.5 feet off the ground in some bushes the cats frequented and was worried about that, but never ended up removing it and it was fine.

 

[Caspers Human]

That looks like a honeybee. It’s unlikely that it will sting.

I had a cat that got stung by a bee on its paw. Other than a little swelling, she was fine. Boone and Gracie go after mud dauber and although it takes a lot for them to sting, I don't want to risk it because they sting multiple times.

If it's a small thing like a honeybee, it won't be any worse than a bee sting for you, assuming there aren't any bee allergies involved.

When I was a kid, we used to have a dog that would eat bees. He would hunt them down, catch them in his mouth then spit them out in a little pile in the corner of his kennel. They absolutely stung him in the mouth because he would always go, "Brrrr!!!" and shake his head when he caught one.

But, still he never broke that habit, no matter what we tried. He did it until the day he died!

We also had a Schnauzer that paled around with the bigger hunting dog that used to chase bees. I never saw him actually eat one, though.

I wonder whether the small dog learned it from the big one?

What about cats? Do you think they can learn it from one another?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Generally, cats are not as sensitive to bee stings as humans are, although some cats are allergic. Honestly, other than keeping the cat totally away from the bees, the first sting is probably going to be the best deterrent! That said, let's not encourage that first sting! Should it happen, watch closely for severe swelling, open-mouthed breathing with drooling and heavy panting. If any of those occur, GET TO A VET...NOW.