Why Is My Cat Eating Cat Litter? 10 Vet-Reviewed Reasons

The station Why Is My Cat Eating Cat Litter? 10 Vet-Reviewed Reasons by Jessica Kim appeared archetypal connected Catster. Copying implicit full articles infringes connected copyright laws. You whitethorn not beryllium alert of it, but each of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, truthful they aren't considered nationalist domain. However, we admit that you similar the nonfiction and would emotion it if you continued sharing conscionable the archetypal paragraph of an article, past linking retired to the remainder of the portion connected Catster.com.

Cats are susceptible of doing galore things that permission america feeling bewildered and scratching our heads. It’s often challenging to fig retired if thing that’s unusual to america is really mean for cats.

When it comes to eating feline litter, we tin safely accidental that this isn’t mean behaviour nary substance however overmuch your feline tries to marque it look normal. Eating feline litter is often associated with an underlying wellness contented that requires aesculapian attention. Here are a fewer imaginable reasons wherefore your feline whitethorn beryllium eating feline litter and what you tin bash to assistance them halt this behavior.

The 10 Reasons That Cats Eat Cat Litter

1. Pica

Pica refers to a information wherever cats volition chew oregon devour inedible materials and objects. Cats with pica are known to devour items similar cardboard, plants, soil, and wood. They whitethorn besides make a wont of eating feline litter.

Pica tin beryllium caused by a assortment of factors, it tin beryllium seen arsenic a motion of an underlying aesculapian information oregon it tin beryllium a behavioral problem. Some aesculapian conditions that person been linked to pica see endocrine diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, and parasitic infections.

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2. Dietary Deficiency

Sometimes, cats tin commencement to devour feline litter and different materials owed to a nutrient deficiency. They bash this successful an effort to compensate for immoderate indispensable nutrients that they deficiency successful their regular diet. Therefore, it’s important to question proposal from your vet and guarantee your feline is eating high-quality feline nutrient and eating due portions. Making steadfast adjustments to their fare whitethorn enactment an extremity to your cat’s litter-eating habit.

3. Anemia

Anemia tin beryllium related to nutrient deficiencies, successful peculiar robust deficiency, truthful immoderate anemic cats whitethorn commencement to devour feline litter. Riboflavin, vitamin B12, and niacin deficiencies tin besides origin anemia.

Other signs of anemia see debased energy, small stamina, airy gums, and lethargy. After a feline has been restored to wellness and immoderate nutrient deficiency has been addressed, the feline litter-eating behaviour usually goes away.

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4. Curiosity

Cats are funny animals, truthful they mightiness conscionable beryllium funny successful playing with and tasting feline litter. Cat litter whitethorn consciousness amusive oregon person a unsocial texture that cats privation to taste. In astir cases of curiosity, your feline volition usually sensation feline litter a mates of times earlier they go disinterested. So, if your feline continues to devour feline litter connected aggregate occasions, it’s harmless to accidental that it’s not due to the fact that they’re funny astir it.

5. Flavor

Sometimes, cats tin bask the spirit of their feline litter and make a liking for it. This usually happens erstwhile their feline litter is made with earthy materials similar grass, wheat, oregon maize husks.

If your feline likes the spirit of their feline litter, you tin effort switching to different feline litter that’s made with a antithetic material. You tin besides effort providing them with feline writer arsenic a harmless alternative.

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6. Coprophagia

Coprophagia refers to a information that causes cats to devour their ain feces. Cats with coprophagia whitethorn look similar they’re eating feline litter, but they’re really eating their ain poop.

Coprophagia is often a motion of different underlying wellness condition, specified arsenic malnutrition, colitis, oregon dementia. Therefore, it’s important to get your feline your veterinarian if they commencement to devour their ain poop.

7. Boredom

Cats who consciousness bored oregon stressed retired whitethorn edifice to eating feline litter. Eating litter whitethorn beryllium a mode for bored cats to consciousness stimulated, oregon it whitethorn beryllium a wont that cats make erstwhile they’re feeling stressed retired oregon anxious.

Ensuring your feline gets capable workout and playtime tin assistance alleviate boredom. Providing mentally stimulating activities similar dainty dispenser toys tin besides forestall boredom. Alleviating boredom tin origin your cat’s litter eating wont to spell distant connected its own.

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8. Hyperthyroidism

Sometimes, cats with hyperthyroidism whitethorn commencement to devour feline litter. The precocious levels of thyroid hormone tin summation a cat’s appetite and metabolism, which tin pb them to eating inedible objects similar feline litter.

Hyperthyroidism is the astir communal endocrine illness successful cats, and it’s astir prevalent successful older cats. Other signs of hyperthyroidism are value loss, drinking much than usual, mediocre assemblage condition, and an enlarged thyroid gland.

9. Brain Tumors

Brain tumors are a uncommon benignant of crab and an uncommon origin of a feline eating litter. However, encephalon tumors tin impact a cat’s behaviour depending connected their determination and it’s imaginable for them to summation hunger.

Older cats who are implicit 10 years aged person a higher hazard of processing a encephalon tumor.

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10. Intestinal Parasites

It’s not wholly wide what the nexus betwixt intestinal parasites and pica is, but immoderate cats with intestinal parasites specified arsenic worms volition besides make pica. Cats whitethorn go continuously hungry, which tin origin them to commencement eating inedible items.

Treatment volition alteration since determination are antithetic types of intestinal parasites. Once your feline is escaped from an intestinal parasite infestation, their pica besides usually goes away.

Is It Safe for Cats to Eat Cat Litter?

It’s not harmless for cats to devour feline litter, truthful it’s important to find effectual solutions to forestall them from eating it. Some feline litter isn’t harmless for depletion and tin origin intestinal blockages. Clumping clay litter and silica litter are some types of feline litter that are peculiarly unsafe for consumption. It’s usually good if a tiny magnitude gets successful your cat’s mouth, but eating ample amounts volition origin complications successful the gastrointestinal system.

Eating feline litter is besides unsanitary. Ingesting parasites and bacteria from soiled feline litter tin pb to gastrointestinal problems.

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How to Prevent Cats from Eating Cat Litter

The archetypal measurement to preventing your feline from eating feline litter is to instrumentality your feline to your veterinarian. Since eating feline litter is often associated with a aesculapian issue, it’s important to get your feline successful for a carnal exam. Your veterinarian whitethorn besides tally diagnostic tests to find the crushed down your cat’s litter-eating behavior. If your veterinarian finds a diagnosis, they’ll beryllium capable to supply a attraction program to assistance your feline instrumentality to bully health. In galore cases, cats volition halt eating feline litter erstwhile they’ve gotten better.

If your feline continues to devour feline litter, effort switching to a antithetic marque oregon type of feline litter. This tin marque the feline litter little palatable to your feline and discourage them from eating it. Make definite to besides play with your feline regularly and distract them with different enactment if you find them going to their litter container to devour feline litter.

Conclusion

Cats tin commencement to devour feline litter for a assortment of reasons, but this behaviour is often tied to a wellness issue. Therefore, it’s champion to get your feline to your veterinarian arsenic soon arsenic imaginable if you announcement that they’re starting to devour feline litter. Your veterinarian tin assistance you recognize what’s causing this behaviour and however you tin forestall it from occurring.

Along with getting your feline aesculapian help, it’s important to guarantee they’re surviving a steadfast manner that consists of a nutritious diet, capable amounts of exercise, and mentally stimulating activities. Prioritizing your cat’s wellness tin forestall them from eating feline litter and processing different unsafe oregon unhealthy habits.

Featured Image Credit: Oleg Opryshko, Shutterstock

The station Why Is My Cat Eating Cat Litter? 10 Vet-Reviewed Reasons by Jessica Kim appeared archetypal connected Catster. Copying implicit full articles infringes connected copyright laws. You whitethorn not beryllium alert of it, but each of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, truthful they aren't considered nationalist domain. However, we admit that you similar the nonfiction and would emotion it if you continued sharing conscionable the archetypal paragraph of an article, past linking retired to the remainder of the portion connected Catster.com.