Cats are curious animals and they always sniffing for something to eat. It may be unfortunate or a sign of some underlying medical condition when they start feeding on their litter.
If your cat is feeding on litter, some reasons can explain this behavior and what steps you need to take to make sure your kitten stops eating litter.
Last update on 2024-08-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Way to Stop Cat from Eating Litter
Anytime you notice that your cat is feeding on litter, get the waste out of its mouth and move the kitten to a different litter box. You can as well take the litter and the offending cat to the vet for better analysis.
You Can Also:
- Treat it as an emergency and run to the vet’s clinic if the ingested waste is copious. If the ingested litter is not substantial, it is better if you can book an appointment to avoid future medical issues.
- Change the litter to non-toxic or non-clumping litter to be safe
- If the cat is old enough, choose an appropriate deworming method
- Keep enough food and clean water ready at all times
- Start or resume litter training
- Dispose of the cat litter like a pro
What Happens if a Dog Eats a Frog? Want to know it, click here to read.
Why Cats Eat Litter?
Kittens tend to have a taste of litter and never to eat ever again. However, for others, they end up consuming more of it. Here are some of the reasons for this behavior.
1. Curiosity
Cats are explorative, and as they learn to work, eat, and play, they get to touch and feed many things. The curiosity may be good for cat’s development, but their curiosity could land them in trouble when they encounter situations that can cause them harm.
2. Anemia
When the kitten does not have enough red blood cells or losing too much of them when bleeding, the cat may be looking for some missing minerals in the litter which can be fatal.
Anemia can be due to parasitic infection. The best way to keep the kitten safe is to make sure they sleep in a comfortable and clean environment. You may also need to take the cat for anemia treatment.
Check This: Top Fish Based Dog Food
3. Leaving the Mother Early
Cats teach their offspring to eliminate their waste. They pick many other habits from the mother when handling herself in the litter box. All these learning takes places within the first eight weeks.
Some kittens may not have gathered these useful skills; you may have to step and train them.
4. Mineral Deficiency
Vitamins and other mineral deficiency may be common in adult cats, but some kittens may also be having some deficiencies. Confirm with your nearest veterinary for the evaluation of your kitten. If possible, then the vet can prescribe some vitamin supplements.
5. Bad Food
Proper nutrition is important for kittens to grow into healthy pets. The initial diet is always mother’s milk before the kittens start adapting to dry food. If the mother is not available to offer milk, use a cat’s milk substitute specially made for the kittens.
6. Neurological Disorders
Some cats with delayed development may develop the obsessive-compulsive disorder. Discuss with your veterinarian on the best course of action to handle such problems.
Do you have a kong dog bed? Want to clean it, check out this post.
Final Word
Eating litter is nothing new in a cat’s world. Therefore, pet owners must be observing this behavior especially in cats living without their mothers. Some cats are left to sleep in their litter boxes, which can further encourage feeding on litter.
To keep your kitten from eating litter, make sure that you always prepare a good meal for them near where they sleep. Proper diet will keep off all medical related symptoms that are linked to litter eating.
Prevention is better than cure, the cost of treating a cat that has eaten vary. However, you may have to cater for testing costs and possible treatment of all possible medical deficiencies.
