Cat eats cat litter: causes, risks and countermeasures
As a rule, cats and their owners agree that cat litter does not belong in the stomach of the four-legged feline friend, but in the litter tray. Nevertheless, it can happen that a cat eats cat litter.
What causes this, what makes eating cat litter so dangerous for your four-legged friend and what to do in this event are explained below.
Why eating cat litter is so dangerous for your cat
Cat litter generally has no place in your cat's stomach. This is because, apart from hygienic reasons, eating the litter poses a number of serious risks to the animal's health.
Clumping litter in particular can lead to blockages in the digestive tract and, in the worst case, cause a life-threatening intestinal obstruction in your cat. In addition, cat litter can be very dusty and may irritate the mucous membranes of a cat's digestive system. Furthermore, it sometimes even contains substances that are highly toxic for the animal.
If your cat eats cat litter, this can cause serious health problems and may even require emergency surgery or, in the worst case, even be fatal for the four-legged friend.
Why do cats eat cat litter?
If your cat eats cat litter, this is obviously not a normal behaviour or just a harmless whim of the four-legged friend. Instead, it is a serious matter that cat owners should not take lightly.
Eating cat litter can be caused by a variety of reasons. To avoid the associated risks for your cat, it is important that you get to the bottom of the cause promptly and eliminate it permanently.
Cat eats cat litter due to nutrient deficiency
A possible reason for eating cat litter can be a nutrient deficiency, for example. If your cat lacks important minerals, they may try to get them in this way. Although this can theoretically even occur with more natural cat litter containing concrete, it is of course anything but healthy for the animal.
If you want to prevent cat litter from being eaten due to a nutrient deficiency, it is important that you always provide your cat with what they need. A good cat food, such as you will find in the I Love My Cat range, is the perfect choice for this purpose. Our dry and wet cat food is grain-free and is characterised by its high content of animal proteins.
In addition to high quality cat food, you will also find various natural supplements that you can use to provide your cat with additional nutrients when needed.
Cat eats cat litter because of an illness
A lack of nutrients is by no means the only cause that can lead to a cat eating cat litter. Various cat diseases are also possible triggers.If a cat eats cat litter, it may be due to the following health problems, for example:
- Feline diabetes
- Worm infections
- Kidney failure
- Liver problems
- Anaemia
- Digestive problems
Cat eats cat litter: a case for the vet?
If you want to counteract cat litter eating, it is usually essential to consult a vet, considering the possible risks as well as the possible causes. After all, regardless of the dangers associated with eating the litter, a prompt start to treatment is often crucial to recovery.
Which treatment measures are necessary in detail depends on the exact diagnosis of the veterinarian. In the case of a worm infestation, for example, your cat will need to be wormed. Cats with renal insufficiency, on the other hand, need a special food to relieve the kidneys, while diabetes in turn requires the permanent administration of insulin.
With a bit of luck, your cat's health problems can be treated well, so that litter eating can also be brought under control again in a timely manner.
Cat eats cat litter out of boredom or curiosity
It is not always due to illness or malnutrition that a cat eats cat litter. Sometimes the behaviour is simply triggered by boredom. Indoor cats who are alone a lot and have little to do are susceptible to this.
If this applies to your four-legged friend, you should change their housing conditions and lifestyle as soon as possible. Provide your cat with suitable play activities for a change in everyday life. If necessary, provide your cat with additional retreats and hiding places if the animal is stressed and needs more rest.
With young cats, it can also happen that they try the cat litter at the beginning simply out of curiosity. This usually goes away very quickly on its own. If this is not the case, a visit to the vet is strongly recommended.
Cat eats cat litter - our conclusion
As you can see, cat litter eating is a serious matter that you should never ignore with your four-legged friend.
It is often a sign of health problems that need to be treated urgently. In addition, eating cat litter is very dangerous for your cat and may even be fatal.