Image Credit : jepster
However, this can occur occasionally for a variety of causes, such as dietary deficits or medical diseases like Pica.
Reasons Cats Might Eat Poop Include:
1. Pica
The term “pica” refers to a situation where cats begin to consume foods that are not normally part of their diet.
Image Credit : Hayley Higson
It can be brought on by specific vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which implies that they may be a contributing factor, but it can also happen as a result of stress or anxiety.
The majority of adult cats in good condition who are forced to endure unpleasant settings frequently acquire pica, like frequently seeing the veterinarian or relocating.
2. A lack of nutrition
Although it may not make sense to us as pet owners, feces do contain some traces of nutrients from the food that the animal had to manufacture this waste from, which may make sense to cats.
Image Credit : Troy Snow
kitty consuming wet cat food
The cat will therefore try to find food from other sources if they have an innate understanding that they won’t have anything to eat for a while.
Faeces naturally include a range of toxins from the process of food breakdown that is controlled by the liver, making regular consumption of them unhealthy.
3. Thyroid Conditions
Senior cats who eat their own waste are more prone to get hyperthyroidism.
This is a disorder that manifests in older animals and is more prevalent in some breeds than others. Here are a few illustrations:
Abyssinian
Himalayan
Siamese
Burmese
Persian
Since there aren’t many symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism right away, it might go untreated for a very long time.
Pets with hyperthyroidism will also lose weight, consume more water, and begin vocalizing at odd hours, including in the middle of the night, in addition to swallowing feces.
4. Deficiency in Enzymes
The primary distinction between this cause and the one concerning dietary deficits is that when it comes to the former,This cause is somewhat similar to the one associated with nutritional inadequacies, but the fundamental distinction between the two is that with the second, the cat is not receiving enough or the appropriate nutrients, but with the latter, the cat’s pancreas isn’t operating properly.
This implies that some of the digestive enzymes that the pancreas is responsible for manufacturing will be either absent entirely or insufficient.
As a result, even when eating more than enough food, the cat will still lose weight.
So it stands to reason that they could attempt to make up for this enzyme shortage by consuming their own waste.
5. The age or habits of your cat
Cats can consume their own feces, despite the fact that this sounds a little unclear. Although it may sound a little ambiguous, cats can actually consume their own waste, depending on any maternal tendencies they may have inherited.
Some queens consume their own waste for a variety of reasons, including malnutrition or the presence of parasites that they want to keep away from the kittens.
Cats frequently engage in coprophagia, particularly elderly cats with cognitive impairment. Starvation, malabsorption, emaciation, or parasite infections can also result in malnutrition. Although it is less frequent than in other animals, most healthy cats are unlikely to consume their own waste. Consult a veterinarian, alter your cat’s food, get rid of stressful environments, and frequently deworm your cat to stop it from ingesting feces. Deworming your cat on a regular basis helps keep it healthy and stop weight loss. Deworm your cat about every three months if it spends time indoors and outdoors. Deworm your cat once every 4-6 months if it only spends time inside. Long-term management strategies, such as working from home or employing a pet sitter
