Wait, what? You just saw your cat eating litter!
Are you concerned about this? Do you keep on asking why is my cat eating litter?
Your kitten eating litter might be because of boredom and stress or could be because of health issues.
Well, no worries.
In this article, we have listed various reasons why do cats eat cat litters and what are the ways by which you can stop it!
Why Does My Cat Eat Litter?
Your cat could be eating litter because of a health or behavior issue. When she doesn’t get sufficient nutrition like Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), L-Carnitine, Magnesium, Pyruvate Kinase, Sodium, and/or Taurine from her food, she eats litter from her litter box. Anemia can be one of the reason too.
Still wonder why is your cat eating litter from their litter boxes!
We have researched and collected all possible reasons in this list. You can read and know your cat’s reason.
1. Health Conditions!
If you find these days your cat is eating litter a lot, then you should probably check on her health. Notice her whether she is sick or not because it may be an underlying health problem.
A kitten eating litter can because she is affected by anemia. When the count of red blood cells is low and hemoglobin is fewer, cats suffer from anemia.
You should check for leukemia signs and also check whether she is affected by any kind of kidney disease or not.
Generally, in the case of anemia, cats’ gums will become white or bluish-colored. This means her diet lacks iron, vitamins, and fatty acids.
Take your feline friend to the vet. The veterinarian will ask you for a medical examination of CBC that is a complete blood count test and urinalysis.
Urinalysis will clearly give you an idea of her urine concentration level. And, if the urine is very diluted, that means she is suffering from a kidney disorder.
Sometimes cat eats litter if she is affected by diabetes, brain tumor.
A cat eating litter can also be because of the immunodeficiency virus too! Therefore, every cat owner must properly take care of their furry friend To prevent such diseases and eradicate cat eating litter behavior.
2. Lack of Nutrients
Do you feed your cat properly?
Is her cat food full of rich nutrients?
Well, sometimes, the cat could be eating litter because of a lack of nutritional deficiencies. The shortfall of vitamins like A, B1, sodium, magnesium can provoke your cat to eat her litter. Do you know why?
This is because many commercial cat litter and clay-based cat litter have minerals, and when your cat finds this in her litter, she starts eating that.
3. Boredom and Stress
Most of the time, when a kitty is bored or when they don’t feel the stimulation, they behave differently.
Kitten eating litter can also be a sign that she is too bored and looking for attention or under stress! Sometimes behavioral issues can also lead to such litter eating problems.
4. Pica Effect
Cat have common behavior called pica.
This is a disorder in many cats. They taste, lick things various types of things that have no taste and smell. They lick nonfood items like plastic, table, fabrics, litter, strings, etc.
Pica disorder is one of the reasons why do cats eat litter. It’s unusual behavior, but it’s seen in a lot of cats.
5. Out of Curiosity
Kitten eats litter in search of excitement.
Cat owners should avoid using clumping litter until their cat is grown older. The reason behind it is that if kittens eat litter they may block their intestine.
If you witness a cat eating litter, you should stop your cat from doing so right away. Check to see if the litter you purchased is non-toxic.
How to Stop Cat Eating From Litter?
Kitten eating litter habits can be stopped! Check our guidelines to know-how!
1. Keep Her Away From Stress and Boredom
Stop the cat from eating their litter from the litter box by keeping her distracted and happy. Spend some time with her, play with toys. You can also give mind games. You can also plant catnip and use it to relieve your cat’s stress!
You can make her do exercises, take her for a walk. Don’t let the boredom strike. Keep her mind stimulated!
2. Give Her Nutrient Rich Diet
It’s high time that you upgrade your cat food.
As mentioned earlier, it is common for cats to eat litter because of the lack of nutrients in their cat food.
So make sure your cat eats her food properly. Give her a proper rich diet that has good sources of vitamins, minerals, magnesium, etc.
A healthy life and a healthy diet will keep your kitty away from all ailments!
3. Switch Your Litter
If your cat eating litter continues, then I think you should change to a new litter. Get natural cat litter that is non-toxic, made from natural ingredients like wheat, walnut, cedar, tofu, pinewood, corns, recycled newspaper, etc.
This will lower the risk of litter-eating complications. It will also not develop internal blockage, plus it is free from bentonite toxicosis.
Have a look at scented cat litters for your furball.
4. Seek Professional Help!
Lastly, if nothing works from above and your cat still eats their litter, then I think you should take her to a clinic.
The veterinarian can assist you in preventing your cat from eating its litter. He will request medical tests and will rule out all possible causes of such behavior.
And, your cat will be healthy again!
Do you want to know What type of cat litter is hypoallergenic, click here.
Final Verdict!
I know it is pathetic when we watch our cat eating litter from her litter boxes. That’s why we have shared various reasons why cats eat litter and steps on how to stop cat eating from litter.
Cat eating litter habit is caused by behavioral issues, or possibly due to lack of nutritious food. They detect minerals and vitamins in the litter and begin to consume them. It could also be due to the pica effect in some cases!
Well, if you know any other reasons why is kitten eating litter, then do let us know in the comment section below.
Also Read
References
- Why is my Cat Eating Kitty Litter? (with pictures) – AllThings Nature
- Pica in Cats – International Cat Care
- Why Is My Cat Eating That? – WebMD