Why Do Some Cats Eat Their Litter?

Have you noticed your cat beginning to act strangely? Maybe it had something to do with the litter box comparisons you've chosen from http://catlittersource.com/review/best-cat-litter-box-furniture-of-2017/. Perhaps they have shown signs of nausea, vomiting, or maybe they have started eating the litter in the box. Any of these types of behavior are a sign that your cat is sick. If they have never done so in the past, and then begin suddenly eating their litter, you’re in trouble.

1. Why Do Cats Eat Litter When Sick?

The reason cats suddenly begin eating their litter when they are sick is because of their instincts. They feel that eating litter will somehow improve their condition and cure them. The most common condition that causes your kitty to eat their litter is anemia, a blood condition. It is common for humans and pets too. When your cat's body receives less oxygen to transport, there wouldn't be enough red blood cells in the blood.

2. What are the Signs of Anemia?

Since anemia is a disease where there isn’t a significant enough quantity of red blood cells in your cat’s blood, you can imagine that their blood is no longer as red as it should be. A direct sign of this being the issue is unnatural paleness in your cat. You obviously can’t check for paleness on your cat’s body because of their fur. What you can do is check their teeth and gums, which are useful indicators of disease. Typical healthy gums need to be a rosy pink in color. If they look white or light blue, it is a sign of paleness.

3. Other Conditions That Cause Litter Eating

Anemic cats aren’t the only ones that begin to eat their litter. It is possible that a cat who isn’t getting enough of a particular vitamin or mineral will eat it in the hopes of compensating for the deficiency. Some kitty litter contains an abundance of naturally occurring clay, which is rich in mineral deposits. A cat detects this and eats the litter to replenish their minerals. When they eat their litter, it can lead to other disorders like kidney disease and failure, or even leukemia (blood cancer), though this isn’t nearly as a common cause as anemia is.

If you have a kitten and not an adult cat, you may not need to panic. Kittens are incredibly curious creatures that use their mouths to explore the world. A young cat might eat its litter out of plain curiosity, just like a toddler or baby would. Because of the tendency of small kittens to eat their litter whether or not they are sick, it is advisable to avoid cat litter that clumps.

Clumping cat litter is one of the riskiest things to ingest for an adult or baby cat. It can clump in their mouths, throat, and digestive system and cause them to choke or suffer digestive issues. If you notice your cat beginning to eat litter, immediately replace the litter in your litter box with the non-clumping variety to ensure that they don’t put themselves more at risk of their conditions worsening.