The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong
Cats may eat bedding material — and other unsuitable material — for a variety of reasons . This deportment is referred to as pica , the eating of non - food item .
Pica has a sort of causes and may staunch from a momma abandon her kitty , which can manifest itself in breast feeding behavior . Caterpillar with pica can direct all types of cloth : plastic , fabric , train , paper , poop , and even litter .
Credit:The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong
Some forms of pica may be relatively harmless or pesky — such as licking charge card bags — but eating non - food message can cause intestinal blockages . Also , it can be a sign of an illness .
Why Do Cats Eat Litter?
If your cat or kitten is corrode litter , it could be either a health or behavior issue . If you suspect it ’s a health issue , you should bring your cat to the veterinary right away , peculiarly if the behavior appears on the spur of the moment .
Some kittens may eat litter strictly out of curiosity and will grow out of the behavior with close monitoring .
Anemia
Eating litter could be a sign that your cat is mad , and in picky , anaemia is a condition where an affected CT could be exhibiting this preindication . genus Anemia fall out when there is a lack of red blood cubicle and hemoglobin . Cat owners should check for gums that are pallid , white , or blueish . Anemia can betoken a deficiency in iron , trace mineral , vitamins , or all-important fat person acids .
to boot , if your computerized axial tomography is anaemic , the anemia could also be a star sign of underlie felineleukemiavirus ( FeLV ) , kidney disease , bone inwardness disease , or sponge .
Your veterinarian will execute a stock exam and will probably recommend stock body of work , including a pure blood count ( CBC ) andurinalysis . These diagnostics will confirm if the cat is anaemic and avail screen for underlying disease .
Nutritional Deficiencies
Your qat could be eating litter if it ’s not getting sufficient nutrition from its food . This can happen if your cat is not consume a by rights balanced dieting , but it may also happen if your cat ’s gastrointestinal tract is not in effect ingest nutrients . Your vet or a veterinary nutritionist can guide you on the appropriate step to take if nutritionary deficiency is suspect .
Curious Kittens
kitten may eat litter out of curiosity , so it ’s recommended not to utilize clop bedding until they are older . take in clumping litter may have an enteric occlusion . Be sure to utilise a non - toxic andenvironmentally friendly litterand monitor purpose . Remove your kitty from the litter box if you see it ’s eating the bedding — just be certain your kitty has finished its business first .
full-grown CAT may also nosh on litter if the type of litter has been vary recently , for illustration , to a wheat- or clavus - based litter .
How to Stop Your Cat From Eating Litter
Once your cat has received a light bill of wellness , you could boil down on redirecting his behavior from eating the bedding . Of course , there are many type of bedding material : the Great Compromiser , clop ( odoriferous and unscented ) , and those write of corn , wheat , or theme . If your bozo is exhaust one kind , try another .
