Kitty Candy
Some dogs just can’t say no to opportunities to grab poop deposited by the family cat in the litter box. There is the obvious reaction from many of us – yuck! Gross! And, definitely, we do our best not to be on the receiving end of a doggy kiss, right?But coming up with an effective way to prevent your dog from accessing your cat’s litter box just may save his life.
For starters, the poo could contain intestinal parasites that could cause infections. Keeping all pets in your home up to date on their needed parasitic preventives can reduce the risk of infection from roundworms and salmonella.
Far too many dogs and some cats who overgroom can face health consequences from swallowing clay-based litter. This litter can clump inside the body, causing the animal to choke and even suffer from abdominal obstruction that may require surgical removal.
Oliver’s Clump
Take the case of Oliver. He is my sister’s goofy schnoodle who came for a visit to my home about a year ago. He loves playing with my dogs, Kona and Emma, and has a lot of respect for our four cats.
Unfortunately, the doggy gate leading into our mud room where litter boxes are was not completely closed, Oliver snuck in for a cat litter snack. He had litter pieces on his muzzle. Within hours, he was acting punkish. He turned down dinner and his abdomen became tender to touch. He also vomited.
We realized we needed to take him to the veterinary clinic pronto. We bagged up and brought his vomit that confirmed he had swallowed litter. X-rays confirmed the presence of a litter clump inside him. Because it was caught soon, veterinarians were able to give medication to Oliver to enable him to push it out his rectum. But, had we waited, he may have faced surgery to remove the mass.
This was a serious lesson learned by all of us. We are much more vigilant and have added a higher gate with a small hole for our cats to access when they need to use a litterbox.
Signs Your Pooch has Been Snacking on Kitty Snickers
If you have a cat-dog household, be alert for these other signs that your dog may have raided the litter box:
- He becomes constipated and strains to attempt to poop.
- He may develop diarrhea.
- His stomach is swollen
- His breath smells pungent because litter clumps may be lodged in his teeth.
Here are some ways to outsmart a litter-eating canine:
- Elevate the litter boxes out of a dog’s reach. Most cats can easily leap to high heights. Consider placing litter boxes on sturdy shelves that are about waist high for you. One perk for you is that it is easier to scoop and clean the litter box because you don’t have to bend over to scoop at floor level.
- Install a pet door gate that is too high for your dog to jump over. The gate should feature a small opening that your cats can easily walk though but are too small and narrow for your dog to fit through. Also, gates with vertical bars are better than horizontal ones that might serve to help a clever dog scramble up and over the gate.
- Get in the habit of scooping out urine and poop clumps regularly – at least twice a day. An empty litter box will not tempt a dog on a poop-food hunt.
Why Would They Snack on Kitty Poo?
Finally, let’s address the why in the room. Why do dogs love eating cat poop?
The act of eating feces is called coprophagia. For the perspective of dogs, cat poop contains protein that may just be too tempting to turn down. After all, dogs are scavengers and always on the food hunt. Try to entice him with smelly items such as sardines or mackerel tuna as a treat or as a topping for his dinner.
Learn More
You can learn more on ways to keep your cats and dogs safe by visiting http://www.propethero.com. Consider taking our veterinarian-approved online pet first aid/CPR course. Enter this code: CPR – ARDEN MOORE and receive a 10 percent discount! And, if you are interested in becoming a Pro Pet Hero instructor, please click on the BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR button on the home page for more details.