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Why Is My Cat Eating Cat Litter? (How To Stop It)

cat-sitting

While it is not done by every cat, it is more common than you might think. Many cats ingest litter, especially when they are being litter-trained. As a result, it is critical to prevent this type of behavior from causing long-term digestive issues.

However, it is not as severe as you may believe, and if your cat does it, don’t be too concerned because there is nothing wrong with your cat. However, we decided to put together a list of reasons why your cat may be eating litter and how to stop your kitty from doing so.

Why is my cat eating litter?

There are a lot of reasons why your cat may be eating litter. However, finding out the precise cause may require some trial and error. Below, we have compiled a list of the most common reasons your cat may be treating litter like food.

grey-kitty

Cats are Curious

Cats are naturally inquisitive creatures, especially if you are attempting to litter-train them. So it’s not so strange for your cat to try to eat the litter just out of sheer curiosity. This is especially true if the cat litter you use is made of corn or another grain that may smell appealing to your cat.

After all, we’ve all witnessed our cats attempting to eat plastic wraps simply for sake of amusement.

Stress-eating

I’m sure we’ve all noticed that cats tend to shed after they’ve been to the vet. The reason for this is stress. Stress can cause a wide range of illnesses in humans. Cats can experience a similar problem. And if they’ve recently been through something stressful, they might try something new, like eating litter.

Medical reasons

Kitty in trouble

While you shouldn’t be concerned if your kitten has only tried litter once or twice, there could be a medical reason if your kitty has recently started eating litter. It could be because they are deficient in vitamins or minerals. Pancreatitis or kidney disease could also be to blame.

Your cat is in a New Environment

This is also associated with stress. When you move to a new house or adopt a new cat, the new environment can be very stressful for them. And because you may be using a new type of litter, this may confuse them, causing them to eat litter. This can also happen when you change the litter type abruptly without giving them time to adjust to it first.

How to stop your cats from eating cat litter?

cat-standing

To prevent your cat from ingesting litter, you must first determine the cause of its unusual behavior. We’ve mentioned some of the reasons, but we always recommend taking your cat to the vet first to rule out any medical issues. That is also the safest course of action.

Distraction

The simplest and most effective way to keep your kitty from eating litter is to distract them with something else whenever they attempt to do so. This is only possible if you are always paying attention. However, they will usually only do it after they have finished using the litter, so pay close attention to them at that time and distract them with a toy or a treat, or something interesting.

Training

cat-looking-litter

While training a cat is not as simple as training a dog, It is still possible. You can also provide them with toys to chew on and they can sink their teeth into them, like a rubber toy. Also, whenever they try to ingest litter, give them the toy.

This can also alleviate stress and provide them with something else to focus on. Combining this with treats after they’ve finished using the litter box can also help with the problem by rewarding their behavior.

Play-time

This is related to the previous point. Getting your cats to focus on playtime and spending time with them is an excellent way to divert their attention from ingesting litter. So, when your kitty has finished their business, bring them close to you, give them a bunch of toys, and spend some time petting and cuddling with them.

A Visit to the Vet

It may not seem like a big deal to be concerned about. However, if your cat has recently changed their behavior and did not previously eat litter, a vet visit may be in order. They could be suffering from a condition that causes them to crave non-digestible foods. It could be due to a nutrient deficiency or even kidney disease.

Final thoughts

These are just a few of the reasons your cat might be eating litter and methods for preventing your cat from engaging in such behavior. There are many more reasons, but these are the most common. However, we would recommend using natural litter with no added chemicals and avoiding clumping litter so that your feline is not harmed even if they ingest a small amount of litter.

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