5 Reasons Cats Eat Their Kittens Feces
When giving birth for the first time, as owners we can breathe a sigh of relief. But in fact we can not do that, then there will be things that interfere with our thoughts and feelings. One of the things that disturbs our minds and hearts is the mother cat's strange behavior.
These strange behaviors include eating their own children, eating cat's placenta and cats eating their own children's feces (coprophagia). This unusual behavior generally occurs in those who have just given birth.
This happens not only to domestic cats, but also to purebred cats and this is normal and harmless to the mother cat. Then why does a mother cat eat its own feces and what are the actions we take when we see a cat's own litter.
To find out the reason why their cat litters, Good Readers can listen to Angora's article below.
Cats Eat Their Kitten Feces
For us maybe the behavior of cats eating feces is something that is in it. Not only that, we also create that mother cats can get sick from eating too much litter of their children. But not everything we see is true. Cats have their reasons for doing this. Some around include :
1. Mother Cat Wants Her Kitten Always Clean
Both humans and cats, both want their children to always be clean. That's the first reason why cats bother their kittens. He wants the children to be exposed to their own feces which they excrete at the same time where they are breastfeeding.
Not only the dirt that is around the children, the mother cat will also lick the dirt that sticks to the body and even the buttocks of the children. Apart from not wanting their children to get dirty, cats also want to keep their children's bodies sterile.
The sterile here is free from dirt and also free from harmful microorganisms that can cause disease for kittens. The habit of droppings on a kitten's body usually lasts from the birth of the cat (1 day) to the age of 1 month.
Not infrequently the mother cat will also lick her child to clean it from dirt even if it has exceeded 1 month.
2. Cats Feel Hunger And Need Nutrients
A pregnant cat who has just given birth will feel tired and hungry at the same time. This happens because as we know that the birthing process is not an easy thing and of course it drains a lot of stamina.
Because of that some mother cats sometimes do strange behavior and some are deviant. Some of us may already know what it is, but for those of you who don't know, you can see what these behaviors are below :
Cats eat the placenta or the placenta of kittens
Cats eat the dirt on their own children
Cats eat their own kittens
Eating the placenta or kittens can restore the mother's energy that has been depleted due to having just given birth and is a nutrient-rich food. But to eat cat litter itself is usually the reason just so that the cat's stomach is filled (delays hunger).
3. Cats Get Used To Coprophagia
Coprophagia is an animal behavior that eats feces. To us humans this may look very dirty and also disgusting but to cats it may be different. Cats may be used to this.
And you need to know that this habit is usually only done by the mother cat when her child is a certain age and is still drinking her mother's milk. Kitten droppings that are still drinking breast milk are usually odorless and hard.
Even so, many of us cat lovers still consider coprophagia a very dirty, disgusting and unhealthy act even though the mother cat only eats the feces of her child who is still drinking breast milk ( no bad smell ).
4. Anal Licking To Stimulate Kittens To Defecate
By the time the cat is 2 weeks old, the kitten's eyes have begun to see clearly and are able to move to and fro. Kittens can move here and there even though their way is like they are about to fall or stagger. By the time the cat is at this age the kitten begins to drink more and more of its mother's milk.
It is also at this age that the cat's digestive system begins to become more perfect and the kitten will begin to defecate from his rectum. But the kitten will find it difficult and not know how to defecate.
Well, this is where the role of the mother cat is to help and at the same time teach her children how to defecate properly and correctly. The mother cat will help her pup by stimulating her by licking her child's anus.
Kittens who do not experience problems with normal digestion will immediately defecate after the mother stimulates by licking her anus. When this happens, it is not uncommon for a mother cat to eat her child's feces.
Even though this includes feces, this feces will not smell because the kitten is still drinking its mother's milk. That's why the litter of a young baby cat is less smelly when compared to an adult cat.
5. Cats Are Stressed
Cats can also experience stress, just like humans do. When the mother cat experiences stress, it is not uncommon for the mother cat to eat her own child's feces (coprophagia).
Cats experiencing stress will usually have behaviors such as the following :
Be more quiet
Biting her body excessively
Licking her body excessively
Sleeping Often
Don't want to eat
Angry person
Be Aggressive
Sometimes likes to attack his own employer ( this one feature must be accompanied by at least 4 of the above characteristics )
What If This Continues Over And Over ?
If this continues, then this is not normal and certainly not good for the cat's health. The reason why this happens is usually due to 2 factors :
Cats are used to it
Cats experience stress and other medical disorders
Then how to solve it ? The first thing you should do is keep an eye on the cat for a few days to determine if this is because the cat is used to it or due to stress and medical illness. If after being watched for a few days the cat does not show signs that he is sick, such as :
Don't want to eat
Sleep often
Be quiet
Don't eat just drink
Don't take care of yourself
And its kind
So you can be sure the cat is just used to it and the way to deal with it is quite easy, namely by changing his behavior or exaggerating the portion of his food so that he is full and unable to eat dirt. But if it turns out that the cat is sick then the best solution is to take the cat to the nearest vet for immediate care and treatment.
How To Overcome This Without Having To Go To The Vet ?
For those of you whose cats are not sick and want to try to overcome this without having to go to the doctor, then you can try some of the ways below :
1. Increase The Cat's Feed
The first way you can try is to increase the portion of cat food. This way you can make your cat feel full and at the same time prevent him from eating his litter or other cats because he is already full.
But you should not do this method continuously because there is a risk of the cat becoming obese (overweight) if this method continues to be done. When the cat is no longer eating feces, it is better to return the cat's food portion to the normal or standard portion.
2. Ban Cats
The second way is to ban cats. When you catch a cat eating her kitten's feces, you can drive it away, prevent it from eating it or splash it with water. In this way the cat will gradually remember it and leave this bad habit.
The most effective way is actually by flushing it with water. Do not carelessly splash the cat with water, just splash the water on his face. Sprinkle a little water or splash his face with water.
By just flushing the face, we can prevent the cat from eating her child's feces while preventing her from getting a fever because her body is too wet.
3. Give Snacks
The third method is almost the same as the number one method. The only difference is that we give the cat a snack when he wants to eat his child's feces. Generally this method is quite effective to get rid of this bad habit.
But it's the same as the other way, namely this method both takes a bit longer and requires patience in order to successfully eliminate the cat's habit of eating its own child's feces ( Coprophagia ).
Maybe that's all the discussion about the causes why the mother cat eats her own child's feces. With this article, hopefully it can make you understand about this and you can overcome it easily.
And add your insight and can be useful for you. Don't forget to share this article with relatives, friends, other cat lovers and also share it on your social media accounts.
