Kitten eats toilet filler - what to do?

To maintain hygiene and cleanliness in the toilet, cat owners most often buy litter for the tray. The mixture absorbs unpleasant odor, absorbs moisture and allows the kitten to realize digging instinct. However, often people are surprised to see how a cat eats filler. Do I need to be scared, what the pet’s behavior says, and what to do in such cases, we will consider below.

Reasons to Eat Granules for the Tray

Cats are smart creatures who choose their food quite carefully and know how to recognize bad or inedible foods. Why sometimes they gnaw a dry mix from a tray? There may be several reasons for this:

1. Physiological: calcium deficiency, dentition, digestive problems.
2. Emotional: stress, curiosity, behavioral disorder.

The need for minerals

Among the natural causes may be a lack of calcium in the body of a kitten. Like all animal organisms, a cat needs minerals to strengthen its skeleton, tooth enamel and claws. If a pet is deficient in calcium or phosphorus, it can intuitively reach for solid foods, which usually contain these components.

You can solve the problem by reviewing the diet of your beast. If you notice that the cat is chewing on the toilet mixture, try adding dairy and meat products to its diet. Or change the feed to one that has a high content of vitamins and minerals. If the problem persists in this way, consult your veterinarian. He will examine the kitten and prescribe a vitamin complex to replenish the balance in the body of the animal.

Tooth grinding

The way out of the situation is simple - to offer the cat a hard treat in the form of brain stones. Such food will help him grind his teeth and bring pleasure. Typically, cats like to gnaw beef and pork ribs. But small chicken bones should not be given to cats. Feed the cat carefully and monitor his well-being. In case of unusual behavior, you can always call the veterinarian.

In addition, when young kittens are teething, they are looking for an opportunity to stimulate this process. You can buy a cat a special stone - calcite. It can not be bitten, but it will effectively help the pet cut and sharpen its teeth.

Do not buy vitamins and any supplements for your cat yourself. Only an animal doctor can accurately diagnose the causes of deviations in the pet, and recommend safe means to solve the problem.

Anxiety

The cat may begin to eat the mixture from the tray on a nervous basis. If the animal is frightened or depressed, the instinct of “stress seizing” works as often as stupor, aggression, or panic activity. What can cause stress in a pet:

• relocation;
• the appearance of a dog in the house;
• the arrival of guests or the appearance of a new family member;
• change of owners;
• a sharp change in diet;
• experiencing the disease;
• increased noise in the room, etc.

To calm the animal, try to pay attention to it, caress, treat yourself to a treat. Make it clear that everything is in order and the pet is safe. When moving, offer the cat his favorite toys, feed him from the usual dishes. When new “neighbors” appear, carefully introduce the cat to them, let them get used to it.If you are unable to wean the kitten from a strange habit, consult an animal behavior specialist.

A game

Sometimes cats try filler just out of curiosity, trying to understand what it is. This is observed in small kittens or when changing the dry mix. Another reason may be an attractive smell. Some filler flavors can fool cat instincts and seem appealing. In rare cases, direct behavioral abnormalities are observed when the cat eats inedible objects for no reason. Due to any organic abnormalities in the brain (for example, after a concussion or illness), animals have a kind of mental disorder.

You can try to wean the cat to nibble the filler, luring a tasty piece to the feeder. Take a fragrant treat, such as food or a slice of sausage - and call the cat when he starts to eat filler. You can also simply change the mixture. It is likely that the habit will not apply to the new version of backfill.

If nothing helps to save the pet from unusual behavior, a veterinarian or animal psychologist will help you, who determine if the cat has any dysfunctions and recommend the necessary measures.

Is it harmful for a cat to gnaw a tray filler?

The danger of this behavior is that the filler adheres to the rough tongue and palate of the animal, which makes it difficult for him to spit a lump. Having swallowed inedible food, the cat can earn indigestion.

Most of the backfill for the tray does not contain poisons or harmful additives, so the cat will not recover. However, such mixtures contain silica gel or other powerful sorbents. Once in the body, they swell from moisture and can cause serious discomfort to the animal or even threaten life. Therefore, if you notice that the cat regularly eats filler from the tray or swallows a fairly large amount of the supplement, it feels bad (fever, refusal to eat, lethargy, restless behavior), it must be taken to the veterinarian.

Which toilet filler to choose?

Of safe means, wood or corn backfill is recommended. They cope well with odors, absorb moisture and are harmless to the body. Such fillers cost a little more and are consumed quite quickly.

Another option is balls for a peat toilet. They absorb moisture very effectively, absorb odor, are easily replaced in parts, which provides cost savings.

An additional way to protect the cat from eating pellets for the toilet is a regular grid placed on top of the backfill. So the filler continues to act, while the cat does not have access to it.

Video: which filler can not be used for kittens