Why do dogs eat cat poo covered in cat litter??

Question

Everytime my dog gets a chance he sneaks into the washroom where the cats' litter box is and EATS the poo. What in God's name is wrong with him?? HELP!!!!!!

Answer 1

Same reason they eat used tissues.

They are animals.

Friends of mine put thier cat litter box under the bathroom sink, and cut a Kitty hole in the door. Worked like a charm.

Answer 2

Coprohagia is the technical term for eating feces. This has been studied in dogs by several people with no definitive answer for "why" being found.

Nutritional deficiencies may be present in some dogs, but not very many. This may be boredom related in many dogs. It has some "natural" roots in the fact that dams often eat their pup's stools, apparently as a method of hiding their presence from predators. Dogs will eat the stools of other species, especially cats and rabbits, too. Dogs obviously do not find the taste of feces objectionable or the behavior would be self correcting. So I think of this as a natural behavior that upsets people. Since dogs have to live with people, it is becomes an issue. There is a product sold that is supposed to help with this habit -- Forbid. It doesn't work in all cases (it might not even work in most cases). Another alternative is putting meat tenderizer in the dog's food. This works for some dogs. If you can keep the dog from eating stool for a month or so it is sometimes long enough to break the habit. Picking up stool to prevent its ingestion works in dogs. This can be a hard habit to break.

Answer 3

Its quite common for dogs to eat cat poo, I have had cats and dogs all of my life and although our cats go outside the dogs will still find it and eat it before we have a chance to pick it up. It will be quite hard for you to stop her from doing it, you could try making a loud noise or squirting her with water every time she goes near it, and then when you see her leaving it alone praise her or give her a treat. Sometimes though she may just find the temptation too much and eat some anyway.

Answer 4

For dogs attracted to litter boxes, you may need to be quite creative. Using covered litter boxes and placing the opening towards a wall may help. Some people put the litter box up high. Others put the litter box in a closet and secure the closet door so that the opening is big enough for the cat but will not allow the dog to enter. Keep in mind that if we make the litter box too difficult to reach, the cat may not go to it either.

*** Note ****

Please read the following link (O:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1551&articleid=155

Answer 5

oh yeah, my pomeranian ChiChi would jump into the kitty box any chance he could and just go to town (like a sugar junkie with a box of chocolates..lol), eventually i had to lift the box up on a foot-stool. of course I asked my vet the same question your asking and he told me that most dogs find cat poo to be a delicatessin of sorts... i was totally grossed out but apparently they just love it!

Answer 6

There is nothing wrong with your dog. My dogs do it too. Cat poo is ove r80% cat food, so they just think that it's a box of cat food. Ask any vet, they'll tell you the same thing!

Answer 7

Unfortunately there is nothing wrong with him.
Dogs think it tastes great, yuck. It won't hurt him but don't let him eat it if you can help it.

LOL
Good luck! We keep a gate at our steps to keep the dogs away from the cat box.

Answer 8

My vet said that dogs do that because they are lacking an essential vitamin or mineral -something like that. Anyway, take your doggie to the vet, or call, and he can tell you exactly what you need to feed him that will stop hungry pup from eating kitty poo. It really is disgusting, isn't it?

Answer 9

Think it has something to do with the scent.

Mine rolls on cat poo hahaha!

Answer 10

Your dog is lacking some vitamin