is it normal for a dog to eat cat feces.?

Question

this issue totally grosses me out. i'm afraid to let her out in the backyard. can this problem end up hurting her. what can i do to make her stop.

Answer 1

That is the nastiest thing but I'm afraid its a dogs favorite treat! I think there is a product you can buy to put on the cats food to make his pooh taste offensive to the dog.It can hurt your dog only if the cat has coccidia, worms ect.If your dog is on a good Heart worm preventive that should keep the worms at bay, If its a wild cat scare it off..If its your cat bring a fresh stool sample into the vet to make sure its clear for peace of mind if it makes you feel better.If your dogs stool stays solid I wouldnt worry...I hate when My Dogs do that!!!!!

Answer 2

Yes, its normal, but its NOT good at all. Its very bad actually. Cats can have as many parasites and diseases in their feces as a dog, human, or elephant. If not more, or less. It can hurt your dog very badly. It subjects your dog to sickness and being just gross. I had a problem with one of my dogs eating the other ones poo, and I had to follow her all the time and when she got close to it I would tell her NO! But, that doesnt work for all dogs. Of course. First start with talking to your vet, he/she should be able to give you some advice, and if not, give you the numbers to someone who can help train her not to do it. But the habbit needs to stop now. Would you eat her poo? No, because you can get sick from it. Its really the same thing. Talk to the vet, and go from there. Good luck.

Answer 3

I wouldn't call it normal but it happens. It sounds gross but my dog did it. I asked my vet and she said it is sweet to a dog. She also said the best thing to do is put the litter box in an area unreachable to your dog, if this is not possible, then fully monitor your dog, or gate the area so he can't get to it and the cat can jump over the gate. What I did however, I got one of those litter boxes that cleans itself every time the cat relieves himself. It eliminates the problem by eliminating the source. Plus it's easier on me, all i have to do is replace a little disposable box every so often.

Answer 4

*chuckles* we generally get questions like this from children in the vet clinic. The answer is, yes, and no. Most dogs eat cat and their own feces because they are low on nutrients. There are other reasons, some dogs just like the smell of it. As gross as it is, we smell cat poo...and the smell kitty box crunchies. The best thign to do to avoid it is, maybe change his food to a different one. My reccomendation stays solid with Science Diet, but it is expensive, so Iams is the second best. Also, keeping the cat litter out of reach is more of it. Once again, I don't think the poo will harm him, but the litter can't be too good. I'd be more worried about if he starts thinking the cat smells good lol. Just kidding...relax. If your dog isn't vomiting, then he's fine. Try swaping to a food with more nutrients in it though. Follow the directions to the T on the bag so you ensure that your dog is getting what is needed :)

Answer 5

It is not normal, but common. It can be a nutritional deficiency -- she is not getting the nutrients she needs the first time around, soo... The harder to digest the food is, the more flavor is left over. It can also be behavioral -- sheer boredom, in some cases. I would try putting your dog on higher quality food - ie., not what you find at PetCo. Look for small local stores that specialize in pet nutrition. They may also carry certain products that will discourage the poop eating habit.

Answer 6

It is pretty normal. Most dogs I have ever been around, at some point, eat cat crap.

Gross yes, but it may have something to do with mineral and nutrient deficiencies or something (apparently cat poop is high in protein or something). I have never heard of any of the dogs in households with cats (where much poop-eating occurred) getting sick or anything. If you are concerned bring it up to your vet.

But really it is quite normal,, albeit disgusting, a lot of animals do it.

Answer 7

dogs eat anything. they play with everything. they even lick there own butts, yea its normal my dogs eat each others feces and i have four of them its a nasty habbit and every time i catch them doing it i take my shoe off of me and spank them on the butt than i take the dog over to the feces and tell them its a no no, i dont know if it stops the problem but after awhile they may get tired of being attacked by a shoe and me yelling at them and they leave it alone. I dont know if it will hurt her but its kinda gross.

Answer 8

Sounds disgusting but most dogs view the cat litter box as a treat buffet. And no, it is not a good idea to allow them to eat these little treats from the Kitty dispenser. How to stop it? No idea, I was never able to stop my dog from sneaking into the 2nd bathroom and having a snack. I did tell my kids about it though and they NEVER let any dog lick their face.

Answer 9

Dogs love to eat cat "treats" I really never seen a dog that didn't if he had the chance. I had to put the cat litter box in the spare bathroom tub to keep my dog away from it.
It can't be good for them, but I've never had a dog get sick from it, except maybe if the cat had worms or some disease.

Answer 10

What they said... but you can buy products for stopping Coprophagia that you add to the dog's food for a dog that eats its own feces. They may make a similar product you can give to your cat. For-bid is the name of one such product.