Is it normal for dogs to eat cat crap?

Question

My 10month old border collie cross eats cat poo from the litter tray!!!

I must add that I do keep the litter tray ina separate area but the dog is sometimes very quick when I open the door and gets a mouthful before I can stop him.I do remove the cat poo immediately if im there when the cat does it.The dogs diet is great according to the vet so I dont know why he does it

Answer 1

Yep, dogs do it all the time. Its gross isn't it.

Best advice, make sure you're feeding your dog a high quality food, Innova Evo and Canidae are two such foods. And move the litterbox to a place the dog can't get to it.

Answer 2

Is it is common? Yes, it is called pica.
Should they do it? No, it can spread disease and cause bowl problems.

Animals, especially scavengers (dogs are scavengers) will eat anything that is remotely edible (by their standards not yours) and sometime twice. The reason the dogs are attracted to feces is because the can smell the undigested food inside.

Many dogs without identifiable mental health issues develop pica because they are missing nutritional requirements in their day to day diet. Some dogs do this though because of instability and neurosis.

The first step I would recommend is looking at your dog food and assessing whether or not it is meeting their needs. If corn or the word by-product appears anywhere on the ingredient list then you can be sure that their needs are not being met. You should switch them to a high quality food.

You can also help this issue by providing a whole apple a day this means the skin, flesh and core. Smaller dogs can have half an apple. You can also supplement their diet with a child's multivitamin. If these things don't resolve the issue you need to take a close look at the dog for behavioral and mental health issues.

By the way dogs and humans can both develop pica which is eating non food items. It is often a compulsion that the dog or person can't control and punishing is not effective. You would need to remove all access to control the behavior. Until you rule out nutritional deficiencies you can't be sure of the reason for this behavior.

You can visit your vet for more information on this behavior. Best of luck and be aware that controlling the dogs environment is possible but controlling the dog on this issue is likely to fail. So always poop and scoop right away.

Answer 3

Yes! But it would be better if they didn't do it. For us and them!

Dogs are opportunist scavengers which means they will eat anything they consider to be remotely edible when ever they can.

They will eat all sorts of animal faeces - I've threatened my lot that I will feed them on a bowlful of rabbit droppings mixed with horse manure but I think they would enjoy it.

The problem with eating the cat poo is that the dog can become infested with worms unless you make sure that the cat and the dog are both wormed regularly ( and treated for fleas which is what keeps worm infestation recurring).

Also despite what your 10 month old canine genius thinks, cat poo can upset his domesticated digestive system so do what you can to keep him from getting at the cat litter.

P.S. You could try teaching him the command 'leave' and rewarding him with something more appropriate when he 'leaves' the cat poo but he will still take it if he can get away with it.

Answer 4

They will eat it if they can but you must stop it was cat poo can be harmful. Plus if it's eating the cat litter too, it can swell up and cause a blockage. Get an enclosed litter tray with a flap and face the opening towards the wall with enough room for the cat to get in.

Answer 5

Ive had dogs that have ate their own & had to b trained out of it.More comonly if theyre sick in the house they try 2 eat it,i dont no why,mayb they think theyre going 2 get wrong but not cat poo although they do eat carcasses.Stop him if you c him & ask ur vet the best way 2 go about teaching him not 2.Any animal faeces he eats is going 2 b bad 4 his health.They can get diseases.You need 2 stop him doing this.Hes stil young so address the problem now.

Answer 6

Unfortunately every dog I've ever seen wants to eat cat poo. You must confine the dog in an area of the house where it can't get to the cat litter box.

Answer 7

Dogs will eat any kind of poo. Some dogs even eat their own. You will have to keep a watch on your dog to keep it out of the litter tray or put it where the dog can't get at it.

Answer 8

I don't know if this will help but I have a 3.5 month old puppy and she eats her own crap..it's sooooo gross. When I asked the vet she said either she's still hungry or bored. I would maybe just keep the kitty litter scooped on a regualar basis's. Or you could put it some place where the dog can't get it. Good luck.

Answer 9

yes, a lot of dogs eat cat poo. It's their version of chocolate. It's not bad for them but is frowned upon by humans. Discourage the dog from doing it if you don't approve. try getting a covered litter pan.

Answer 10

Our GSDs do it - I have even caught them standing over the cat waiting for it to finish.
It is really gross and I always throw the dog outside straight away.
Try a covered litter tray and change your cat food to something less fragrant