Kitten eating filler for the toilet - what to do?

To maintain hygiene and cleanliness in the toilet, cat owners most often buy tray filler. The mixture absorbs unpleasant odor, absorbs moisture and allows the kitten to realize a digging instinct. However, people are often surprised to see a cat eating a filling. Is it necessary to be frightened about what the pet's behavior says, and what to do in such cases, consider below.

Reasons for eating the pellets for the tray

Cats are smart creatures that rather carefully choose their own food and are able to recognize bad or inedible foods. Why sometimes they gnaw a dry mix from the tray? There may be several reasons for this:

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

Mineral demand

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

To solve the problem, you can revise the diet of your beast. If you notice that the cat nibbles the toilet mixture, try adding dairy and meat products to its diet. Or change the feed to one in which there is a high content of vitamins and minerals. If the problem is not solved in this way, consult your veterinarian. He will examine the kitten and write out a vitamin complex in order to fill the balance in the animal's body.

Teeth grinding

The way out is simple - to offer the cat a hard delicacy in the form of brain bones. Such food will help him sharpen his teeth and bring pleasure. Usually cats love to gnaw beef and pork ribs. But it is better not to give small chicken bones to cats. Feed the cat carefully and watch his health. In the case of unusual behavior you can always call the vet.

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

Do not buy cat vitamins and any additives on their own. Only an animal doctor will be able to accurately diagnose the causes of deviations in a pet, and recommend safe means to solve the problem.

Anxiety

A cat may begin to eat a mixture of tray on the nerve soil. If the animal is frightened or suppressed, the instinct of “jamming stress” works as often as a 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 emergence of a new family member;
• change of owners;
• abrupt diet change;
• experiencing the disease;
• increased noise level in the room, etc.

To calm the animal, try to give it attention, caress, pamper with a treat. Make it clear that everything is in order, and the pet is safe. When moving, offer the cat his favorite toys, feed from the usual dishes. When new “neighbors” appear, carefully introduce the cat to them, let’s get used to it. If the kitten cannot be weaned from a strange habit, consult an animal behavior specialist.

A game

Sometimes cats try filler out of curiosity, trying to figure out what it is. This is observed in small kittens or when changing the dry mix. Another reason may be an attractive smell. Some flavoring fillers may fool the cat's instincts and appear attractive. In rare cases, there are direct behavioral abnormalities when the cat eats inedible objects for no reason. Because of any organic abnormalities in the brain (for example, after concussions or illness), animals experience a kind of mental disorder.

You can try to wean the cat gnaw filler, luring a tasty piece to the trough. Take a fragrant treat, for example, 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 spread to the new version of the backfill.

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

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

The danger of such behavior is that the filler sticks to the rough tongue and the 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 fillings for the tray do 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 a filler from the tray or has swallowed a fairly large amount of the additive,while he feels bad (fever, refusal of food, lethargy, restless behavior), he must be taken to the vet.

What toilet filler to choose?

From safe means recommend wood or corn filling. They do well with odors, absorb moisture and are harmless to the body. Such fillers are a bit more expensive and are consumed fairly quickly.

Another option - balls for 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 - the usual lattice, placed on top of the backfill. So the filler continues to operate, while the cat does not have access to it.

Video: which filler can not be used for kittens