#DOG PICA KIDNEY DISEASE PLUS#

So, if your kitten is bright and playful, don’t panic - but if you’re worried, visit the vet. Pica caused by health problems is more likely in an adult cat than a kitten. For starters, if a kitten eats litter, the probability of this being due to kidney disease is very low. Now, it’s important to put a sense of proportion on this. The problems most commonly linked to pica in cats include:

For our cats, this can also be the case, but it also happens when they don’t feel well. This is an example of pica, or the craving for non-food substances.įor an expectant mother, pica is often due to the deficiency of a vital vitamin or mineral in the diet.

When my mother was pregnant with me, she used to scratch the plaster off the wall in the under-stairs cupboard and eat it.

#DOG PICA KIDNEY DISEASE PLUS#

So, the short answer for the worried pet parent with a kitten who keeps eating litter is to get their fluff ball checked by a vet … plus avoid the use of clumping cat litter. In truth, if you have a sick kitten, don’t attempt home diagnosis - get them seen by a vet right away. If the kitten eats, they can’t keep food down.Surgery is high-risk because the kitten is so young and stitches can pull through the gut wall, causing life-threatening peritonitis. It is a potentially serious condition that may need emergency surgery to correct. There’s a distinct risk of the clumped litter forming a plug, like a cork in a bottle, and causing serious bowel obstruction.Īnd we’re not talking constipation here, but a foreign body. The problem is that once eaten, clumping litter swells and sticks together in a lump inside the gut. However, the innocent activity of a kitten eating litter is not without risk.Ĭlumping cat litter is a bad idea with a kitten in the house. The majority of kittens quickly realize that cat litter as a tasty treat is vastly overrated and drop the habit. They explore by using all their senses, which include taste, and learning about kitty litter, meaning checking out if it’s good to eat.Īs a rule of thumb, it’s not unusual for a kitten under 3 months of age to experiment with eating cat litter. Just as young children put everything in their mouth, so do kittens. Photo: abolanu CuriosityĪ young kitten has to learn about their world. When they aren’t napping, kittens explore the world around them by using all their senses. OK, so let’s tackle the simple things first: curiosity. The act of eating litter doesn’t tell us what that illness or deficiency is, but it is a signal they need to be checked out by a veterinarian. Pica is a sign that the cat is either feeling unwell or is deficient in a vital nutrient. Basically, pica refers to a bizarre craving to eat things that aren’t food. This is because “pica” is a symptom rather than an answer in its own right. There are 2 main reasons a cat or kitten eats litter: ADVERTISEMENT Why Do Some Kittens Eat Cat Litter?

Dog pica kidney disease