OMG, why do my dogs eat my cats poo?

ina1032 · 07-16-2009, 09:44 PM

Ok, seriously... so my (almost) 8 month old Pom pups are very well fed. They have unlimited access to their food dishes (as opposed to a feeding schedule), they get treats all the time, they have SO many chew toys, it's unbelieveable.
So, whyyyyyyyyy do they feel the need to steal cat turds out of the litter box, then make a beeline for under the bed (where I can't get to), and eat them!!! It's not even like they go for the fresh ones. It doesn't matter. Old, new, covered in litter, whatever.
Soooooooo gross!!! Whyyyyyyyy do they do this? Am I gonna have to get a food additive to deter them from doing this?

Curbside Prophet · 07-16-2009, 10:08 PM

Because it's available and because it's more interesting than the food you leave out for them to get bored with.

Limit their access to the litter box to zero and feed the dogs on a schedule, and the poo eating magically goes away.

Willowy · 07-16-2009, 10:30 PM

Dogs love kitty poop. They think it tastes great. No accounting for tastes, I guess

. Really the only thing to do is make it so the dogs can't get to the litterbox. I have a baby gate into one room and a cat door into the basement.

cshellenberger · 07-17-2009, 03:02 AM

The room with the litter box is ALWAYS baby-gated off in my house. Cat poo is like 'candy' for most dogs.

ina1032 · 07-17-2009, 08:01 AM

I guess it just doesn't make sense since the cats eat the same food as the dogs. I have a small house so my litter box location options are very limited. I've tried the baby gate thing, it's very cumbersome because it blocks access to the garage. I might try putting it in a covered box with the entry/exit up a little higher than the dogs are willing to jump (hopefully).

zimandtakandgrrandmimi · 07-17-2009, 08:58 AM

I put my litter boxes in old dog crates and tie off the doors so the dog can't get in.

but I have a big dog. I don't think that would work with a pom.

perhaps you could get an x pen and put the box inside? the cats can go over the top but the dogs can't.

pugmom · 07-17-2009, 09:17 AM

I think 9 time out of 10 even if you have your dog on the most nutritional food available they are going to eat kitty McNuggets if they get the chance...

I'm sure cat poo smells a lot like cat food to a dog...plus dogs do all kinds of things that we think are gross...they smell each others and everyone else butts and crotches...they roll in dead things...they lick their genitalia..etc

When we did have cats we always had to keep the cat boxes behind a gate

Willowy · 07-17-2009, 08:59 PM

What do you feed them? Most dog foods will kill a cat eventually.....there's a certain nutrient cats NEED that isn't in most dog foods.

A covered box might help.....or not, because the dogs are the same size as the cats. A top-entry box might work (you can make your own with a Sterilite tote).

ina1032 · 07-18-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willowy

What do you feed them? Most dog foods will kill a cat eventually.....there's a certain nutrient cats NEED that isn't in most dog foods.

I feed them a mixture of Iams puppy and Iams cat food, so everyone gets the nutrients they need.

cshellenberger · 07-18-2009, 10:10 AM

Do not feed a cat dog food at all, it's too high in ash content and will affect the kidneys and cause stones and other urinary problems.

svstarsong99 · 07-18-2009, 03:27 PM

My dogs do this as well. We bought a covered litter box to minimize this. I guess they love the cat's food as well, maybe there is a connection there.

eastcoastwesty · 07-23-2009, 11:38 AM

There is a certian protein in cat poo that is EXTREMELY attractive to dogs. This protein is not in dog or cat food, and the dog is just drawn to it like a magnet.

Teakaleak · 07-23-2009, 06:01 PM

My dog eats cat poo too. It's basically just limiting their access to it. My dog understands that when we're around it's a bad thing to do, but if I leave him alone with access to the cat litter box he will eat it. End of story. Yelling at them afterwards doesn't work either.

I have a question on this, though. Is it bad for dogs to eat cat poo? Does it affect their health? My roommate has a cat and doesn't believe in locking my dog in my room, so he has been getting to the litter box the past couple of days. He's puked once yesterday and once this morning - mostly bile, though. I just spent a trillion dollars on taking him to the vet only last month so I'm hesitant to rush back, because he just pukes and then walks away and seems fine, like a doggy-hairball or something. Sorry if I'm taking this thread off-topic! I thought it might be related to his cat poo eating though.