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cat poop problems

888 views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Patchy & Sue 
#1 ·
So I have a cat and a dog. But not until recently did I notice my dogs breathe was starting to stink. Like really bad. So i started carefully watching what she was doing ands then I noticed it. She was going in the cats litter box and eating her poop that hadnt been discarded yet. It grosssed me out to no end. I tried moving the liter box didnt help. I tried making sure i got the poop scooped as soon as my cat would poop. But sometimes she would go in the middle of the night yet again causing another problem. I tried putting up a barrier it just got knocked down. Im kind of running out of options. I tried training her to not eat it but hasnt been sticking. Shell stop doing it for like a week then go right back to eating the poop. I tried looking up why she does it and appaerntly its because of the scent of the cats food my dog likes it or something. So i tried changing the cat food, didnt work. In fact got worse. If anyone has any solutions please help. I dont want her to get sick from eating poop.
 
#2 ·
I don't think eating cat poop has anything to do with what you're feeding your cat. Some dogs just are poop eaters, and the only way to stop it is to make it inaccessible. That means putting the cat box somewhere the cat can get to it and the dog can't - covered cat box (if the cat will use it), box high where cat can jump up to it and dog can't reach it, box in room with door opening fixed so narrow cat can slip through but dog can't (works if dog is considerably larger than the cat), box in room with barrier across it the door (needless to say a sturdy barrier the dog can't knock down) so the cat can slip under but dog can't (ditto, dog size), etc. If it's only happening at night when you're asleep, you can crate train the dog and confine her at night.

If the cat is healthy, it's probably not going to make the dog sick. You're the one getting sick since it's disgusting and it is potentially exposing you to it. I bet you can think of a way to make the cat box impossible for the dog to get to and still available to the cat. Good luck.
 
#3 ·
Good luck. I've tried for years to prevent my dogs from eating cat poop.

You might try a litter box with the entry in the top, or one that has a vestibule. The latter can be pretty pricey, though.
 
#7 · (Edited)
There are multiple ways to teach the ignore behavior.

Just like training the dog to Pass an object. Research different methods.

I have been successful training the command "Pass" during our walks. My dog would desire to stop and sniff and dribble on every tree during our walk. This became troublesome. After I knew he had emptied his bladder and was shooting dust. I began saying the word "Pass" and at the same time I would shorten my leash grip and just keep walking. After a few days, my dog understood the "Pass" command. I no longer needed to shorten the leash and could just keep walking. The "Pass" command has since expanded to include any item, animal, people, car, tree, bush........ Many times, my dog doesn't pay any attention to other animals, he just ignores them and we keep walking. He may look, but that is the extent of his attention to "Pass" items.

Be aware, I never dragged my dog, just a firm steady pull on the leash to keep moving forward. I only gave verbal praise. I was also training the command "WC" for potty time during the first part of our walks. "WC" became meaningless when he was empty, then I would shift to the "Pass" command

I guess the key is to make the "Ignore" item not interesting by offering a more interesting item. In my case, the continued walk was the reward along with verbal praise. You could try a similar technique with the litter box.

Save a bit of the used litter minus any special buried treats. Remember, dogs key on smell. Place the litter into a box, leash the dog, walk past the box, say command and shorten leash, keep walking. When the dog shows any reduced interest, give a reward. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, until the dog is showing no interest. Now, you continue, but quite saying the command, dog still on leash. Soon, you will be able to walk past on a slack leash. Then work to a no leash situation. Then try with the box located where you can observe it, let the dog roam and do his normal thing. If the dog shows interest, say the command, don't forget the reward when he respond.

In the mean time, take steps to place the litter box out of the dog's access.

Sorry, almost forgot. The command word you use to ignore can be anything you want. Just stay consistent.
 
#8 ·
The only success I had with this was just making sure the dogs couldn't get to the litter box. Make sure the litter box is the enclosed style, with just an opening for the cat to get it. What I did was put the litter box under a desk, with the opening facing the wall. Only leave just enough room for the cat to squeeze through (assuming your dog is bigger than your cat). You might need to put a weight of some sort on top of the box too, depending on how strong/determined your dog is.
 
#10 ·
My Boy does the same, he suffers with IBD, he seems to do it more when he has his bad IBD pain, my vet said cats poo is like caviar to a dog, cats food is higher in meat protein & dogs can smell the meat, I had to teach Patch the words "LEAVE IT" & spray him with a water spray bottle if I caught him, this has helped but my cat started to poo outside since we moved & this is a nightmare I have to find where she poos before he finds the cats poo, your situation is easy cause your cat poos inside. Cats like to jump up & be high, put her litter tray up high on a table or bench top etc so the dog can't jump up onto table etc also what I did was get a kitty litter that has a lid & the cat has to push thru a flap to enter her kitty litter, but it sounds like your dog would just push her head into the Kitty litter.
Start you're dog on a good dog probiotic so her gut gets healthy again, best to give probiotics in between meals or 1st thing of a morning when stomach is empty & stomach acids are low, not high like they're when they eat, I was giving Patch probiotic powder mixed with10mls water & he'd drink it from the bowl at 11am daily given as a treat, he loved it..
Purina Forti Flora probiotic came 1st when 20 dog probiotic were tested only 3 came back with live cultures, the rest were a waste of money, so becareful & do your research, another good brand is "Adored Beast- Love Bugs"
also give your dog a meaty chicken wing, chicken drumstick or a chicken Carcass, something she can chew on & loves more then the cat poos are a treat, the meaty bones will clean her teeth & the probiotic will make that bad smell that's coming up from her stomach once her gut is healthy again.
Good-luck
 
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