When your dog poops outside of the area or house where it is allowed to go, you will sometimes find that cat nearby. Cats are naturally curious, so they often choose to watch as your dog goes through its elimination process.
When this happens, most cats walk away quickly, but some remain behind to investigate. These inquisitive felines may even try to poke their paws in the poop to see what was digested!
If this sounds scary or uncomfortable for your cat, she may decide it is time to look for her own bathroom. This can be confusing if you want to keep both dogs and cats healthy and happy!
Fortunately, there are simple ways to prevent your pet from needing to use the outdoors as an outdoor potty. If needed, you can take extra precautions to get your pet all the way home and/or train them to use the correct restroom facilities.
Is it dry or wet?
The consistency of your cat’s poop is an important indicator of how healthy they are. If it’s soft, that means they don’t have enough dietary moisture- which can be a symptom of digestion issues.
If it’s crumbly like dried up cereal, then probably because they didn’t eat enough kibble.
But if it looks more solid than either of those, then that’s okay! That’s what we want to talk about here.
Cat feces should look similar to chicken feed, you know, the stuff chickens eat. It’s not too moist, nor is it totally dried out. Most importantly, there shouldn’t be any visible signs of stomach acid.
Why would there be acid in their digestive system? Because cats need acidic gut bacteria to help break down certain foods. So if you see some, it could indicate health problems.
Is it crumbly or compact?
First, determine if your cat is eating too many cookies or other foods that are high in carbohydrates. If so, they may be passing most of the sugar through dry pooped waste.
If their poop seems very fluffy and almost looks like little balls, this could indicate that they’re not digesting all of the nutrients in the food. Therefore, some of the nutritional value is being wasted before it can be absorbed into the digestive system.
This also means that the body has to work harder to get the needed nutrition. For example, an empty stomach requires more energy for digestion than one full of food.
Another way to identify potential health issues with pooping is by looking at the color.
Is it smelly?
The most common way to identify bad cat odor is by looking at how their poop looks. If the feces are pastel colored with no digestive enzymes in it, then it may be considered suspicious.
If you see this, there could be issues such as poor nutrition or health problems. It can also be due to internal medical conditions like stress or parasites. This would make the body produce less of the enzyme needed to break down starch which leads to these colorless fecal balls.
Cat owners often describe their kitties’ droppings as “white” but if you look closer, they’re actually pretty dark! That’s because white cats don't always poo enough. They're hungry, so they hold off until they feel full later when they do poo.
This doesn't usually cause a problem unless your next door neighbor complains about the smell - even though yours probably aren't anywhere close to being an obnoxious amount.
Is there hair in it?
The consistency of the poop is another important factor to consider when determining if your dog has done their business. If the poo looks like pure solid matter with no liquid components, then chances are it’s just dried up feces that have been pushed out by the stomach.
This would be an example of dry fecal material.
If the poop seems more crumbly or powdery though, this may indicate diarrhea. A red tinge to the stool can also be indicative of internal bleeding due to intestinal ulcers.
It is very important to note whether or not your dog has bowel movements and what color their stools are.
Is there any visible blood?
Even if your cat does not seem to be injured, it is important to check for signs of internal bleeding. If you do not see any blood, but they are acting nervous or shier than normal then that can be concerning.
If you do notice blood outside of the body, make sure to clean it off properly! You can use some paper towels or even produce such as oranges to do this.
Is there any visible bacteria?
One of the most important things to check for when trying to determine if your pooch has an illness is whether or not they have healthy feces. If you see signs that their poop may be past its normal consistency, then it’s time to take action!
Many health conditions can cause diarrhea, so make sure to look out for symptoms like blood in the stool, fatigue, weight loss, and/or dry skin and mouth.
Making a trip to the vet right away is always the best course of action, but if you are at home and able to observe changes in your dog’s behavior and/or appearance, you can try making some natural remedies first.
For example, if the pooch seems more active than usual, give them both a good amount of food and water to see if that helps regulate bowel movements. Make sure to keep an eye on them as well; dogs who suffer from IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) sometimes go without sleep due to excessive hunger.
Is there any visible parasites?
Another important thing to check is for parasite oocysts, which are what most pooping cats use to live and grow. If you see signs of diarrhea along with these egg-like particles, then it may be time to look at your cat.
Diarrhea can sometimes conceal parasites, so if your kitty has been going down more than usual lately, make sure to do an extra thorough cleaning. Also, ask whether your cat seems tired or lethargic after his/her last round of activity.
Is there any visible fat?
The next thing to check is if their body shape seems normal. If you notice lots of thick white fur with no discernible stomach, then they may have enough food to keep them happy.
Thick hair usually indicates an adequate diet, so make sure to give your cat an extra good scratch or two! They need not worry about looking fresh either, as most cats spend more time grooming themselves than some people do.
If you see that their legs look thinned out, this can be due to lack of calories or poor blood circulation. Make sure to feed your cat properly and exercise for it to recover.
Lastly, are their paws looked healthy and well-groomed? If yes, then they probably enjoy spending time outside and/or playing, which means they’re at least superficially exposed to external factors such as dirt, water, and other animals’ droppings.
