Why Dogs Eat Poop and Other Crazy Pet Behavior

We have all seen these bizarre behaviors from our pets. Many of us keep them secret for fear of some negative social ridicule and how it reflects on us as a failed pet owner. But let us examine close.

All the way from our dogs that exhibit some very odd culinary preferences to cats that keep thinking outside the litter box, pets demonstrate some very strange behavior.

The Real Poop on Poop Eating

There are actually several animals that consume feces. Believe it or not, this is a meal that often has food particles that are totally intact, and also nutritious. To the dismay of every dog owner, this feces fondness often pertains to their pets.

James Serpell, who is a professor of animal ethics and welfare from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine says “it may be an evolutionary legacy of the dog’s long history of scavenging for a living.” But people still wonder if they can stop their dogs from eating poop.

The first step is to have a vet visit. The reason for this is to eliminate the potential for pancreatic enzyme deficiency and to ensure that their dog is eating properly.

If this goes well, then they should implement some reward based training. Apply the training gently, but be firm in discouraging this behavior as you are leash walking, and give your dog treats and praise him when does good things like ignoring cats and so forth.

If this poop-eating regimen continues, you can begin adding distasteful substances like monosodium glutamate to the feces in order to curb this behavior.

Paper Kitties

Another odd pet behavior – a less revolting one – is that of cats who like to lick pieces of paper that have been freshly printed. Pet owners are concerned whether or not this is dangerous.

Most home printers utilized ethylene glycol, water, and some alcohol. But experts tell us that the only toxic elements here are contained in the printer cartridge. So unless their cats are directly licking the printer cartridges, there is not much danger.

In all likelihood, unless your kitty is eating the paper and she is not licking the paper on a daily basis, there is not much concern for her getting a toxic dose. But pet owners should definitely take steps to keep the paper away from their cats.

Cats Peeing Outside their Litter Box

This is actually a pretty common problem with many cat lovers. Cats actually respond to many things – particularly changes in their environment. If you add a new kitty, get a new piece of furniture, or even move to a new house, your cat’s behavior could be affected in a major way.

As with the poop eating dog, you should begin with a trip to the vet. This is done to rule out the possibility of your cat having a urinary tract infection. If your cat is okay, then you need to start reducing stresses in their environment. One common cause for stress is those litter boxes which are covered. The reason is that they cannot see someone coming while they use their litter box – this causes a lot of stress for them sometimes because they went to be able to protect themselves. So make sure your cat’s box is in a private spot that is quiet.

Another step is to make sure you have plenty of litter boxes within your house. If you have several kitties, then use the N+1 rule for litter boxes – meaning you should have the same number of boxes as the number of cats – plus an additional litter box.

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