Why Does My Dog Eats Cat Poop?

How to Dog Proof the Cat's Litterbox

Dogs and cats can live together in relative peace and harmony, but there are some undesirable side-effects of the relationship. One is the fact that dogs can't resist the tempting treats of cat poo in the litterbox. Once your dog realizes those little sandy nuggets are there, it'll do anything to keep going back for more, unless you do something about it.

Steps

Locate a closet in your home that has space on the floor inside for the litterbox, and that you don't mind leaving slightly ajar.

Test the width your cat needs to get in and out of the opening. Put Kitty in the closet, and firmly hold the door open approximately 4" or so. If Kitty has to struggle or squeeze to get out, open it just enough to let her come and go freely.

Measure the distance of the opening.

Buy a hook-and-eye latch that is only slightly shorter than your measurement.

Sand a small patch of finish/paint off of the inside of the closet door, approximately 2" from the edge, and about two-thirds of the way up.

Sand one of the wide sides of the wood block to roughen.

Apply a couple of blobs of wood glue to the block, and stick it onto the sanded patch on the door. This is going to give the latch eye a sturdy place to anchor, in the event that your door is hollow.

Clamp with the C-clamp overnight for the glue to dry.

Select a drill bit that is smaller in diameter than your eye anchor.

Drill a small starter hole in the center of the block.

Screw the eye anchor of the latch into the hole, make sure it's sunk as far as it can go.

Measure the height of the eye anchor, and mark a spot on the door frame that matches.

Use the same drill bit to drill a small starter hole in the door frame.

Screw in the hook anchor as far as you can.

Close the door to your kitty-width, and hook the latch together. Give the door a good wiggle to make sure the hardware is staying put.

Test the width again with Kitty inside the closet, this time with the latch on. If it's too small, you can get a little leeway by unscrewing the eyes at either end just a bit.

Show Kitty the new location of the litterbox several times, just to prevent any confusion.

Tips

If you don't have a drill, you can make a starter hole with a hammer and a small nail. Watch your fingers!

Apply a coat of latex paint that matches the door or the doorframe onto the latch to camouflage it.

Measure twice or even thrice, drill once.

Keeping the litterbox as clean as possible will not only leave less temptation for Poochie, but it will also prevent items in the closet from picking up litterbox odors.

An alternate idea is to elevate the litter box (on a box or an old table) so the cat can reach it and the dog cannot.

Another alternate idea is to put a piece of short wood (or a baby gate) across the doorway to the room where the litter box is located. My dog, a large German Shepherd, would not step over a board only six inches tall. Humans can step over the wood or baby gate and cats will certainly jump over it.

Warnings

This will only work if your cat is a normal size. There are going to be cases where the cat's body is wider than the dog's - this technique will not work for these cases.

Things You'll Need

drill and assorted small-sized bits

large (5" - 6" long) hook-and-eye latch

wood glue

sandpaper (medium grain)

C-clamp

Tape measure or yardstick

Unfortunately, sometimes it is a dog eat poop world. Dogs have been known to eat poop -- dog poop, cat poop, rabbit poop, deer poop, frozen poop, whatever. It's disgusting, there's no doubt about that, but why do they do it and what can be done about it?

There are many theories as to why dogs eat poop. Some believe that dogs may have a dietary deficiency which they're compensating for by eating feces. Though there are some medical disorders that can lead to this, including starvation, disorders of the pancreas or intestine, and severe parasitic infestations which lead to serious malnutrition, these are typically rare. So, generally speaking, eating poop is not a sign that a dog is missing something in his diet.

Our dog no matter what we did ate the cats poop. Then he would get really sick because he was eatting cat litter. We took him too the vet and the vet told us it is natural for a dog to eat poop becasue in the wild poop is a form of protein for them. Most dogs would eat till they exploded so it is not a matter of them not getting enough food. Our vet said "a dog would pass up a juicy steak for a piece of of fresh cat poop." Our dog would listen during the day and stay away form the litter poop but as soon as we went to bed at night he was in the litter. We had to eventually move the litter into a spare bedroom and use a gate to keep him out of the room. The cats can still jump it but he can't. If you have a big dog they sell gates at petsmart with little doors in the middle to keep dog out but let cats in.

Dogs are very smell-oriented, and cat poop is pretty smelly. Dogs eat things that smell good to them, like garbage, poop, dead animals, etc. Remember that the next time Sparky tries to lick your face...

C'mon, canned pet food smells nasty too. Would you ever eat anything that smelled like that?

Tell your friend to get an automatic litter box, like the Litter Maid box. It scoops the poop automatically, and puts the waste in a receptacle the dog (usually) won't be able to get. They run from $75 to $125, depending on the type you get.

Caution: Make sure the receptacle is emptied before it gets too full. If it overflows, the lid won't shut, and the dog will essentially have an all-you-can-eat sh*t buffet.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Dogs have very sensitive noses and they smell the food in the poop...not the poop itself. That is why dogs will eat poop. Depending on the size of the dog, get a hooded litter box. If the dog is not a little tiny dog he won't be able to get in the box far enough to eat what is in there. Good luck.

This to us sounds gross. But to them it tastes good. I have a german shepherd that did this. There are a few options. You can contact your vet. There is this stuff (can't remember the name of it at the moment) they can give you and you sprinkle it on the dogs food and it will make the kitty poo taste nasty. That is the expensive route.

Cheaper way is use a litter box that has a cover. Turn the opening of the box to a corner so the dog can't get into it. But make sure you leave room for kitty to get in. I have a litter box upstairs that has the plastic door on it. It seems like the dog thinks it is more work than it is worth. Not sure but he doesn't even mess with that box.

contact a local veternarian, there is this stuff called Forbid, you sprinkle it in the cats food and it is supposed to make the cat poop taste bad ( like it shouldnt already). and the dog shouldnt eat it then

good luck

also if the dog is on a bland or high fiber diet he may just be trying to compensate as cat food is higher in fat than dog food ( for the most part)

I have had dogs and cats for most of my life, and this is not abnormal. For some reason, dogs are attracted to the poop of other animals. Just tell the dog not to do it anymore because it's gross. The dog will understand the error of its ways and will not want to be shunned for its faux pas.

lol just kidding. All I really know is I had to keep the litter box cleaned out pretty regularly. Good luck!

Buy a Rubbermaid storage tote (or similar) and lid. Just cut a small hole in the center of the lid big enough for the cat to go in and out, but too small for the dog to stick it's head in and reach the bottom where the poop is. You may have to tape the lid down or rig something up to hold the lid down. Problem solved.

cat poop is like a puppy treat for dogs. i do not know why but they love cat poop.