Hi, I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two adventurous cats, Pancake and Tiller.
poop. We can all cringe a little when the subject comes up. But hold it? Looking at it? Counting and qualifying it? That’s a whole different level of “eww” for many of us.
But what if we reframe these negative connotations about poo, into a positive one?
This week’s article aims to provide just that insight, and show you how your cat’s poop can be useful to indicate your cat’s health, happiness, and more. We often think long and hard about what happens to our cats: e.g. food- is it healthy, tasty, how often and how much should we feed…but we often spend little or no time on what goes out to our cats. However it can be equally important. Let’s change that.
Rethinking the Cat
So, what’s the shit? Essentially, it’s what’s left of food, that the body can’t digest, or wants to get rid of. In humans, stool is about 76% water, stool frequency is largely determined by ingestion and amount of fiber, and the average number of stool productions is about 1.2 daily.1 Although there is little published data, it is probably fair to say that cats are similar. In addition, just like humans, a study in cats found that there is considerable variation in the amount of time it takes to digest food depending on the individual.2 (Importantly, this same study found as a side note that making your cat pill dry—eg, giving your cat a pill without food or water– led to 3 out of 17 cats sticking the pill in their esophagus for over an hour!) But now, back to shit!
Poop also reflects the general health of the producer. Too firm, and dehydration can occur. Too wet, and the body doesn’t absorb all the water from the stool. (Note, it’s not because of too much water! I’ve had many clients over the years tell me that they stopped feeding their cat wet food because their cat’s stool was too soft, or their cat! No! The colon had an issue, and couldn’t absorb water before the stool left the body by containing too much water!)
Poop also reflects the amount, type and distribution of bacteria living in the digestive tract, also referred to as the microbiome. This has become a buzzword area of medicine in recent years, looking at everything from how the microbiome contributes to gut health, but also brain, kidney and heart health, as well as the immune system . And new data keeps coming! For example, a recent publication found that certain probiotic strains can significantly reduce skin allergies in certain cats. Sounds like a big deal? This is. All of these are simple, easy, side-effect free drugs that are cost-effective, and safe. What’s not to love?
What is Fecal Transplant?
Did you know that in human and feline medicine we can use something called fecal transplants to help with chronic diarrhea or other conditions? I have met many people who have spoken about their positive experiences with FMT: fecal microbiota transplants.
As a veterinarian, I’ve had some amazing results with my own patients, including my first FMT patient who I’ll call Jesse, who was a 16-year-old Domestic Shorthair diabetic with a multi-year history of diarrhea. His owners were ready to euthanize him after trying years of drugs aimed at improving his stool, and his quality of life was poor, but a fecal transplant bought him almost an extra year—with normal stools coming out within 24 hours of his transplant.
Basically, the process is similar to donating blood—only with a different organ involved. The donor cat (healthy and screened for fecal parasites) provides feces, which is then liquefied and used to fill the recipient’s fecal tract, therefore transferring healthy bacteria. It’s an amazingly simple, yet effective, process. It’s not always curative for patients, but it can be a great tool in the diarrhea arsenal. Medicine can be functional and scary, sometimes! The gut, quite simply, is pretty strong.
Rules of Thumb for Cat Poop
So, where does all this leave us? Cleaning the litter box can be a drag (or litter tray, for those so inclined), but the information it provides is proverbial gold. Here are some rules of thumb, when it comes to cat litter:
- The overall consistency should be soft, but firm. Because we all like food, using the Snickers bar analogy: you should be able to deform it, but the dirt should still be firm. (I hope no one is eating lunch or dessert while reading this!)
- Color: a light to dark brown. Black can indicate dissolved blood. I’ve also had clients start new foods that led to a change in color in their cat’s stool. A whitish color can mean a lack of pancreatic enzymes, although this is not common in cats.
- Odor: foul-smelling or foul-smelling stool may indicate an issue, such as microbiome upset. But all poop smells to some extent- that’s normal!
- If using probiotics, use one recommended by your veterinarian. Many probiotics fail to meet label claims when tested, so using one that really stands up to scrutiny is important. In one study, only 2 of 25 tested probiotics actually matched the product labeling. I personally tend to use Fortiflora to start, as many cats like the taste, and it’s easy to use, in addition to meeting the label claims.
- Middening is the term for cats defecating inappropriately. With indoor cats, this means outside the litter tray. This may indicate communication about stress, or even an aversion to the litter box or litter. Talk to your vet, if this is happening. Middening should not be confused with cats that go to the tray, but poop on the side, or miss the box.
- Size: Most cat feces are around the diameter of an average human finger. If it is very thin, say the width of a pencil, it may indicate a narrowing or stricture of the bowel, and should be investigated. If it is very large, it may indicate intestinal motility issues, and should also be mentioned to your vet.
- Don’t be afraid to take pictures of your cat’s poop if something doesn’t feel right. Similarly, a video of them in the box will help your vet see and share any concerns you may have!
The old saying goes: it all comes out in the end. This time of shit, sure, that’s true. Indicators of health, and gastrointestinal function, can all be assessed by looking at what your cat leaves behind. Hopefully, this sheds new light on daily box cleaning, and gives you something else to think about when you’re cleaning, makes box cleaning functional, and thought-provoking!
