My cat has started eating her own feces. HELP!

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alexia&wednesday

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Ok, so my cat has been ravenous for quite some time.
I was told my cat's diabetes was not well regulated, even though I am pretty strict with her vet visits, food, insulin, dose, etc. (If it helps, I am a physician for humans.)
Her BG has been great lately, ranging around 200 pre-shot, and about 100 at nadir, she is on 0.75u of lantus.

Today I was in the room when she pooped and I was watching (because for months she has been missing the box, so I wanted to see why/how this was happening). TO MY HORROR, she immediately started licking, then eating the feces. I stopped her, scooped it up and tested her BG, which was not low or anything.

I can't even describe how ravenous she is lately (last few weeks/months), it's like she hasn't eaten in days, she literally attacks her food. She has been like this for awhile, but this is extreme.

Please help, I don't even know what to do.
 
I've heard of dogs doing this sort of thing, but never cats. I'm sorry, I don't have any sort of answer on that one, but hopefully someone will come along.

You mentioned she's ravenous...has she had her thyroid checked lately? Hyperthyroid can cause a ravenous appetite. My Mr Kitty (GA) was frantically unstoppable about food when he went HyperT. And, of course unregulated diabetes can also cause a ravenous appetite, too.

Pooping outside the box is usually a cat's way of telling you something is not quite right, so it's definitely worth investigating this - along with the increased appetite - further with your vet.
 
Alexia, I don't think I've ever heard this behavior here. Maybe that is why the lack of responses?
I would have Wednesday see the vet. The hunger, the eatting of stool, none of this sounds right....right?
That would be all I could say, call the vet.
Maybe google?
Lori
and tomtom
 
I've read in a feline unrelated book (cannot think of the title now), that the eating of personal feces can sometimes be due to lack of much needed nutrients. Your cat is definitely trying to tell you something. I would suggest a call to the vet for some pre-test discussions of this issue. It could be as simple as needing to give her some vitamins with her food.
 
Hi

You can have blood tests done checking pancreatic function and intestinal absorption. The most important one would be a TLI; I would also do a PLI and a B12/folate level. It's possible that her pancreas isn't secreting the enzymes she needs to digest her food so it is coming out undigested enough that she eats it.
 
I read about the lack of nutrients, as well.

She has been having GI symptoms for quite some time, until recently she would find a way to get into human food, and then it would give her diarrhea. It seems easy to fix, but sometimes I would walk away from the cabinet, forget to lock it and she would get in and eat something ridiculous before I could stop her.
I have recently moved (and need a new vet....sigh), so she has not been able to do this with no cabinets. Her BG is better controlled and her stools are normal.

....now this.

I will take her to the vet here, which would be much easier at home but the one people like here is expensive and they don't take carecredit. (I am just starting my job as a physician- so I am still broke :) )

Thanks for the help.
 
All the replies so far sound good. But no one has asked these questions yet, so I will.

What and how much food do you feed Wednesday? How much does she weigh?

You say you have been told that she hasn't been well regulated. Who told you that and when and what did they mean by that? Could she literally be ravenous?
 
You might be giving her all the right food but something is FOR SURE wrong. Exactly right about her eating because her body is not digesting something properly. Something is causing this... He your kitty maintaining the weight not loosing any? Is the kitty possibly hyperthyroid. This will make a cat EXTREMELY ravenous but normally will show other signs such as inappropriate litter box habits excessive drinking bulgy eyes shedding a lot a slightly faster heart rate. I would get her to the vet. Rule out parasites fisrt... then if you don't find an answer test further.
 
Also if not regulated then this will cause the ravenous hunger. I had a declaw kitty (Dakota) sweetest boy in the world but he was able to tear through a hard plastic treat bag because he was so hungry. FEED MORE if they are that hungry
 
Also if not regulated then this will cause the ravenous hunger. I had a declaw kitty (Dakota) sweetest boy in the world but he was able to tear through a hard plastic treat bag because he was so hungry. FEED MORE if they are that hungry
 
I just took a look at Wednesday's chart, and I see that she is not well regulated. I also see that you stopped giving insulin after her hypo incident, and haven't increased the dose the dose since then like the protocol calls for. Have you read about tight regulation? http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581. I think she needs to be increased to 1u, and you need to keep testing and getting those nadirs.

I think it's most likely she's ravenous because of the unregulated diabetes. Feed her whatever she wants to eat until it gets under control. If I remember correctly, she has a history of DKA and you need to be aggressive with her dosing. Please read the tight regulation protocol, and take those increases when it calls for them.
 
that chart is very very old, and also....i had gone up to 4u at one point (slowly, per protocol, over a year) and she STILL wasn't regulated and then one day, after i was on vacation for 3 days and cat sitter wasn't testing her BG, she went hypo the day i got back and as i was rushing her to the ED she started seizing. her BG stayed below 40 for 24 full hours, despite d% being pumped into her, and no one knew why. at that time she had diarrhea and we think she wasn't absorbing nutrients. why she had diarrhea? i don't know, we tested for everything but cancer. it is resolved now.
so, we are back on 0.5 units and she is doing pretty good. how i ever got her up to 4u is beyond me...

currently she was eating 1 can of fancy feast 2x a day, with a snack here and there.
she is really REALLY skinny, like 6.5-7 lbs, i haven't checked in the last few weeks, i am sending her to the vet to do this ASAP. i can't seem to get her to gain weight.
right now, because of this incident, i am feeding her way more and hoping it doesn't ruin her semi-controlled diabetes (per numbers, which seem decent).

at this point, she is 13 years old and the diabetes has been really difficult for almost 2 years, i am willing to feed her more to get her to gain wait and to stop being so ravenous, in exchange of her having higher BG than i'd like.

i just don't know what to do.
 
alexia&wednesday said:
currently she was eating 1 can of fancy feast 2x a day, with a snack here and there. she is really REALLY skinny, like 6.5-7 lbs, i haven't checked in the last few weeks, i am sending her to the vet to do this ASAP. i can't seem to get her to gain weight.
Click to expand...

The cans say "Feed an average size adult cat 1 can per 3-1/2 pounds of body weight daily." So 2 cans will just maintain her weight at 7 lb. and not add any weight on her. If she is really skinny and should weigh more than 7 lbs., you probably need to feed her 3 cans a day.
 
Where in Philly are you? I am from there, and still have lots of friends that might be able to suggest a vet if you need it. A friend of mine who has dogs lives in So Philly (around 10th & Shunk) and his answer would problably be U of P - they have a vet school. I also have a friend with 2 cats that lives in oreland, just outside of the city, kind of north & west, that I could call for you. My dad's best friend & his ex-wife both have pets and live in Chestnut Hill, so I could contact both of them. My dad lives in Chester County, and I vet that we use there is Mine Line Vet in Frasier, but that's going to be too far outside the city limits.

Please PM me if you want me to call these people for some info. I have unlimited long distance, so it's no problem. your cat needs a vet visit for this stool eating thing.
 
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