As a cat owner, cleaning the litter box may not be your favorite activity, but it is important to understand what things keep your little friend healthy.Everyone poops, even your feline friend poops; there is nothing fancy about it. By familiarizing yourself with how often your cat needs to poop, it will help you ensure that your kitty is normal and healthy.Read on to get more answers to your questions about cat poop, like: Is your cat pooping enough? What does healthy cat poop look like?The cat is a domestic species of the Felidae family and belongs to small carnivorous mammals. Domestic cats have always been respected as human’s best companions, and it is believed that cat domestication began in ancient Egypt. They were first domesticated around 7500 BC and are common pets throughout the world. In the United States, the domestic cat is the second-most popular pet.On average, a domestic cat typically weighs around 9-11 lbs (4-5 kg). They have a head-to-body length of about 18 in (46 cm) and a height of about 12 in (30 cm). Generally, males are more prominent than females.Cat’s sleep usually varies for an average of 12 to 16 hours, but some can even sleep for 20 hours. The term ‘cat nap’ refers to its tendency to sleep for a brief period. These felines conserve their energy by sleeping more than most animals, primarily when they grow older.If you enjoyed this article, also read our other articles about how often do cats need a rabies shot? And how often do cats pee? How often do cats poop on wet food?A cat’s poop is an important indicator of your kitty’s health condition. It can reveal any potential underlying illnesses experienced by your little one. Most cats defecate at least once a day. As a general rule of thumb, cats may poop once or twice a day. There is no specific frequency for cats to poop, and it varies for individual cats. If they are suffering from any medical illness or stressed out, then it may affect their digestive system and they may not poop at all.Your cat might poop more than three times a day on wet food. Wet food can cause cats to poop more frequently than other cat foods specifically because the moisture content in wet food might help speed up digestion. However, we cannot say that wet food is the sole reason for your cat’s frequent bowel movements. As long as the wet food contains all the necessary nutrients, there is no cause for alarm. Still, a balance between wet, canned food and dry food is good for your kitty.Water is essential for good and healthy bowel movements both in humans and animals. Wet food is known to be high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Wet food is the best food and method to keep your cat hydrated since cats tend to not always drink still water. Feeding your cat with wet food also helps maintain its body during the aging process. Eating the same food daily might be dull for your kitty, so including wet food will create more enthusiasm for some of the pickier cats.However, if you feel your cat is pooping a lot more than usual or it doesn’t look normal, it is good to talk to your veterinarian. How often do adult cats poop?An adult cat should have a bowel movement at most three times a day. If your cat poops more than that or does not defecate at all for three consecutive days, it could indicate something is wrong. If the cat has bowel movements more than three times a day, it might have diarrhea, which will lead to dehydration. If the cat is not pooping for more than three days, then it might be constipated. Cats with constipation may have very dry, hard stools and have discomfort while trying to poop, which can cause the cat to stay outside the litter box before it passes the stool.There are several other things besides cat food that should be taken into consideration to determine your cat pooping frequency. If you have a pet cat and it’s not doing well, take a look at these key areas that could be the cause.Diet: Being a cat owner, paying attention to your feline friend’s eating and drinking habits is essential. Cats fed too much food, or low-quality food may have larger or more frequent bowel movements. Changes in a cat’s diet may also result in altering the frequency of your cat’s pooping schedule. If you want to make any changes in food, it should be done gradually by mixing a little of the new food over time. Even food allergies can also cause increased or decreased frequency of defecation. Therefore, cats that are appropriately fed are usually well balanced.Water: Water plays a remarkable role in maintaining a healthy defecation routine. Cats eating dry food may experience constipation and have dry, hard stools because they are not getting enough water. Ensure your cat is drinking sufficient water when you are feeding all-dry food. Talk to your veterinarian about changing your cat’s diet to a mix of wet food and dry food, which helps with bowel movements.Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions affect the frequency of bowel movements. Cat’s having health issues such as constipation due to hairballs, inflammatory bowel disease, blockage, arthritis, megacolon, hyperthyroidism, parasites, and other medical conditions will directly impact how often they poop throughout the day. Cats that are overweight may also suffer from constipation and might tend to poop less often.Age: Generally, age also plays a significant role in a cat’s defecation routine. An adult cat will defecate daily, and young cats or kittens will poop more often than older cats.Activity level: More active cats may have a larger bowel movement as often as a cat who doesn’t get any form of daily exercise. Regular exercise and activities promote healthy defecation motility.Environmental Factors: Anxiety, stress or an unhealthy environment may also influence your cat’s defecation behavior. Stress may lead to constipation. Sometimes the cat may try to retain its bowel movement to avoid contact with a dirty litter box.There isn’t much to concern if the cat poops once a day and not more than five times. However, if it frequently poops, for example, ten times a day or doesn’t poop for a couple of days, it may be due to many different things like diarrhea, constipation, food allergies, or some underlying illness.Talk to your vet about any stool problems, like if you find your cat’s poop looks unusual or if your cat appears uncomfortable while pooping. If the cat is continuously going outside of the box for several days, that may also be a sign of a serious medical issue, and the veterinarian may prescribe medications. How often do cats poop when taking pain medication?When a cat is on any medications, especially certain pain medications or supplements, it will affect its gut motility. Generally, a healthy adult cat should pass a bowel movement at least once a day and pee 2-3 times a day. Its elimination routine may be slightly altered based on the medications prescribed and given to your cat. These medications may also sometimes affect your cat’s kidneys, stomach, liver, heart, or intestines. Therefore, be careful and look out for any symptoms such as loss of appetite and lack of energy and if you notice any of these symptoms, see your veterinarian.Moreover, the healthy stool will be dark brown in color, not too hard or too soft, should not smell terrible, and should pass the stool without any discomfort or difficulty.If a cat’s poop is abnormal, it will appear as rock-solid or mushy, green or light brown in color, runny or soft, excessively dry with lots of hair, ribbon-like, black, tarry, or frothy with terrible smell or with traces of mucous or blood, then your cat might be having a health issue and should go to the vet. If it is too watery, then the cat likely has diarrhea which can be caused by:Eating harmful foods or toxic substancesDietary intolerance or food allergiesIllnesses like colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, hyperthyroidism, or cancerParasites such as roundworms, you can see these internal parasites in their poopDairy products like saucers of milk can also be harmful to your feline friend’s tummy Be mindful and observant, and if diarrhea lasts longer than 48 hours, your cat warrants a vet visit. Many people believe constipation is normal in cats, but it isn’t. Be concerned if your cat is straining to poop or urinate, this is severe and it’s time for a veterinarian visit. Various factors that could be the causes of constipation are:No high fiber in the dietDehydration due to not having enough waterOver-grooming of your cat’s hair can lead to hair blocking in the digestive tractIf any object is swallowed it can cause an obstructionAny blockage or tumor in the intestinesAn illness like diabetesSo, if you are concerned about your cat with any of the above problems, don’t skip your vet’s visit.How often do newborn cats poop?Cats pooping once or twice a day is considered a regular bowel movement. However, the frequency of cats pooping varies depending on their diet, age, exercise, and other factors. Mainly if it is an active or young kitten, this frequency may increase. A normal healthy kitten could defecate between 1-6 bowel movements per day. However, if you do not notice poop in the litter box even after a day, or two, or if your kitten is straining when trying to defecate, take her to the vet as soon as possible. Some cats may defecate every other day or every three days, which is also considered normal as long as it doesn’t face any issues related to passing stools, and it doesn’t have any gastrointestinal problems like lack of appetite, vomiting, or lethargy.You can stimulate your cat or kitten to have a regular bowel movement naturally by giving them any of the diets recommended by the vet, such as:Wet food mixed with waterPumpkin pureeSalmon pureeChicken pureeRelaxing your kittenMassaging your cat’s belly If you notice diarrhea in kittens, it should be addressed promptly. As the kittens grow, the risks related to occasional constipation and mild diarrhea decrease.Sometimes cats or kittens might instinctively defecate in the sandbox at the parks because they feel it is a giant litter box. When you notice this, you should stop your right away cat from defecating in the sandbox because it can be harmful to children. While playing, children may be exposed to parasitic diseases that can be carried in cat poop.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for curious pet cat facts to know: how often do cats poop? Then why not take a look at why do fingers prune? What’s all about pruney fingers and toes? Or how is glass made? Different types of glass making explained!
As a cat owner, cleaning the litter box may not be your favorite activity, but it is important to understand what things keep your little friend healthy.
