8 Weird But True Cat Poop Facts
If you love cats, you probably consider yourself an expert on cat poop. After all, you do deal with a lot of it. But just because you may know which cat litter types are better for the environment and don’t cause your furbaby’s paws to be pickier than usual, that doesn’t mean you know everything there is about the stinky little presents Mr. Whiskers likes to leave behind. Maybe there are some kitty poo facts you don’t know. Some of them may actually blow your mind.Here’s our round-up of weird but true facts surrounding the cat poop in your own home.
Cat Poop Parasites Can Control Minds
While this isn’t extremely common, it is possible.Researchhas found that a mind-controlling parasite called Toxoplasma gondii can make permanent brain changes in rodents. The mind-controlling effect causes mice and rats actually to like cat pee and lose their fear of cats.“The parasite is able to create this behavior change as early as three weeks after infection,” Wendy Ingram, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley who worked on the study, toldNBC News.
Pregnant Women Are Told To Avoid Cat Poop At All Costs
While scooping the cat poop in the litter box is a common household chore for cat lovers everywhere, it’s potentially dangerous for pregnant ladies. In fact, doctors urge pregnant women to hand off the task to their partner or another family member in order to protect themselves and their unborn child.That same rodent mind-controlling parasite can have ill effects on humans, though it’s not typically dangerous (or mind-controlling). For most people who aren’t immunocompromised, the worst-case scenario would be some mild flu-like symptoms.But studies show that infected pregnant women can actually pass the parasite onto their fetus, which can cause birth defects or even death.The best way to prevent the risk of this parasiteis to scoop out kitty poo daily and to keep your cats indoors to prevent them from catching parasites in the first place.
Coffee Produced From Cat Poop Can Cost up to $600 per Pound
This may win forthe weirdest kitty poo fact.One of the most expensive coffees in the world is produced with some unusual help from the Asian Palm Civet. These cats eat coffee beans, which then ferment inside the cats during their digestion process. This gives the beans a “unique flavor” that people seek out and spend a lot of money to get.That’s right. Farmers collect the coffee kitty poo and process it to make a product calledKopi Luwak or Civet Coffee.A cup of this hot beverage can cost between $35 and $100, while a pound of this interesting cat poop coffee material can sell for $100 to $600.Too bad your own litter box can’t churn a profit like that!
George Clooney Once Pulled the Weirdest Cat Poop Prank
When staying with a buddy, George Clooney kept cleaning his friend’s cat’s litter box without telling him. The friend thought the cat was constipated. After four days of this, Clooney then pooped in the litter box himself. You can hear him tell the story on a talk show here (Language warning).
There Are Reasons Why You’re Finding Cat Poop Outside of the Litter Box
Sometimes cats get a bad reputation for being moody. But their odd behaviors may be telling you more than you realize. If your cat is leaving kitty poo in places other than their litter box, there may be some underlying reasonsyou want to look into.
- They may be upset and need more attention.If there have been some significant changes to your schedule or living dynamic, she may be feeling stressed. It may be time to carve out some quality cuddles to let her know she’s still important to you.
- They may be calling out your lack of kitty poo clean-up.If your cat is refusing to go in the litter box, you may not be scooping it out as often as she needs. Remember daily is preferred for both your health and that of your cat’s.
- Your cat could be telling you she hates the location of the litter box.Most cats prefer privacy, and leaving unwanted presents under your bed (or on it) may be her way of asking you to move her litter box to a more secluded location for her to do her business. If your litter box is too small or even too big, this may be why she’s refusing to go in it.
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There’s a Crap Ton Of Cat Poop Polluting the Earth
It’s hard to say how many cats are on the planet. But it has been estimated that there are 82 million owned domesticated cats in the United States alone. And that doesn’t even count the estimated 25 million to 60 million feral cats roaming the country.According to several studies,it is estimated that there are 1.2 million tons of cat poop dumped into the environment each year. That’s a whole lot of kitty poo.
Tailless Cats have Cat Poop Cleaning Issues
For many cats, their long tails actually play an essential role in poop elimination. Unfortunately for tailless varieties such as theManx cat,they’ll tend to be messier with their kitty poo business because of this disadvantage. You’ll have a higher likelihood of finding skid marks around your carpet as a result.
Apparently, Your Cat Can Experience Poo-Phoria
If you’ve ever caught your precious furball experiencing cat zoomies immediately after taking a kitty poo in their litter box, you’re not alone! Cat zoomies are common after cats take a number two. While there are many theories as to why this happens, Dr. Anish Sheth, a gastroenterologist and co-author ofWhat’s Your Poo Telling You?, coined this phrasing to explain the euphoria felt after passing a giant poop. This is due to the vagus nerve between brainstems and colons (and not just in cats! People can feel this too!).The end results can cause an exciting high for some cats, inciting post litter box cat zoomies.
Cat Poop Can Be Weird. Your Litter Box Doesn’t Have To Be.
While there are a plethora of strange things about your cat and their kitty poo to discover still, there’s one thing you can know for sure: kitty litter maintenance doesn’t have to be a nightmare.With Skoon, we make things easier for everyone. Your cat will love how ultra-absorbent and clean it is, and you’ll love how easy it is to take care of. Plus, with our monthly subscription service, you’ll never have to worry about accidentally running out of kitty litter again.And with our revolutionary diatom pebbles and cardboard litter boxes being disposable and inherently biodegradable, you can feel good about knowing you’re not hurting the planet with kitty poo.So handle cat poop in a whole new and easier way with a monthly subscription to Skoon!
