Cats can be very playful animals and they love playing with all sorts of different things. You might catch your cat playing with bits of string or it might even try to play with paper that has been left out.
It’s good to spend time playing with your cat so that it can get exercise and have fun. This will help your cat to stay healthy and happy so that you can enjoy its companionship for a long time.
You might not like finding your cat playing with things that it shouldn’t play with, though. If you find your cat playing with its own poop, then this is going to be a little bit irritating.
Of course, you don’t want your cat to make a mess in your house, but you’ll also likely be confused about why your cat would play with its own poop like this. Read on to learn about why this might be happening and whether or not it’s normal.
1 – Kittens Sometimes Do This
It’s important to understand that kittens are naturally very curious and playful. Sometimes kittens might do things that are a bit odd simply because they don’t know any better.
If your cat is still a kitten, then it might be more likely that you will find it playing with its poop. It might get a little hyper sometimes and do weird things because it wants to play.
Your cat might not even be specifically fixated on playing with its poop. It might just have energy and want to play with something or another.
If you find your cat attempting to roll its poop around on the floor or if it is pawing at it, then it might just be trying to play. Regardless, this is something that you’re going to want to discourage since it’s nasty.
Hopefully, as your cat gets older it will stop doing weird things like that. This situation might resolve itself as your cat ages and becomes less hyperactive.
2 – Not Having Enough Cat Toys
As noted earlier, cats love to play and they need to get a lot of exercise. Normally, cats will spend a good bit of time playing with various cat toys that they like interacting with.
Cats will like to climb on things and they’ll enjoy having toys that they can roll around as well. There are all sorts of different cat toys on the market that you can look into as a cat owner.
What if your cat doesn’t have any cat toys that it can use like this, though? It’s possible that your cat might start playing with other things around the house if it doesn’t have its own cat toys.
You could also see that your cat will start doing some weird things such as playing with poop. If your cat is rolling a piece of cat poop around, then it could be a sign that you need to buy some high-quality cat toys.
Buying cat toys won’t be overly expensive and it’ll help your cat to have a good time. Cats should always have access to cat toys, and you should take the time to play with your cats whenever you can.
Playing with your cats might make it less likely that they will feel the need to do strange things such as playing with poop. Perhaps you just haven’t been playing with the cat enough lately and need to buy some cat toys to fix this problem.
3 – The Cat Litter Box Isn’t Clean
One of the most common reasons why cats will act up and do weird things with poop has to do with litter boxes. If a cat’s litter box is not clean, then a cat might not want to continue to use the litter box as normal.
Some cats have chosen to rebel a bit by playing with poop or otherwise making a mess in the house. This is to show its human caretakers that they aren’t doing a good enough job cleaning the litter box.
This is one good reason why you need to stay on top of litter box issues. Failing to clean a litter box consistently will lead to further issues like this.
You should try to clean the cat’s litter box regularly so that it will feel comfortable using it as intended. Depending on the size of your cat and how many cats are using the litter box, it might be necessary to clean the box more often.
It’s generally recommended that you change the cat litter out once every two weeks. You’re also going to need to clean the box thoroughly to ensure that it stays in a good enough state to keep your cats happy.
4 – Your Cat Enjoys the Smell
As gross as it is to think about, cats might sometimes choose to play with poop because they like the smell. Cats have very powerful noses that are better at smelling things than human noses.
Cats can pick out specific scents and can smell things that humans won’t pick up. Sometimes cat poop might still contain undigested protein elements that your cat will find appealing.
This means that it’s possible that your cat is playing with the poop specifically because of how it smells. It’s certainly a weird thing and it doesn’t necessarily make sense from a human perspective.
Whether your cat has a logical reason for doing this or not is a bit of a moot point. You can’t let your cat do this because playing with poop can make a mess.
You’re going to want to deter your cat from doing this in the future. Thankfully, there are some things that you can do to try to keep your cat in line.
Change the Litter Box Location
Changing the spot where your cat’s litter box is located might help it to stop playing with its poop. Sometimes cats will play with poop as a way to rebel when there is something that they don’t like about the litter box.
If the litter box is in an inconvenient spot, then that might be the cause of these issues. You can often remedy the situation by simply moving the litter box to a more sensible location.
Try out a new spot and see if your cat’s behavior changes at all. If things haven’t changed, then you might need to try something else.
Change the Litter Type
Changing the litter type might make a difference as well. Sometimes cats don’t like specific types of cat litter and will avoid using litter boxes because of it.
In this situation, it might be more likely for a cat to play with its own poop. Changing the litter is not hard to do, and it might help you to get the cat to have more normal toileting habits.
You might need to try a few different litter brands before you find the perfect one for your cat. Sometimes cats prefer clumping or non-clumping litter as well, and that means that there is a lot to consider.
Changing the Litter Box Type
It’s even possible that the litter box type is going to make a difference in how things play out. Sometimes cats might prefer one type of litter box over another.
If you’re having issues with your cat playing with its poop, then maybe it doesn’t like the litter box that it has right now. Getting a new litter box with a different style might help the cat to have a better experience.
Some cats really love open-top litter boxes, but others might prefer closed boxes that utilize a flap design. Hopefully, you can find a litter box type that will be perfect for your cat.
Spend More Time with Your Cat
Finally, you should consider just spending more time with your cat. If you aren’t playing with the cat as often as it wants you to, then it might decide to do weird things such as trying to play with poop.
Spend at least 15 minutes or so each day playing with the cat if you can. If you’ve been too busy due to a hectic work schedule, then try to make up for it by playing with the cat when you’re free.
Cats really do want to have quality time with their owners, and it’ll be better for the cat if you have time for it. You could even consider getting some new cat toys as mentioned earlier, but the most important thing might be giving the cat enough attention.
Final Thoughts
Cats will sometimes play with their own poop when they’re bored or if they happen to like the smell of the poop. As weird as this is, it isn’t something that is completely uncommon.
It’s even more likely for kittens to do things like this since they have so much energy. You might be able to get your cat to stop doing this by giving it access to more cat toys and taking the time to play with it.
You’ll also need to make sure that your cat likes its litter box and that you’re keeping it clean. Otherwise, your cat might choose to do things to rebel and will make a mess with its poop.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard. I also like photographing wild birds, especially birds of prey.