March 20, 2023 • 15 mins
Pet Circle's resident veterinarian Dr Belinda Stancombe joins Jenna and Sammy with tips on making everyday a good poo day... for your cat, that is.
Oh, and we can finally say... we have an expert on!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
I hear that you are crazy Katley. Yes, I love cats.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Cat Basket, Two Girls, Three Cats, Congratulations, keep be going
your transformation into crazy Catley. This is Jenna and Sammy
for Two Girls, Three Cats.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
We're the podcast all about the highs. We're all about
the lows of owning cats.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
And this week we've teamed up with Pet Circle because
we want to talk to you about.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Pooh.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Yep, it's all about poo This week.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Pet Circle want to help all you pet owners have
good Pooh days the Pet Circle Pootacular.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
They're educating us and you to become better pet parents
by getting to know our pets Pooh. Because of course
you've mentioned in the past that we are not experts.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
No, we are not experts, but we do have one
with us today from one of Pet Circles in House Vets,
Doctor Bill Linda is here to talk about you guessed it, Pooh.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Doctor Belinda, Hello and thanks for coming on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Hi.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
How are you guys?
Speaker 4 (01:07):
We are pretty good, aren't we? This is so exciting.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Congratulations on being the first expert on Two Girls Who Cants?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
I'm excited too.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
What we're going to be talking about is something that
sometimes people find a little bit awkward to talk about,
but we don't.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
We love it. We want to talk about oooh pooh.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Do you find that clients owners struggle when they come
to talk about poo with you?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Look, they certainly can, and look, when it comes down
to it, who wants to talk about poo? I mean
it's a bit of a weird, awkward topic, and I
certainly have got a lot of different I guess terminology
when people want to avoid using the word poo in
a consultation, so they will use you know, number two's
or their business and all sorts of different things when
(01:51):
describing their pets poo. So yes, I do think people
do find it a little bit awkward, But I guess
my advice to people would be, look, it's something that
you know, as vetinarians we deal with a lot of
gross stuff. You know, whos are the least of the
things that we deal with. So it's something that as
bets we actually want to know about. It tells us
(02:12):
a lot about your pets health and often your veterinarian
will ask you about your pets toileting habits just to
gather that information. So don't feel shy. We want to
know all the gory details.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So should we be taking photos of our cat's pooh
to show out of it?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Yes, I love photos, and I also love it when
people bring me samples, so I will often joke I
also accept chocolates and flowers, but who's on a regular
basis are often handed to bets and it's great. So
if you've got a pet that's got an ongoing issue
with the pooh, you know, there are tests that we
can do. Seeing the pooh can give us more information.
(02:48):
And you observing your pets poo at home, you know,
and what's normal and what's not can also give you
lots of information.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
So pet cycle has actually released a chart of the
different types of pooh, so let's go through them all.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
So one of the best things about being a vet,
Marran is I get to classify poo. So when we
talk about poo, I guess we sort of break it
up into three different sorts. So we talk about, you know,
those hard, really dry pellets that our pets will pass.
And these are the pets that you know, they may
be showing signs of constipation, draining, you know, really struggling
(03:24):
to get those poos out. And this is going to
be really uncomfortable and painful for them constipation. The next
sort of poo is what we call the perfect poop.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
The perfect pooh, a.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Well formed poo that's easy to pass and when you're
scooping it as a cat owner, it doesn't leave a
lot of mess or residue, so it's really easy for
you to do a cleanup when you've got a pet
with a perfect poop. And the other thing that perfect
poos tell us is that pet that's really good digestion,
and often the health overall is really good as well.
(03:59):
So the other classification of who that we will see
is you know, the runny you know, not well defined
who's and something that As people, you know, we get
this as well, and pets will get it from time
to time. So we're talking about diarrhea diarrhea. These are
often really watery and quite unpleasant, and our pets can
(04:21):
get really unhappy and unwell when they've got diarrhea.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
When cats do have that unfortunate bit of diarrhea and
it can stick to the fur, it can be quite
difficult to get rid of it. I know, for one,
when when Blossom, my youngest, was a kitten, I had
to put like pet shampoo on her bum and sort
of dunk her bum.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Into like a big bowl.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Do you have any tips around how to get that
diarrhea off the fur?
Speaker 1 (04:47):
So, look, when it comes to kittens, I have a
lot of experience with this. I've hand read a lot
of kittens. And the best way with a little kitten,
because what we know about kittens is they might just
who out diarrhea. They'll step in it, and their tail
will go in it, and they would make a right
mess of everything. So the best thing to do is
really try and wash their bottoms. You don't know warm,
(05:08):
but use a sensitive skin shampoo or something that's made
for kittens specifically, and give their bum a little bit
of a white with a towel, or dry them with
their hair dryer really really mildly, making sure you're not
going to burn them. Without older cats, if you've got
cats that have long fur and they are known for
getting you know, little bits of poo in there, you
(05:29):
can get them clipped around the bottom and people find
that this can help a lot. So we're talking your
rag dolls and you're super very very cats that you know,
they sort of just make a bit of a mess
you can get your bet or your groomer just to
clip around the back end and just clean that all up,
so it's not an ongoing issue.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
OK, conny, So is it worth then buying supplements or
probiotics to assist with the digestion of your cat.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Probatics are a massive thing, and we see these in
human health and they've become huge in pet help as well,
so dogs and cats. I guess the thing to understand
is what do probiotics do. So when we're talking about
gastrointestinal help, so digestive help, we're thinking about the good
bacteria in the gut that aids with digestion. So probiotics
(06:15):
supply us and our pets with that good bacteria and
it helps to establish a well balanced what we call
I'm going to use the scientific term microbiome, and we
probably hear this thrown around a little bit these days.
So what that is is just that colony of bacteria
in the gut and making sure that it's balanced and
doing its job. Probiotics are great. They aid in digestion,
(06:39):
they aid in fighting infections and boosting emin system, so
they can be really helpful for pets that suffer from
mild digestive issues, and great thing to recommend for pets
and bets are doing this more and more these days.
If your cat's been on antibiotics for some other issue,
doing a couple of weeks of probi after that, just
(07:01):
to help re establish that good bacteria in the gut
and just give them that healthy boost can make a
massive difference. But yeah, mild digestive issues, you can't really
go wrong with a good dose of probiotics.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Interesting, So what about in terms of litter trays? How
many should a cat owner own?
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Look, this is such a common question and such a
great question because not having enough litter trays is such
a big issue. So when we talk about litter trays,
I like to use the plus one rule, So plus
one on the number of cats that you have in
a house. So if you have one cat, it's one
litter tray plus one, so it's two litter trays. If
you have two cats, it's two litter trays plus one,
(07:41):
and so on and so forth. So if you just
think how many cats do I have plus one, that's
how many litter trays I need.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
So I have two cats, I have the plus one rule.
In my house, I have two litter trays and plus
an extra one. Since we got Blossom, who is the
youngest one, the baby one, Bluebell, who's just not much older,
you know, nine months a year older. She has started
to have some toileting issues, so she will go next
to the litter tray.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
What is going on?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Because they seem to be best friends the rest of
the time, but there's something going on there that she's
We call it the protest poo because she's doing it.
She's trying to tell us something. I just don't know
what it is.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
So when we talk about cats who outside the litter box,
there's a complex of different things that I would pop
in as being different factors. So is the litter clean?
So are we scooping every single day and making sure
that you know we're regularly cleaning that litter. Do we
have the right number of litter trays so you do,
which is fantastic. And do we have our litter trays
(08:37):
in the correct location? What type of tray are we
using and what sort of litter are we using? So
some people will pop their litter trays next to the
washing machine, which is going that's really scary, and the
cat just doesn't want to use it, so they'll tend
to avoid it. So thinking about your litter tray, is
this optimal for my cat? Another factor is definitely stress.
(09:00):
Cat in a household can definitely be a massive trigger
of stress. And then also going to the bed, the cattery,
you know, having visitors in the house, all sorts of
things that you might not think would stress your cat
could be causing them stress. And lastly, it's important to
think about underlying medical issues. So we do know that
(09:21):
cats can be prone to a whole lot of you know,
different causes for constipation and diarrhea and urine reissues, so
it is an ongoing problem or way, it's a good
idea to check with your bet.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
So when it comes to litter, then which type is best?
Because if you're a first time cat owner, it can
be overwhelming.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
There's clay, there's crystal.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Because when I first got Connie, for instance, I just
assumed there was one type of litter. I wasn't aware
of all the different types. So what are these different
types and how do you find one that's best for
your cat?
Speaker 1 (09:54):
I guess when it comes to litter, you've got to
weigh out what you're looking for in litter. And understanding
what the different letters do. So costs can be a
big factor, so you've got some litters are more economical
than others, and thinking about what you can afford long term.
So what is going to be your budget long term
for a litter and what's going to be affordable for you?
Are you looking for something that's ecode friendly? So eco
friendly has been a massive thing in the market in
(10:16):
the last probably five years, So our pet parents, we're
getting more and more conscious of what's eco friendly and
we're wanting to opt for biodegradable and compostible litters. So
when we're talking about those, we're talking about your plant
based so tofu's wood corn and your recycled papers. And
the good thing about these is they're often sustainably sourced,
(10:38):
so we know that you know, we're reducing our cats
carbon poor print as well as providing them with a
really good quality litter. And the other thing to think
about is are you in a position that you can
compost this litter, because some of these are compostible, but
they need to be composted correctly, And are you in
a place and you can compost, So if that's something
that you're able to do you might want to opt
(10:58):
for a compostible litter. And lastly, the other thing to
put in there is, you know the age of your
cap can be a factor. So kittens, for example, we
don't recommend any clay or crystal based litters, and that's
often because you know they'll have a little taste teste
of them and they can cause issues with them, so
you know, keeping away from those for your kittens is
definitely a must.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Interesting, so what about the self cleaning litter trays would
you recommend them?
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Look, self cleaning litter trays are great if you can
have bought them, they are expensive, I'm not going to lie.
So you scoop free litter trays where they'll actually scoop
the poop for you. You know, they're started around the
two hundred and forty dollars up. And then you've got
yourself cleaning ones, you know, the ones that look like
a massive washing machine and you know, don't get me wrong,
they're awesome, but you're looking at over five hundred dollars
(11:48):
for them. So look, if you hate scooping poo and
you've got you know you don't have the time to
do it. There's a machine that you can pay to
do it for you, So it's just weighing up. I
guess the cost and whether it's worthwhile.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
That's the dream.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
I'll know that I've made it when I've got a
big self cleaning literature, three of them, the plus one rule.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I just want to know that I will have made it.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
So another thing that cats are sort of known for
is when they've done their poo, they like to bury it,
and then they like to bury it again, and then
they like to bury it where there's nothing for them
to bury. They're just doing it on the floor, and
you're like, there's nothing there, Really, what is that about?
What are they doing even though they're burying but there's
nothing there that they're bearing it with.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Look, there's a couple of theories. It'd be great if
we could ask cats why do you do that? So
I guess we just have to come up with our
own theories. What we know is cats are very clean,
so it makes sense that they're going to want to
cover their poo up because it minimizes smell and you know,
all sorts of stuff that's gross about poo, So that
makes sense. Secondly, cat ancestors are thought to and then
(12:50):
we see this in the while. So we know that
our cats, you know, they're derived from wildcats, and in
the wild they will who and cover their poo to
or predators. So say mum cat has given both to
a letter of kittens. You know, she doesn't want predators
around those kittens, so she will bury that poo to
(13:10):
disguise it. And the other reason that they will tend
to bury their poo is, you know, cats tell a
lot to each other about poo, so woo and we
there's a lot of communication that goes on there, and
cats that will poop and not cover it are saying, hey,
this is my territory and I am the boss here.
They're sort of advertising run it. And other cats that
(13:31):
will cover their poo they're sort of saying, look, I
don't want to fight. I just want to go a
bit toilet and I get that you're in charge here
and I'm okay with that. So they're the theories around
why cats, you know, cover their poo. Sometimes we will
see cats that, you know, if you're a cat owner,
you'll observe this at home. And I see this with
foster kittens all the time. They do the long reach,
(13:52):
you know, out of the litter tarde, they're like reaching
into the air and all sorts of things and covering
their poo, And sometimes that can an indication that they
may they may not have enough space in that litter
trait and they're sort of pulling in from the outside.
They may not like the depth of the litter. So
it can tell us a little bit that maybe they're unhappy.
But the rest of it, I guess it'd be great
(14:14):
to usk the cat why they do all the other stuff,
But yeah, they're the theories behind What.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
About zoomies, the zoomies that a lot of cats do
after they've done their business.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Look, that's an interesting one, and we do know that
cats do zoomies just playing and in general. I guess
the theory is, you know, it feels good and so
they do it. So, you know, cats tend to do
zoomies out of play because they have a lot of
pent up energy. Maybe cats just feel a big release
when they do a big poo and love to go
(14:44):
for a little run around.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
Like I'm so light now, I'm just gonna feel they
need to run.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Now.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
We said, we're getting that we don't really like to
talk about poo, but this has actually been a lot
of fun, so.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
You can have a look at the Pet Circle poo
chart on the Pet Circle website or on our own
Instagram at two Girls, Three Cats podcast and Doctor Belinda
will be back with us with more Pooh tales in
a couple of weeks because there actually is a lot
to cover.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
And that's it from us a two Girls, three Cats.
Next week we're actually going to be talking about cat names.
Until then, You're Crazy Catley.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
Two Girls, Three Cats. This episode has been brought to
you by Pooh
I hear that you are crazy Katley. Yes, I love cats.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Cat Basket, Two Girls, Three Cats, Congratulations, keep be going
your transformation into crazy Catley. This is Jenna and Sammy
for Two Girls, Three Cats.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
We're the podcast all about the highs. We're all about
the lows of owning cats.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
And this week we've teamed up with Pet Circle because
we want to talk to you about.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Pooh.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Yep, it's all about poo This week.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Pet Circle want to help all you pet owners have
good Pooh days the Pet Circle Pootacular.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
They're educating us and you to become better pet parents
by getting to know our pets Pooh. Because of course
you've mentioned in the past that we are not experts.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
No, we are not experts, but we do have one
with us today from one of Pet Circles in House Vets,
Doctor Bill Linda is here to talk about you guessed it, Pooh.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Doctor Belinda, Hello and thanks for coming on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Hi.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
How are you guys?
Speaker 4 (01:07):
We are pretty good, aren't we? This is so exciting.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Congratulations on being the first expert on Two Girls Who Cants?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
I'm excited too.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
What we're going to be talking about is something that
sometimes people find a little bit awkward to talk about,
but we don't.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
We love it. We want to talk about oooh pooh.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Do you find that clients owners struggle when they come
to talk about poo with you?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Look, they certainly can, and look, when it comes down
to it, who wants to talk about poo? I mean
it's a bit of a weird, awkward topic, and I
certainly have got a lot of different I guess terminology
when people want to avoid using the word poo in
a consultation, so they will use you know, number two's
or their business and all sorts of different things when
(01:51):
describing their pets poo. So yes, I do think people
do find it a little bit awkward, But I guess
my advice to people would be, look, it's something that
you know, as vetinarians we deal with a lot of
gross stuff. You know, whos are the least of the
things that we deal with. So it's something that as
bets we actually want to know about. It tells us
(02:12):
a lot about your pets health and often your veterinarian
will ask you about your pets toileting habits just to
gather that information. So don't feel shy. We want to
know all the gory details.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So should we be taking photos of our cat's pooh
to show out of it?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Yes, I love photos, and I also love it when
people bring me samples, so I will often joke I
also accept chocolates and flowers, but who's on a regular
basis are often handed to bets and it's great. So
if you've got a pet that's got an ongoing issue
with the pooh, you know, there are tests that we
can do. Seeing the pooh can give us more information.
(02:48):
And you observing your pets poo at home, you know,
and what's normal and what's not can also give you
lots of information.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
So pet cycle has actually released a chart of the
different types of pooh, so let's go through them all.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
So one of the best things about being a vet,
Marran is I get to classify poo. So when we
talk about poo, I guess we sort of break it
up into three different sorts. So we talk about, you know,
those hard, really dry pellets that our pets will pass.
And these are the pets that you know, they may
be showing signs of constipation, draining, you know, really struggling
(03:24):
to get those poos out. And this is going to
be really uncomfortable and painful for them constipation. The next
sort of poo is what we call the perfect poop.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
The perfect pooh, a.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Well formed poo that's easy to pass and when you're
scooping it as a cat owner, it doesn't leave a
lot of mess or residue, so it's really easy for
you to do a cleanup when you've got a pet
with a perfect poop. And the other thing that perfect
poos tell us is that pet that's really good digestion,
and often the health overall is really good as well.
(03:59):
So the other classification of who that we will see
is you know, the runny you know, not well defined
who's and something that As people, you know, we get
this as well, and pets will get it from time
to time. So we're talking about diarrhea diarrhea. These are
often really watery and quite unpleasant, and our pets can
(04:21):
get really unhappy and unwell when they've got diarrhea.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
When cats do have that unfortunate bit of diarrhea and
it can stick to the fur, it can be quite
difficult to get rid of it. I know, for one,
when when Blossom, my youngest, was a kitten, I had
to put like pet shampoo on her bum and sort
of dunk her bum.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Into like a big bowl.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Do you have any tips around how to get that
diarrhea off the fur?
Speaker 1 (04:47):
So, look, when it comes to kittens, I have a
lot of experience with this. I've hand read a lot
of kittens. And the best way with a little kitten,
because what we know about kittens is they might just
who out diarrhea. They'll step in it, and their tail
will go in it, and they would make a right
mess of everything. So the best thing to do is
really try and wash their bottoms. You don't know warm,
(05:08):
but use a sensitive skin shampoo or something that's made
for kittens specifically, and give their bum a little bit
of a white with a towel, or dry them with
their hair dryer really really mildly, making sure you're not
going to burn them. Without older cats, if you've got
cats that have long fur and they are known for
getting you know, little bits of poo in there, you
(05:29):
can get them clipped around the bottom and people find
that this can help a lot. So we're talking your
rag dolls and you're super very very cats that you know,
they sort of just make a bit of a mess
you can get your bet or your groomer just to
clip around the back end and just clean that all up,
so it's not an ongoing issue.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
OK, conny, So is it worth then buying supplements or
probiotics to assist with the digestion of your cat.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Probatics are a massive thing, and we see these in
human health and they've become huge in pet help as well,
so dogs and cats. I guess the thing to understand
is what do probiotics do. So when we're talking about
gastrointestinal help, so digestive help, we're thinking about the good
bacteria in the gut that aids with digestion. So probiotics
(06:15):
supply us and our pets with that good bacteria and
it helps to establish a well balanced what we call
I'm going to use the scientific term microbiome, and we
probably hear this thrown around a little bit these days.
So what that is is just that colony of bacteria
in the gut and making sure that it's balanced and
doing its job. Probiotics are great. They aid in digestion,
(06:39):
they aid in fighting infections and boosting emin system, so
they can be really helpful for pets that suffer from
mild digestive issues, and great thing to recommend for pets
and bets are doing this more and more these days.
If your cat's been on antibiotics for some other issue,
doing a couple of weeks of probi after that, just
(07:01):
to help re establish that good bacteria in the gut
and just give them that healthy boost can make a
massive difference. But yeah, mild digestive issues, you can't really
go wrong with a good dose of probiotics.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Interesting, So what about in terms of litter trays? How
many should a cat owner own?
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Look, this is such a common question and such a
great question because not having enough litter trays is such
a big issue. So when we talk about litter trays,
I like to use the plus one rule, So plus
one on the number of cats that you have in
a house. So if you have one cat, it's one
litter tray plus one, so it's two litter trays. If
you have two cats, it's two litter trays plus one,
(07:41):
and so on and so forth. So if you just
think how many cats do I have plus one, that's
how many litter trays I need.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
So I have two cats, I have the plus one rule.
In my house, I have two litter trays and plus
an extra one. Since we got Blossom, who is the
youngest one, the baby one, Bluebell, who's just not much older,
you know, nine months a year older. She has started
to have some toileting issues, so she will go next
to the litter tray.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
What is going on?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Because they seem to be best friends the rest of
the time, but there's something going on there that she's
We call it the protest poo because she's doing it.
She's trying to tell us something. I just don't know
what it is.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
So when we talk about cats who outside the litter box,
there's a complex of different things that I would pop
in as being different factors. So is the litter clean?
So are we scooping every single day and making sure
that you know we're regularly cleaning that litter. Do we
have the right number of litter trays so you do,
which is fantastic. And do we have our litter trays
(08:37):
in the correct location? What type of tray are we
using and what sort of litter are we using? So
some people will pop their litter trays next to the
washing machine, which is going that's really scary, and the
cat just doesn't want to use it, so they'll tend
to avoid it. So thinking about your litter tray, is
this optimal for my cat? Another factor is definitely stress.
(09:00):
Cat in a household can definitely be a massive trigger
of stress. And then also going to the bed, the cattery,
you know, having visitors in the house, all sorts of
things that you might not think would stress your cat
could be causing them stress. And lastly, it's important to
think about underlying medical issues. So we do know that
(09:21):
cats can be prone to a whole lot of you know,
different causes for constipation and diarrhea and urine reissues, so
it is an ongoing problem or way, it's a good
idea to check with your bet.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
So when it comes to litter, then which type is best?
Because if you're a first time cat owner, it can
be overwhelming.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
There's clay, there's crystal.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Because when I first got Connie, for instance, I just
assumed there was one type of litter. I wasn't aware
of all the different types. So what are these different
types and how do you find one that's best for
your cat?
Speaker 1 (09:54):
I guess when it comes to litter, you've got to
weigh out what you're looking for in litter. And understanding
what the different letters do. So costs can be a
big factor, so you've got some litters are more economical
than others, and thinking about what you can afford long term.
So what is going to be your budget long term
for a litter and what's going to be affordable for you?
Are you looking for something that's ecode friendly? So eco
friendly has been a massive thing in the market in
(10:16):
the last probably five years, So our pet parents, we're
getting more and more conscious of what's eco friendly and
we're wanting to opt for biodegradable and compostible litters. So
when we're talking about those, we're talking about your plant
based so tofu's wood corn and your recycled papers. And
the good thing about these is they're often sustainably sourced,
(10:38):
so we know that you know, we're reducing our cats
carbon poor print as well as providing them with a
really good quality litter. And the other thing to think
about is are you in a position that you can
compost this litter, because some of these are compostible, but
they need to be composted correctly, And are you in
a place and you can compost, So if that's something
that you're able to do you might want to opt
(10:58):
for a compostible litter. And lastly, the other thing to
put in there is, you know the age of your
cap can be a factor. So kittens, for example, we
don't recommend any clay or crystal based litters, and that's
often because you know they'll have a little taste teste
of them and they can cause issues with them, so
you know, keeping away from those for your kittens is
definitely a must.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Interesting, so what about the self cleaning litter trays would
you recommend them?
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Look, self cleaning litter trays are great if you can
have bought them, they are expensive, I'm not going to lie.
So you scoop free litter trays where they'll actually scoop
the poop for you. You know, they're started around the
two hundred and forty dollars up. And then you've got
yourself cleaning ones, you know, the ones that look like
a massive washing machine and you know, don't get me wrong,
they're awesome, but you're looking at over five hundred dollars
(11:48):
for them. So look, if you hate scooping poo and
you've got you know you don't have the time to
do it. There's a machine that you can pay to
do it for you, So it's just weighing up. I
guess the cost and whether it's worthwhile.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
That's the dream.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
I'll know that I've made it when I've got a
big self cleaning literature, three of them, the plus one rule.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I just want to know that I will have made it.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
So another thing that cats are sort of known for
is when they've done their poo, they like to bury it,
and then they like to bury it again, and then
they like to bury it where there's nothing for them
to bury. They're just doing it on the floor, and
you're like, there's nothing there, Really, what is that about?
What are they doing even though they're burying but there's
nothing there that they're bearing it with.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Look, there's a couple of theories. It'd be great if
we could ask cats why do you do that? So
I guess we just have to come up with our
own theories. What we know is cats are very clean,
so it makes sense that they're going to want to
cover their poo up because it minimizes smell and you know,
all sorts of stuff that's gross about poo, So that
makes sense. Secondly, cat ancestors are thought to and then
(12:50):
we see this in the while. So we know that
our cats, you know, they're derived from wildcats, and in
the wild they will who and cover their poo to
or predators. So say mum cat has given both to
a letter of kittens. You know, she doesn't want predators
around those kittens, so she will bury that poo to
(13:10):
disguise it. And the other reason that they will tend
to bury their poo is, you know, cats tell a
lot to each other about poo, so woo and we
there's a lot of communication that goes on there, and
cats that will poop and not cover it are saying, hey,
this is my territory and I am the boss here.
They're sort of advertising run it. And other cats that
(13:31):
will cover their poo they're sort of saying, look, I
don't want to fight. I just want to go a
bit toilet and I get that you're in charge here
and I'm okay with that. So they're the theories around
why cats, you know, cover their poo. Sometimes we will
see cats that, you know, if you're a cat owner,
you'll observe this at home. And I see this with
foster kittens all the time. They do the long reach,
(13:52):
you know, out of the litter tarde, they're like reaching
into the air and all sorts of things and covering
their poo, And sometimes that can an indication that they
may they may not have enough space in that litter
trait and they're sort of pulling in from the outside.
They may not like the depth of the litter. So
it can tell us a little bit that maybe they're unhappy.
But the rest of it, I guess it'd be great
(14:14):
to usk the cat why they do all the other stuff,
But yeah, they're the theories behind What.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
About zoomies, the zoomies that a lot of cats do
after they've done their business.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Look, that's an interesting one, and we do know that
cats do zoomies just playing and in general. I guess
the theory is, you know, it feels good and so
they do it. So, you know, cats tend to do
zoomies out of play because they have a lot of
pent up energy. Maybe cats just feel a big release
when they do a big poo and love to go
(14:44):
for a little run around.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
Like I'm so light now, I'm just gonna feel they
need to run.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Now.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
We said, we're getting that we don't really like to
talk about poo, but this has actually been a lot
of fun, so.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
You can have a look at the Pet Circle poo
chart on the Pet Circle website or on our own
Instagram at two Girls, Three Cats podcast and Doctor Belinda
will be back with us with more Pooh tales in
a couple of weeks because there actually is a lot
to cover.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
And that's it from us a two Girls, three Cats.
Next week we're actually going to be talking about cat names.
Until then, You're Crazy Catley.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
Two Girls, Three Cats. This episode has been brought to
you by Pooh
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