Why do cats go completely bonkers after they poop?
Cat owners know that their kitties have some peculiar bathroom habits.
Specifically, when your kitty takes a poo, they lose their minds.
You have probably seen your cat bolt out of the litter box like a bat out of hell. But why?
There are a few theories...
Some say after post-poop freak outs, or zoomies, is a carryover survival instinct. Basically, your cat is running quickly from the smelly poo so a predator can't trace who dropped it.
Others, including one veterinarian, believe it might be a sign of discomfort stemming from food allergies or an infection.
Still, others, including another veterinarian, say that the litter box might provide your kitty some fresh energy high, and they try to burn it off the best way they know how, running like an absolute psychopath.
It could also be them trying to shake off some poo particles from their fur, just so you can find them spread through out your house later. Or, maybe it just smells so bad that they just want to get the heck out of there.
Or, maybe, it could be something simple. Pooping makes us happy.
"In humans, the vagus nerve, which descends from the brainstem to the colon and is stimulated during defecation, can cause all kinds of reactions, even feelings of exhilaration, according to gastroenterologist Dr. Anish Sheth, who wrote "What's Your Poo Telling You."
A similar phenomenon could be occurring in cats and could explain why cats seem elated and happy, running around and scratching their scratching posts with joy, Erin Willis, animal physiologist at Oklahoma State University, told The Dodo.
"Dr. Sheth calls the pleasurable sensation with defecation 'poo-phoria.' Good name for humans I guess, but the term 'poop crazies' is much better for cats, in my opinion, since they essentially run around like crazy cats afterwards," Willis said, adding that there is very little research on the matter.
Whatever the reasons, just keep cleaning out litter boxes, humans.
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via the Dodo
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