# George ate cat litter!!!! HELP!!!!



## Hrsalt123 (Dec 30, 2012)

i was going to litter train him and i got some tidy cats cat litter and i saw him eating it so i took it out and i called the vet saying that if its going to be alright and all they said was that they cant tell me over the phone so what is it bad that he ate a little bit of cat litter?!


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## Hedgehogluvr386 (Jun 16, 2012)

I'm not sure how harmful it is for the digestion-ally, but hedgie owners/breeders normally don't recommend using it for many reasons. Hope someone else can provide more help. good luck to George...


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## Hrsalt123 (Dec 30, 2012)

Thank you and ive been seeing on the web saying that a lot of other hedgies eat the litter and that its not harmful at all... so i don't know if i should use it or not :/


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

As far as I know, Tidy brand cat litter is a clumping, clay litter, which isn't what should be used for hedgehogs. If it's swallowed, it can cause compactions. Watch out for if he's able to poop normally over the next day or two. Sometimes they'll chew on it (with or without anointing) and not actually consume it, which is harmless. If it's ingested, yes, it can be dangerous. If he poops less than usual, or not at all, or shows any signs of distress (straining to poop, loss of appetite) take him to the vet immediately.

You want to use a paper-based litter like Yesterday's News (recycled newspaper) or Carefresh, or just put paper towels in the litter box.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

To add on to Moxie's post, clay cat litter in general shouldn't be used with hedgehogs. Even if it's non-clumping, it's very easy for it to get caught in private parts, especially for males. If it gets caught in their penile sheath, it can cause irritation, and can even cause them to self-mutilate, hurt themselves by chewing at the irritation. There's at least (graphic) thread on here of a male who just about chewed it OFF because he had something caught.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Clumping cat litter, once wet, like in the mouth, stomach etc forms into a hard cement like lump. You need to watch him very carefully to make sure it doesn't cause an impaction. Count his food to make sure he is eating the same amount and watch his poops. I would do this for at least a week.


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## Hrsalt123 (Dec 30, 2012)

Thank you very much guys! he look like hes doing good.


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## Shell (Aug 23, 2012)

My dog had a habit of eating clumping cat littler when it flies out of the enclosed litter box. It's definately not good for them, but the worse that has happened to my dog is constipation for a few days. I'm sure your hedgy will be fine but avoid clumping cat litter at all cost. Better to be safe than sorry.


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