One night, as I drowsily read my latest rom-com novel before falling asleep, our cat, Bea, came streaking out of the litter box as if the Hounds from Hell were following her in hot pursuit.

Poop zoomies. It has always made me chuckle to see my cat pinch a loaf, then fly away from the litter box like she’s afraid the turds will grow legs and try to chase her down.

I wondered the cause of this and decided to research it. I also asked a few cats why they thought they run like greased lightening after a good dump.

Let’s start first with the reasons that vet Mike Paul on Pet Health Network shared. He hypothesized the following:

1. Cats feel really good after their “daily constitutional” (an old term that is used in place of poop.)
2. Cats could be showing how grown up they are now, like, “Look, Mommy doesn’t have to lick my arse anymore!”
3. They consider their poops to be an accomplishment.
4. Cats with digestive issues want to just get away from what just exited their back end.

Other sites frequently stated that cats are trying to get away from their scent as quickly as possible because cats in the wild would do this to avoid predators.

Dr. Paul writes that the only solid reason he can determine is that some cats who experience pain with peeing and pooping may run from the box because elimination has been uncomfortable.

Let’s move on to what the cats say, shall we? 🙂

I asked my friend’s cats, Maggie and Florence, why they fled “the scene of the crime” after knocking off a turd. Both of them agreed it was merely because it felt good to run after pooping.

Our cat, Beatrice, said, “It feels good; it’s instinctual. You are weird. Why are you asking me this? It’s freeing to drop a turd.”

So there you have it. If you have ever found yourself laying awake at night, pondering “why does my cat get the poop zoomies?”, now you know. Cats are endlessly entertaining (even more so when you can have conversations with them), and it’s always fun to speculate the causes of their seemingly odd actions.

If you want to read the article by Dr. Paul, here is the link:https://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/cat-behavior/why-do-cats-run-litter-box-after-pooping

And for a conversation with your furry loved one, contact me at either annie@laugingsoul.org, or call/text 317-440-8783. I am a professional animal communicator and would love to facilitate a chat with you and your pets!