The most curious will have wondered how many stools an adult normally expels in a day. Grams, hectograms or even kilograms? Some answers come from a somewhat dated study that collected data on the amount of feces emitted daily by 20 different populations in 12 countries.
In the Anglo-Saxon sample studied (220 people) the average amount of feces emitted in one day was 106 grams. Wide variability was recorded in the mean values of the other world populations, with data ranging from a minimum of 72 g / day to a maximum of 471 g / day.
What explains this great variability? Mainly the amount of fiber in the diet. It is no coincidence that the authors of the study came to the conclusion that increasing the amount of stool emitted decreases the risk of colon cancer. Analyzing the authors' conclusions, to reduce this risk, it would be good to arm yourself with a sling bar and make sure to expel at least 150 grams of feces per day ... the result is obtained by consuming at least 18 grams of fiber per day!
More than 20 years later, we now know that an optimal amount of fiber in the diet is approximately 1 gram for every 100 calories (20 grams in a 2,000KCal diet, 30 grams in a 3,000KCal diet, etc.).
¹ Cummings JH1, Bingham SA, Heaton KW, Eastwood MA. Fecal weight, colon cancer risk, and dietary intake of nonstarch polysaccharides (dietary fiber). Gastroenterology. 1992 Dec; 103: 1783-9.
and meteorism.
Floating feces also accompany pathologies and disorders characterized by an "excessive production of air in the intestine"; this is the case of celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory diseases of the intestinal tract.
, which - if left on the ground - would unequivocally signal the presence of the feline to other animals; it would therefore be a disadvantage, both towards prey and any predators.For the same reason, when the feline intends to mark its territory it tends to evacuate the feces at its borders without burying them. This behavior is typical of dominant males, called alpha males, while subordinate felines tend to cover their feces.
The domestic cat presumably buries its own excrement because it feels subordinate to the human family.
