The Cutest Constipation

November 30, 2017 6:24 AM

Did you know baby tigers can need help pooping? Mika is a new baby tiger at C.A.R.E. and without a mom-tiger to help her poop. She already prefers chicken to her bottle, and she's diligently working on her sneak attacks.
posted by gladly (21 comments total)

Did you know baby tigers can need help pooping?

I recommend baby tigers try coffee.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:30 AM on November 30, 2017 [9 favorites]

"Please don't poop in my hand ... "
posted by RedOrGreen at 6:36 AM on November 30, 2017

Wet a sponge and look away.
posted by Captain l'escalier at 6:38 AM on November 30, 2017

Panda cubs, too, need help with a poo. "When baby mammals are hand-reared, you have to do everything that mum does. And that includes encouraging them to wee and poo."
posted by pracowity at 6:39 AM on November 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

(Yes, I said hand-reared.)
posted by pracowity at 6:41 AM on November 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

I was once handed an abandoned kitten, maybe a week old, and decided to rescue it myself. I had to learn a lot about baby kittens, from buying a wind-up alarm clock to put in the box with it to mimic a heartbeat to declaring a few shirts to be "kitten shirts" where I would hold the kitten and rub its belly with a warm wet washcloth until it pooped/peed.

There's nothing like having a small, entirely helpless being poop/pee on you because you are showing it love and caring.

I'm not at all surprised that tiger kittens also need stimulation to help them expel waste.
posted by hippybear at 6:41 AM on November 30, 2017 [7 favorites]

The sneak attack is one of the cutest things!
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 6:56 AM on November 30, 2017

I'm thinking about raw chicken being dragged over the stuffed animals in the pen. It can't smell good in there! But is sure is cute!!
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 7:17 AM on November 30, 2017

Pooping stuff aside, goddamn tigers are just so freaking gorgeous and cool. I love them so much.
posted by lazaruslong at 7:17 AM on November 30, 2017

Tigers are the best animals! Thanks for this great post
posted by mumimor at 7:27 AM on November 30, 2017

Tigers are great!
They're the toast of the town.
Life's always better when a tiger's around!
posted by bonehead at 7:33 AM on November 30, 2017 [16 favorites]

Yep, the Littlest Naberius is going to want a tiger of her own now.

That said, what on earth makes you think I'm going to click on a video link titled, "Did you know baby tigers can need help pooping?"
posted by Naberius at 7:59 AM on November 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

So many of our strongest images of tigers are fictional characters, and as much as we accept them talking like humans, most of us can't imagine Hobbes, Tony, Tigger or Daniel pooping. (Especially Tigger, whose 'bouncing on his tail' brings up a whole different image).
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:02 AM on November 30, 2017

If you watch any of the service-dog-puppy nannycams, you will routinely see Mom diligently licking away at her young to stimulate elimination. "Aw isn't that sw---eeeeeew!"
posted by praemunire at 1:09 PM on November 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

I shared this with several co-workers and then we spent a fair amount of time rhapsodizing over how incredibly cute those animals are. I also found it amusing that Derek talks to the big cats the same way we all talk to our smaller cats. The kitten I found under a car a few months ago behaves remarkably like Mika, but is easier to detach from my leg when he attacks, thank goodness.
posted by mogget at 2:59 PM on November 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

Cue hysterical laughter at the part where she attacked him, then raced away to hide behind the tree, along with his commentary. This post makes me so happy, thanks!
posted by lemonade at 6:39 PM on November 30, 2017

The tiger cub has so many toys!

(this was adorable, thanks)

Dumb question; why does this work / why doesn't this work on humans?
posted by batter_my_heart at 10:02 PM on November 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

Are you asking, why don't humans have to stroke infants abdomens to get them to defecate/urinate?
posted by hippybear at 10:25 PM on November 30, 2017

Or are you asking something about toys?
posted by hippybear at 10:26 PM on November 30, 2017

Stroking infants' (or whatever is the human equivalent of this tiger cub) abdomens, I think.
posted by batter_my_heart at 10:40 PM on November 30, 2017 [1 favorite]

I discovered my dachshund had been... uh... helping with our bottle baby kitten when my mom stole the dog for a sleepover.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 6:35 PM on December 1, 2017