Scat Play
Scat play, also known as coprophilia, refers to sexual arousal and pleasure from feces. This practice encompasses activities such as smelling, touching, or viewing feces. In some cases, it may involve direct contact or consumption.
Because feces includes bacteria that can be harmful, safety precautions and informed consent are paramount when engaging in this type of play.
Scat Play Statistics
- A 2011 British YouGov survey with more than 6,000 respondents found that 1% had fantasized about being defecated on.
- A 2024 survey of more than 1,200 adults in Zurich found that 1.9% had "at least rarely" been aroused by practices involving urine and feces and 0.5% said they frequently fantasized about it.
- In the same survey, 3.6% of men and 0.2% of women had "at least rarely" been interested in urine and/or feces.
- A 2024 survey out of Italy found that 0 out of 217 lesbian women and 2 out of 469 bisexual women had ever had an experience with scat play.
Why People Are Into It
People are into scat play for many different reasons. Here are a few:
The Taboo
For some people, the fact that scat is considered forbidden, private, and socially unacceptable is exactly what makes it exciting. Some people who enjoy it also say they find scat even more appealing when it happens somewhere it's "not supposed to." For them, playing outside of a bathroom heightens the appeal.
The Shock and Contrast
For some people, seeing someone they view as attractive do something that's often viewed as filthy or gross can feel very unexpected. In this case, it's the contrast that's a turn-on.
Degradation and Humiliation
Scat can play into fantasies about being reduced, embarrassed, disgraced, or treated as beneath someone else. Some people get off on these feelings. Others enjoy being the person with the power to create those feelings in someone else.
Power Dynamic
Being willing to do something so socially unacceptable for another person can feel like an extreme form of dominance, submission, service, or control.
The Sensory Side
For some people, smell, texture, messiness, appearance, and consistency can all be part of the interest.
It's Private and Authentic
Some people see scat play as an act of sharing something a person normally hides from everyone else. To them, that can feel intimate, vulnerable, and trusting.
Safety and Consent
Scat play carries a real risk of infection and cannot be made completely safe. Human feces may contain disease-causing bacteria, viruses and parasites, such as Shigella, Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, norovirus, hepatitis A, Giardia and Cryptosporidium. These germs can spread when fecal matter reaches the mouth, either directly or through contaminated hands, toys, food or other objects.
Here are a few tips to play safer:
Talk About the Details Beforehand
Consent to scat play should be informed, specific and freely given. Since the term can cover many different activities, partners should agree on exactly what is and is not allowed. This may include:
- Whether and where feces may touch the body.
- Whether any contact near the mouth or genitals is allowed.
- Whether toys, clothing or furniture will be involved.
- Who will handle cleanup.
- What should happen if someone becomes uncomfortable or feels sick.
Take Steps to Reduce the Health Risks
Human feces are considered potentially dangerous when swallowed because they can contain infectious organisms. Accidentally ingesting a small amount does not always cause symptoms, but deliberate ingestion is generally not considered safe by medical professionals.
You can further reduce the risks of scat play by:
Avoiding play when someone is sick. It's best not to engage in scat play if anyone has diarrhea, vomiting, fever or another suspected gastrointestinal infection. The CDC advises waiting at least two weeks after diarrhea has ended before resuming sexual activity that could spread Shigella.
Use barriers. Gloves can reduce direct contact with the hands, while dental dams, latex sheets, and condoms can help reduce exposure during activities involving the mouth or genitals. Change barriers before touching another person or moving to a different body area.
Prevent cross-contamination. Keep contaminated hands and objects away from the mouth, eyes, food and other body areas. Wash hands, genitals and the anal area thoroughly with soap and water before and after play. Wash reusable toys with soap and water after every use and do not share them without cleaning them first.
Consider hepatitis A vaccination. Hepatitis A can spread when fecal bacteria gets into the mouth. The CDC identifies vaccination as the best way to prevent hepatitis A infection.
Scat Play Q&A
Is scat play illegal?
No, private, consensual scat play between adults is generally not specifically prohibited in the United States. But recording and distributing scat pornography may fall under obscenity laws. Scat content is not automatically obscene, but a court or jury may find a particular work obscene under the three-part Miller test.
Posting images and videos of scat play goes against FetLife's Rules & Policies.
Why do they call it "scat"?
The word scat comes from "scatology," a term for the study of or interest in feces and excretion. It ultimately comes from the Greek word skōr, or skatos, meaning “dung” or “feces.” In a sexual context, scat became shorthand for feces-related fantasies and activities.
Related Terms
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