My British shorthair Bertie is six months old. He's always been no trouble, quite a stay at home boy. He has always used the litter tray very diligently, although he's never been very good at scraping the litter granules to cover his poo. However, he has just begun a fairly distressing phase. He does a huge dump in the litter tray and ends up about once every two days with a bottom covered in poo and with bits of litter clump sticking to it. He then flounces out of the kitchen and into the rest of the house leaving little poo-covered clumps of litter, and occasionally smearing his bottom on the carpet leaving very distressing brown patches.
It's by no means every time - most of the time his bottom is clean. But it is now happening regularly. He does wash regularly but he doesn't seem to tackle these bottom incidents.
Some other contexts: he joined the house when Pippa, my tabby, was a year old. Disappointingly, they haven't got on that well but as far as I can see she gets stressed and he seems very placid about it.
To my eyes, it doesn't look like a behavioural problem owing to stress or changing circumstances - he is always an unconcerned, relaxed little chap. I am worried that he is also just a dirty chap with a poor sense of personal hygiene.
Can anyone offer any advice? How can I get him to take his hygiene seriously? I don't know how to cope with these smears of poo all over the place.
It's by no means every time - most of the time his bottom is clean. But it is now happening regularly. He does wash regularly but he doesn't seem to tackle these bottom incidents.
Some other contexts: he joined the house when Pippa, my tabby, was a year old. Disappointingly, they haven't got on that well but as far as I can see she gets stressed and he seems very placid about it.
To my eyes, it doesn't look like a behavioural problem owing to stress or changing circumstances - he is always an unconcerned, relaxed little chap. I am worried that he is also just a dirty chap with a poor sense of personal hygiene.
Can anyone offer any advice? How can I get him to take his hygiene seriously? I don't know how to cope with these smears of poo all over the place.