Albus walked past me today, shortly after being in the litterbox. I reached down to pet him as he walked by and felt something on his tail as it went through my hand. I looked at my hand and I'm pretty sure it was poop.
I went straight to the sink, washed thoroughly. Then I got a damp paper towel and started "surface cleaning" Albus. He wasn't too fond of that, and kept trying to run away, so I was holding him by the collar. He started hacking, like he had a hairball, so I wiped him from his neck to the tip of his tail a couple more times and let him go. He continued to hack a little; it's not like he was really getting pulled on his collar that hard, so I'm wondering if he has a hairball.
I used to notice him hacking every couple of weeks, so I'd give him some hairball goop (which he loves!) and he'd be fine. I haven't been noticing him hacking as much. so I haven't been giving him the hairball goop as often.
Once in awhile, if he forgets to cover his poop in the litterbox, I do notice it's a little soft-bordering-on-runny. Could hairballs be causing diarrhea (or at least soft poops)? Everything else about him, health-wise, is normal, so I'm not too worried about him having a serious digestive problem- I think he just has a soft poop every now and then.
My other question is that I'm concerned with whatever bacteria is in his poop being on him, and consequently on me when I pet him, on furniture, etc. Is there something besides water I can clean him with to really clean him? I really don't want to give him a bath, but don't want to risk getting sick, either.
I went straight to the sink, washed thoroughly. Then I got a damp paper towel and started "surface cleaning" Albus. He wasn't too fond of that, and kept trying to run away, so I was holding him by the collar. He started hacking, like he had a hairball, so I wiped him from his neck to the tip of his tail a couple more times and let him go. He continued to hack a little; it's not like he was really getting pulled on his collar that hard, so I'm wondering if he has a hairball.
I used to notice him hacking every couple of weeks, so I'd give him some hairball goop (which he loves!) and he'd be fine. I haven't been noticing him hacking as much. so I haven't been giving him the hairball goop as often.
Once in awhile, if he forgets to cover his poop in the litterbox, I do notice it's a little soft-bordering-on-runny. Could hairballs be causing diarrhea (or at least soft poops)? Everything else about him, health-wise, is normal, so I'm not too worried about him having a serious digestive problem- I think he just has a soft poop every now and then.
My other question is that I'm concerned with whatever bacteria is in his poop being on him, and consequently on me when I pet him, on furniture, etc. Is there something besides water I can clean him with to really clean him? I really don't want to give him a bath, but don't want to risk getting sick, either.
