Sudden constant licking of butt/under-tail area

Bilo came in today from the hallway with his butt and back of his legs all wet. I tried to check him out but he squirmed, and I couldn't immediately see any cuts or anything bothering him. It seemed like the wet part was almost a little oily, so I thought he may have sat in something and I gave him a quick bath.

I left for work, and came back 4 hours later. His backside is still wet, and he seems to be constantly licking the area (genitals, butt, base of tail on its underside, and back of legs.) He won't let me check it out closely, and he's acting a little weird (not putting his tail up all the way, walking a few feet, then stopping to lick again)

I'm getting really concerned. Should I bring him to the vet over this?

Has anyone had experience with this, or is it too vague and general of a problem for me to figure out if it's something serious??

I would definitely bring him to the vet. Has he been using the litterbox normally? Excessive attention to that area could be a sign of bladder problems (which would be a very serious issue and worth going to the emergency vet). It could also indicate a problem with his bowels--diarrhea, constipation, impacted anal glands, parasites, etc.

Originally Posted by cloud_shade

I would definitely bring him to the vet. Has he been using the litterbox normally? Excessive attention to that area could be a sign of bladder problems (which would be a very serious issue and worth going to the emergency vet). It could also indicate a problem with his bowels--diarrhea, constipation, impacted anal glands, parasites, etc.

Click to expand...

My Muddy starts to over groom that area tells me that he is either building up crystals or has a bladder infection. Watch his food/water intake and litter habits very closely right now.

Please take him to the vet asap - it could be something serious...

Best have your vet check him out. It could be a ruptered anal gland..

He is acting normally today, but I do think it's a sign of some kind of problem in its beginning stages.
Unfortunately I don't know about his litter box habits, because the litter box is in the back hall with a cat door on it, and when I open the door to follow him he leaves the room, or I'll just find him in there staring out the window, so I haven't seen him use it in the past few days.
We DID change the type of litter last week, and I've seen him rolling in the litter on the floor so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with this.
I'm leaning towards the anal gland because his backside seemed oily and smelled kind of funky.. but I am going to take him to the vet this afternoon to find out what is going on.

Thank you all for your advice, I'll keep you posted on how he does at the vet.

I've had that happen to one or 2 of my cats a few times....I think they just "blow" their anal glands every now and then. I've never had to take one to the vet for it, as it always clears up after one blow-out. But it definitely bears watching, as it could lead to an infection or something worse. Let us know what the vet says!

Willowy, that definitely sounds plausible.

Bilo hasn't shown any signs of illness over the last 2 days, and I haven't seen him licking his bum. He's generally being a little brat and acting like Bilo (begging for food, asking to go in the hall, etc). I've been keeping a close eye on him and it doesn't seem like there's a need to bring him to the vet right now. He's eating, peeing (I spied through the cat door this morning) and isn't showing any signs of lethargy, no vomiting, etc. I will continue to keep a close eye on him, but I think I was just being paranoid.

Thanks again everyone for the advice and support!