Help: Poop sticking to but hair, causing infection1

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
Some of the long hair rescues have been having this problem. First time it happened to Jinx (DLH) shortly after we took them in. We had to soak him to get the poop off, we ended up shaving his fur around the anus and genitals. He had what appeared to be hemorrhoids, we medicated it and it looked so much better. Hasn't happened again.

Two days ago one of his sisters, another DLH had a huge lump of poop on her behind, the skin around the anus looked very infected. We've treated her topically and with clavamox to help curb infection.

My question is this: is this poop problem from lack of a mother to teach them to groom? the fur being too long? something else?
 

jack31

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 1, 2007
Messages
1,819
Purraise
15
Location
Cincinnati, OH
Hmm...I have not had any trouble with my longer haired ones and poop. I have not seen them groom their booties but they all do groom after eating.

Is mom a good groomer herself?

My adult longhair occasionally deals with a poopy butt--or rather I deal with his poopy butt.

Leslie
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
They were surrendered to the rescue at 5-6 weeks old. All I know about their mothers is that they were 11 months old themselves (their mothers were sisters) and were the kittens of another cat they turned over.
 

plebayo

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Sep 24, 2005
Messages
1,089
Purraise
4
Location
Oregon
Are you sure these cats aren't having anal gland issues not to mention poop sticking to the anus can irritate it as well.

With long haired cats I think you generally speaking need to keep things hair free back there. We just neutered a persian for this gal who used to breed and show them[she's retired] and she plucks the hair from around his genitals and some around his anus to keep things clean.

I also think poop consistancy has a lot to do with it, maybe feed something higher in fiber or add fiber to the diet to make the poop harder and less likely to stick to the hair?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
Sorry I forgot to clarify: The poops are solid, balls of poop, not diarrhea or soft stool. Even with the soaking we have had to cut both balls out of the fur because the water alone wouldn't break it all up. The balls are relatively stool size, maybe slightly larger. I think we're going to try shaving their behinds until they can get a handle on learning to groom. I even want to lion cut a few because they'd be SO ADORABLE! The people who surrendered them were rather dirty people to begin with. I got to go into the house when we rounded them up and it was horrible. They had the kittens corralled into this makeshift cardboard fence circle with a litterbox, HARD (not softened) kitten food and their mothers where nowhere in sight.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
:-( I've had enough death and sickness lately. Guess they're coming to the clinic tomorrow.

I was hoping it'd be something easy-- like it happens to a lot of longhair cats.
 

plebayo

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Sep 24, 2005
Messages
1,089
Purraise
4
Location
Oregon
I was hoping it'd be something easy-- like it happens to a lot of longhair cats.
Maybe it will be easy and is just the "norm" for them. Hopefully it's nothing bad just that they need sanitary trims once in a while
 

shanynne

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Messages
580
Purraise
4
Location
Bellingham, WA USA
Any change in their food? Sounds like maybe they are having trouble passing their stools? A trip to the vet might not hurt? Other than that I can 't think of anything. I sure hope everything clears up shortly, having to clean poopy butts is not fun!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
They've been eating the same food since they came to us about a month ago.

The vet at the clinic suggested shaving their butts till they can learn to clean themselves. He thinks it's a cleaning issue, the one with the infection is on clavamox twice daily because he's afraid of infection since the skin around her anus was so bad looking.
 

proudmamiof4

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 29, 2008
Messages
1,390
Purraise
8
Location
Coastal NC
I had 2 long haired kittens recently that we had since they were 10 days old, they sometimes would get poo stuck to their bottoms, I would clean them after every meal with a wipe and eventually they learned to do it themselves.
 

mzjazz2u

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 6, 2003
Messages
10,133
Purraise
4
Location
The Beehave State!
Sometimes long haired cats do have a problem cleaning around their butts and a sanitary shave is quite common. But right now I'm more concerned about the infected looking area around the anus. Poor thing.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

breellablue

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
394
Purraise
1
Location
Syracuse, NY
It's healing quite nicely. I am unsure how long her butt had the poop on it... I feel so bad for missing it. I touch them all every day, I play with them, I administer medicine for quite a few of them every day (we have had problems with coccidia in some of the younger kittens) and I can't believe that this one...

I've got to keep watching her, medicating her both topically with antibacterials and orally with clavamox.
 
Top