Advice on cleaning a cat's backside!

Hello everyone! Tomorrow I'll be welcoming Eve, a cat I've decided to adopt with a 2 week foster trail. She's very sweet, so I hope it works out. I have my bedroom set up for her so she can stay there for the first few days.

The only problem is that when I went to visit her, her tail and fur around her butt area were totally covered in dried poop! The lady noticed this and said they would have to wipe her down, but given the shelter is very busy and all, I don't think they will be able to before I bring her home tomorrow.

Is there a way I can clean her without giving her a bath? I'm worried a bath right after I bring her home will stress her out too much, especially since I have no experience in bathing cats. I'm not sure wet wipes will work either, because they were pretty dry and matted in. Any advice for cleaning her? It is a must when I bring her home, since she'll be staying in my bedroom and I'd rather not have a poopy bed, lol. 

I think I might have to take her to Petsmart for a grooming, but, again, I worry this might stress her out too much with all the change. :S

Thanks!

If she is messy that's a sign she had diarrhea, her poops should be the consistency of a tootsie-roll. You might try very wet wash cloths, lots of them, and then just put those in the wash. I do that with my Persian who sometimes drags her tail through her poop, leaves a poopy trail on the floor, that's how I know she is messy again. I can't give her a bath every time she manages to get poop on her tail and the hair around her anus but a very wet wash cloth will do the cleaning every time. Being a Persian she has been used to taking a bath since babyhood but another cat who is not used to taking a bath will object. A wash cloth will not get her all wet, just the area in need of cleaning. When you have your cat all clean dry her with a towel and/or a hair dryer, most cats will appreciate the warms of the dryer. If not, just let her go and clean/dry herself. Good luck with a nice clean cat.

The first thing you need to determine is why the cat has stool matted on her rear-end. 

Is it due to diarrhea or does she have exceptionally long hair on her backside that is collecting 'nuggets'?

If it is diarrhea, she needs to be vetted and treated promptly to learn the cause... it could be worms, stress, diet, or an existing illness (colitis or IBS). If she is just collecting 'normal' formed stool because of her long hair, she can be given a 'sanitary' clipping. Did you happen to notice if any other cats have the same issue? It could be 'poor hygienne' practice (not cleaning litter boxes) by the shelter! 

I would think the shelter/rescue would clean her! It's easist to do when the stool is still moist and would take less than 5 minutes to do.

If she has dried stool matted in her fur when you get her (and I would call before going to pick her up and ask if she has been cleaned up), you can try a few different methods:

1. I suggest wrapping her 'burrito style' before beginning -

2. If it is dry, try taking a dry paper towel and 'rolling' her fur between your thumb and fingers to break it up and crumble the majority so it falls off. Then gently comb (not brush) the remaining residue out. You might also try trimming it off with a scissor, but be very careful - it might require two people.

3. Apply a very moist (wet, but not dripping) warm wash cloth to the area to soften it. Then change wash cloths as needed and wipe her fur until it is clean.

4. After you do step 3 above, run a medium stream of warm/tepid water in the bathroom sink (that is a good height and you will have the edge of the sink to balance your arms on for better control) and gently rinse the residue out of her fur.

5. Dry/fluff her with a towel. (If you use a hair dryer, put it on the lowest setting and keep it about 8 inches or more away from her to prevent hitting her with a 'hot spot'. I never use dryers on my cat because he hates the noise and it makes matters worse. Not to mention, it dries his fur out). She will groom herself and dry on her own in about 20-30 minutes.

If she has long hair, you can clip her hind quarters or have a groomer do it. I have to give Kricket (my Maine Coon) a 'man-scape' every 6 weeks or so. I have a small pet clipper and I do it in 2 or 3 intervals because he doesn't always cooperate (DUH!) and I have a back injury. 

Request ALL vet records that they have so you can take them with you to your vet. Even if she is current on her vaccines, I would still have her checked to determine the cause of the stool issue.

Keep us posted and let us know how things worked out.

Thanks for the replies! The litter boxes at the shelter are in a hidden compartment for privacy I suppose, so I can't see what her bathroom or other's are like. When I went to see her yesterday she did seem to be sleeping in it because I saw her head poking out, so that could be why.

The shelter feeds science diet, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was food related. Felix's poops were also pretty unpleasant when I brought him home from the shelter until I transitioned him to grain free.
She does need to go to the vet soon for a rabies shot anyway, so if I find she has diarrehea I'll have that checked out too.

Also, here's a picture I took of her yesterday, and you can see a bit of her dirty tail.

Here's an update:

I brought her home, and she wasn't cleaned. The dried poop was on her tail, anal area, and completel all over her back legs. As you can imagine, she stank like crazy. I tried to trim some of the dried poop off and wipe with wet wipes (which she was VERY patient for, btw), but we decided it had to be a bath...there was no way it was all coming out. 

We bathed her, which she was also quite a good girl for, but I don't think I got it out completely, because she still smells. In a few days when she's settled down I'll have to take her to a groomers for a proper bath and a trim of her back fur. 

Also, she had her first poop just now. I checked it, and it was pretty good. It was a normal brown colour (not yellowish like some of the dried poop on her), and a bit soft, but definitely not diarrhea. I know the shelter includes deworming in their adoption cost, so she should be ok, but I'll continue to monitor her litter box.

Does anyone else find it unacceptable that a shelter would not clean the cat and let it be adopted in that shape?? Is this normal for shelters who are busy?

WafflesNomNom said:

 
Does anyone else find it unacceptable that a shelter would not clean the cat and let it be adopted in that shape?? Is this normal for shelters who are busy?

Click to expand...

Absolutely unacceptable! If they have the audacity to hand a kitten/cat over to someone when it is full of stool, it makes me wonder what kind of care they receive during their time at the shelter! How long would this cat have lain around with stool in her fur (until she, herself, licked it off!). If it were me, I would have taken pictures and sent them to the director of the shelter! Are the animals there NOT receiving humane care? Are they truly being vetted and dewormed and fed properly? 

If they are 'that' busy, then they need to work a little harder and a little faster to get the job done! I would be willing to bet there is a lot of 'standing around' by the staff. That type of neglect is completely inexcusable! 

WafflesNomNom said:

 
Does anyone else find it unacceptable that a shelter would not clean the cat and let it be adopted in that shape?? Is this normal for shelters who are busy?

Click to expand...

It is not acceptable but they also know that a prospective cat parent will take them anyway and they are mostly glad to be rid of one more cat. We of course just want the cat to be in a proper home and so put up with it.

Most shelters that are sustained by donations will not have proper employees, just volunteers who are just animal lovers, not properly trained, usually have little idea about what an animal needs beyond food, water and shelter. They do the best they know how. Those who are mostly familiar with dogs think that a cat does not need a bath, that it will just clean itself.