Kitten sitting in her own poo

We have had her just over a week, she was 'apparently' 8 weeks when we got her but she is tiny and the vet suspects she may be a week or 2 younger than we originally thought.

She's quite skinny and is having loose stools, not diarhoa but not solid.

Problem is she goes to do her business well, to the litter tray, squats up and has a poo then immediately sits down on it causing it and the litter to stick to her bum, she then runs off and anywhere she sits she leaves little poo prints. She also drags herself along the carpet sometimes just afterwards. I am now following her when she looks like she is going to go and trying my best to catch her as soon as she has, so far I haven't been able to stop her sitting in it so have had to give her a bath to clean her up.

She's gorgeous, we love her and she obviously doesn't realise she is doing anything wrong as she comes over and sits on us purring away straight after. We have another kitten of similar age and he is fine. She is sometimes left for around 8 hours at home alone so you can imagine the mess we come back to after that!

Anyone had this problem and know any solution? I don't know what to do other than keep her in a cage but I feel really mean doing this, it's not what a cat is for. Any ideas or anything would be helpful, I've read a couple of similar cases online but no solution! Thanks

Getting the loose stools  cleared up should clear the problem.  In the meantime, if you keep baby wipes handy, you can try catching her as she leaves the box.  If you have to leave for 8 hours, you may want to crate her, and then you can bathe her when you get home.  I would ask the vet for some kind of treatment for the diarrhea.  Ponazuril has been used as a coccidia treatment in horses for a long time, and its use (also off-label) in cats and dogs has been documented since at least 2006. In my experience, it wipes coccidia out with just a dose or two. 

Yes, Ponazuril. Your cat needs treatment asap. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

She may not have coccidia - it could just be worms. But a vet check is in order, take a stool sample with you so it can be analysed for parasites. Her hind end is probably feeling a bit itchy and hot.

R rosieandnick

How is your kitty today?

She's had 2 baths today! Came down to a tail full of poop this morning and I just missed her again an hour or so ago as I was in the garden grr. Thanks for your advice, she has been to the vets I should have mentioned that earlier just for a once over as we got her from someone we didn't know, I took a sample in a zip bag and he said it's not diarhoa but it's not worth analysing after squishing it about a big. He said the non solid stools should clear up on their own an were probably caused by stress leaving her original litter. He gave us some worming power which she has eaten along with her food. She was also 'supposed' to have been wormed before we got her so we don't think it's worms. If she's still doing it after the weekend we will have to go back. I feel really mean putting her in the cage when we go out but that may be the only option until it clears!

Have you tried adding a tablespoon of plain, canned pumpkin to her meals? Pumpkin will often help to firm up diarrhea.

Part of the problem may be that she was removed from her mom too quickly, i.e. she had not adjusted to eating regular food and was still mostly nursing.  Any sudden change of food can give any cat diarrhea, and kitten tummies are delicate when they are babies.  We usually wean them slowly by putting down formula mixed with just a little cat food or baby food, and as they take to that more, we add more food to the formula and they get longer breaks from mama, while she roams around in another room than they are in (because she will gobble up the formula/food combination before they have a chance at it).  You might try getting her some of the powdered PetAg KMR kitten milk replacer formula.  It has probiotics in it and it is very kind to  their tummies.  That might help her a lot, and its something she can enjoy for the next couple of months as she is adjusting to being a big girl.  Kittens often nurse as long as mama will let them, and sometimes that is right through until the next litter is born.