Cleaning Kittens

Does anybody have advice on how to keep a kitten smelling clean? My little 4 week old kitten Graycie gets pooh on her overnight if she goes in her little litter box. And sometimes in the morning it is all over her back feet and her tummy. I tried to wash it off the best I could with a warm wet washcloth but still some smell remains. A kitten isn't quite so cuddly when it stinks!

4 weeks old where is mom? Is the kitty longhaired? I just give my 5 week old kitties a rear bath when they need it. One drop of dawn liquid soap and a quick wash in the sink and they are fine. They don't need it all the time, just once in awhile.

Actually I think there is no better time to introduce bathtime than now. I have not completly bathed my 6 kittens yet but they too get poo on them. So I just run a sink of warm water and gently rub the dried poo off. It will come loose with the warm water. I do not use any soap yet I am afraid too. I wasnt sure they are too little or not. I just use water. And I have only cleaned their bottoms where the poo is. Then I wrap them in a little wash cloth till their bottoms are dry.
Hope this helps.

When my little guys were really little...had them from birth until now (14 wks.) they would make a mess and get poo stuck on their tails, feet & bellies. There were times it got so bad that I would actually take a large bowl of warm water and dunk them. I never used soap...was afraid of any reaction.

I would use some water and a soft washcloth on her. As she gets older, she will get the hang of it.

Originally Posted by hissy

4 weeks old where is mom? Is the kitty longhaired? I just give my 5 week old kitties a rear bath when they need it. One drop of dawn liquid soap and a quick wash in the sink and they are fine. They don't need it all the time, just once in awhile.

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Yes, she does seems to be long haired, which makes it a little tougher to wash her.

My brother found this kitten at the farm he works on. They are pretty sure that somebody dropped it off as they didn't even have kittens that age around. Graycie has been doing pretty good at eating and has gained a little weight. She is still trying to get the hang of drinking on her own out of a small lid, she will be doing great once she learns she doesn't need to chew on the rim of the lid to drink. I guess she is used to chewing on the tip of the syringe when she drinks. Yesterday two times she ate almost all she wanted from the lid, but she still took a little more from the syringe. This morning she was too hungry and wasn't getting it fast enough from the lid so I fed her with the syringe.

I guess I will just continue to wash her up with a warm wet washcloth. She is licking her front paws herself and tries to wash her tummy but she isn't quite coordinated yet.

She sounds like a real sweetie.

I don't like giving kittens baths. I just don't think it is necessary nor do I think it is wise, but of course, others are entitled to their own opinions. A warm, wet washcloth does a nice job.

As for the smell, you could try pouring one, very small drop of vanilla extract into the palm of your hand, warm and emulsify it by rubbing the palms of your hands together briskly for a minute and then gently stroking your cat's fur. You don't need a lot and it is best to do it while she is still damp.

I bought cat "babywipes" when my angel kitty Mattie was ill. They didn't work real well in keeping her clean, but I'll bet they would help your baby smell better. You could keep cleaning as you are now, with a warm washcloth, then wipe her with the babywipe.

Originally Posted by Jmiah22

She is still trying to get the hang of drinking on her own out of a small lid, she will be doing great once she learns she doesn't need to chew on the rim of the lid to drink.

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It sure is good to know my kittys are not the only ones that had that problem. They did get better in a bout 2 or 3 days.

Originally Posted by Big-Cat-Fan

It sure is good to know my kittys are not the only ones that had that problem. They did get better in a bout 2 or 3 days.

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Yeah, my little furbaby is getting the hang of eating on her own. I started mixing in some canned food with her formula today and she liked it real well. I was scared to try it for fear she wouldn't eat, but she did. When she had her fill of that, I offered her some plain canned food and she sniffed at it and didn't act like she knew what to think, then I forced her mouth open gently and put a little dap in her mouth and she ate that right down and then started eating it off my finger on her own. I love my little baby already and I have only had her five days.

That falling in love feeling is wonderful, isn't it? You are doing really well in caring for your new addition!