dirty bottom cat. any ideas?

lamiatron

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We only had that problem once where our young  female would not clean her bum. Hubby would take a spray bottle with water and spray it, which made her want to clean it.  A couple of times doing that and she took over the job with no spraying anymore.  She just passed away 2 years ago at 10 years of age, all that time, taking care of herself with cleaning.  Spraying their rear-end with water would be my first step.  Of course that won't help if you have a chubby cat that cannot reach the area or an old one that can't reach it. We never had a 'lazy' cat that would not give itself a bath. 
I spoke to a vet regarding this, and she advised against it for me. Especially trying to spray the bottom right after they come out of the litter box. She said it would make the cat fear her littler box. I'm glad that wasn't the case for you. I just let my girl do her business and prance around for a minute before i grab her and wipe her bottom with a cat wipe. She hates it, but after i wipe, she's diligent about licking her bottom clean! i give her treats after her wipe downs, and double treats when i see she's cleaning her bum after wards. now she cleans her bottom on her own, and i don't have to worry about wiping her down anymore. I've noticed that after i trimmed her bottom hair, it has helped with her wanting to clean on her own. she's a DSH, but the fur towards the rear of her body and her hind legs are much longer. any time i catch her licking her bottom, i always give her treats. lol. that method has been working for me. I was so worried when i first encountered the issue, I thought she might have had some anal gland issue...but now that she's been cleaning herself...that doesn't seem to be the case.
 

bluebird gal

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Our big boy will sometimes have a dingleberry.  I wet a paper towel with warm water and ignore the immediate protest until I have wiped him clean.  He's pretty clean overall, but occasionally if he has a loose finish for some reason to a stool it just happens.

I don't want to segway to conversation, but 'm more curious about why anyone would bathe their cat? .. outside of show cats 
 
 
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stephiedoodle

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Our big boy will sometimes have a dingleberry.  I wet a paper towel with warm water and ignore the immediate protest until I have wiped him clean.  He's pretty clean overall, but occasionally if he has a loose finish for some reason to a stool it just happens.

I don't want to segway to conversation, but 'm more curious about why anyone would bathe their cat? .. outside of show cats 
 
 Some cats plain and simple would rather not groom themselves or on cases where theya re too over weight they just cant manage to get everywhere so we give them a helping hand. Plus some cats I.E long haired ones need an extra hand so hairballs dont become a problem.
 

bluebird gal

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 Some cats plain and simple would rather not groom themselves or on cases where theya re too over weight they just cant manage to get everywhere so we give them a helping hand. Plus some cats I.E long haired ones need an extra hand so hairballs dont become a problem.
Yes, Si has never been a heavy groomer of any part of his body really.  He does groom, what I consider a normal amount, after mealtime, and he will groom his nether regions on a regular basis, but sometimes there will just be that tiny little amount of poo that will stick to the fur that I have seen him groom right around without so much as attempting to get it unstuck from his fur.  So of course I step in and clean it for him.
 

lamiatron

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 Some cats plain and simple would rather not groom themselves or on cases where theya re too over weight they just cant manage to get everywhere so we give them a helping hand. Plus some cats I.E long haired ones need an extra hand so hairballs dont become a problem.
 
Yes, Si has never been a heavy groomer of any part of his body really.  He does groom, what I consider a normal amount, after mealtime, and he will groom his nether regions on a regular basis, but sometimes there will just be that tiny little amount of poo that will stick to the fur that I have seen him groom right around without so much as attempting to get it unstuck from his fur.  So of course I step in and clean it for him.
I don't like to bathe my kitties... one of them doesn't like it, he gets stressed out and then throws up for a couple days afterward :/

then my other kitty is no trouble bathing. She doesn't even meow, she's super calm, she just looks at with those eyes, "why are you doing this to me mommy?" and then she has latent depression, like it hits her two days later that she got a bath and she starts to hiss and act weird -_____-

I don't want to bathe them unless they REALLY need it, one example, when one of my cats had diarrhea (switching from a dry only diet to a dry and wet), and wipes just could not clean that mess. Or when Charlie (the stressed out bath kitty) got into the garbage......they're both under 6 mo. of age

i do give them wipe downs with pet wipes every other day, keeps them clean, forces my younger kitty to groom herself afterwards (she's a bit lazy), and helps with my allergies.  
 

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when I first got Toby (just passed away on Jan 3/14) he had a knotted mess on the top part near his bum and had an infection; once I got him to the vets and cleaned up he was happy to groom himself
 

michelle745

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I'm glad to know at least I'm not the only cat mom going through this. My 7-year-old female Maine Coon won't clean her rear. The vet has basically said she thinks she can't reach, being such a big cat, but I've seen Sage clean herself after I bathe her. Thankfully, as a Maine, she isn't as upset by water as most cats, though when her rear is really raw, she gets really upset with me for cleaning it. Tonight she bit me while I was cleaning it. She's nipped before, but never left a mark before. She's gotten a bath every day for a week, so it's not like it wasn't clean yesterday.

I may try spraying water on it and seeing if she takes care of it. Wet wipes don't seem to cut it. We keep her shaved down for half the year, and she gets her first shave usually in March. The vet gives her sanitary shaves sometimes during the winter, though they have made it clear they don't really want to provide it as a service (but don't recommend me shaving it). '

I feel bad because she runs from me a lot now, always afraid I'm going to pick her up and give her a bath. I've been trying giving her treats afterward, and I stay real calm and happy during it, but I think it's just painful and upsets her.
 

lamiatron

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Hmm..I'm sorry to hear your kitty is running from you, @Michelle745  seems like she is starting to associate you with bath time. 

try to take it easy on the baths. Let her do her think after the litter box, like let her walk around and forget that she just went. When she's calm and just in her own little world, try water spray, or a wipe down on her bottom with some pet wipes....and that might make your kitty groom back there. just give her treats when you're done and walk away. 

I hope she stops running from you :/
 

michelle745

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Originally Posted by Lamiatron  

try to take it easy on the baths. Let her do her think after the litter box, like let her walk around and forget that she just went. When she's calm and just in her own little world, try water spray, or a wipe down on her bottom with some pet wipes....and that might make your kitty groom back there. just give her treats when you're done and walk away. 

I hope she stops running from you :/
I don't bathe her after she goes to the litter box. I should try the spraying or wipes again. I didn't find wipes worked very well before. Her rear gets so red and sore, and she sometimes and comes and finds me and leads me to the bathroom, so I think she knows it feels better when I do bathe her. I don't think she's afraid of the baths so much as the soreness. I dunno.
 

di and bob

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My cats have never been bathed except for the occasional wipe down with a damp rag when they roll in dirt. I would think it would be way too stressful for them and me! It's strange how some cats will groom a lot, and others won't hardly at all. I guess I've been lucky in the dirty bottom dept., none of my cats have ever had one!
 

lamiatron

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i'm sorry. i thought i read that you bathed her almost every day for one week? @Michelle745

if the wipes aren't as effective, which with me, they aren't that effective sometimes, i still use them. After i wipe down my kitty, i give her a treat and I just leave her a lone, and she starts to groom her behind on her own after the wipe down. She's a DSH, but the fur on her rear and hind legs are much longer compared to the rest of her body....so every couple weeks, i just trim the hair on her behind and hind legs. i don't shave it all off, I don't think she would like that. I just use my cutting sheers and give her a little trim, and i've noticed that lately she grooms on her own with out me having to wipe her down. 

Maybe you should consider giving her a trim instead of shaving her completely back there... (unless i've also misunderstood that also)

You can also try a warm wet towel...just wipe your kitty enough so that the behind is wet, and hopefully your kitty will take care of the rest. 

@Di and Bob  i had to give Jet a bath last night -____-. she some how managed to get poop all over her bum and rear paw (maybe cus i've been trying diff. canned foods with them she probably had some diarrhea or soft stools). But she's an angel when it comes to getting a bath. She "talks to me" and stands still and doesn't fuss. She's good. She'll probably hiss at me today tho, cus it usually hits her 1-2 days later that she was given a bath. lol
 

angel lacanfora

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My 2 year-old, long-haired rescue kitty goes berzerk at the possibility of a bath or if I get anywhere near his behind. I had mobile pet groomers come by and they took him into their van and then threw him back into my home, sopping wet, saying they couldn't work with him. Doesn't matter that he's only about 8 pounds, he's squirmy & nervous about this sort of thing. So today, he's got dingleberries galore & stinks. But if I make a move towards his butt, he runs & hides under the bed. One time last year, I tried to bathe him in the bathroom sink in lukewarm water & he crawled up me & sank his teeth into my shoulder. Consequently, I'm afraid to groom him now. I just don't know what to do here & I don't have the money to take him to a groomer or vet. Appreciate any advice.
 

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Just be careful with the wipes.  Be sure they are made for cats.  Baby wipes have chemicals that when licked by the cat could cause her to get sick.  
 

shadowbaby14

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Sometimes this happens to my Shadow. She gets poop stuck to her fur. If your cat was longhaired I would suggest just cutting the poop off when it gets caked on there. That's what I do with Shadow because she has enough hair there to spare... LOL. Sorry I can't be of much help. I do hope you find a solution.
 

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Oh yeah, misting, wiping, uh, you name it we've tried it with groucho, at least chagrin is Siamese, clean butt. He would be horrified if he couldn't groom there. Groucho(grouchie) has TOO MUCH hair. We just wrap him in a towel, wipe and clip if necessary. The whole thing for him is indigent.!

            on another topic, does anyone give there CATZ plain yogurt? Chagrin loves it, flavored, too.
 

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Oh yeah, misting, wiping, uh, you name it we've tried it with groucho, at least chagrin is Siamese, clean butt. He would be horrified if he couldn't groom there. Groucho(grouchie) has TOO MUCH hair. We just wrap him in a towel, wipe and clip if necessary. The whole thing for him is indigent.!

            on another topic, does anyone give there CATZ plain yogurt? Chagrin loves it, flavored, too.
I tried plain yogurt with my cats and they wouldn't touch it. Can't blame them, I won't touch it either. They love the sweetened vanilla yogurt and some of the fruit flavors, but they only get to lick the bowl. I don't know about giving them more than about a teaspoon at time. This would be an interesting topic for a thread in the Nutrition forum.
 

lamiatron

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Oh yeah, misting, wiping, uh, you name it we've tried it with groucho, at least chagrin is Siamese, clean butt. He would be horrified if he couldn't groom there. Groucho(grouchie) has TOO MUCH hair. We just wrap him in a towel, wipe and clip if necessary. The whole thing for him is indigent.!

            on another topic, does anyone give there CATZ plain yogurt? Chagrin loves it, flavored, too.
all 3 of my kitties love yogurt. they like the vanilla flavored greek yogurt (thats the only type i've ever shared with them) I don't give it to them often. any time i eat some they all get a little bit from the tip of my finger...I don't eat it by itself often (usually i blend it with other stuff)
 

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Our Blue Grand, bless his heart, we had to have him put to sleep the 2nd. of January 2015, (thyroid problems and Mega-Colon. He was, literally, starving to death and in a lot of pain), had the same problem. What I did was two things. First, I would clean him and his tail with a soft cloth. Second, I would put coconut oil on his bum. He would lick it off, cleaning himself, at times.  This not only helped him with his cleaning business, but it also helped with his constipation issues. I read that some cats, with long hair, need to have that area shaved or the fur cut as it gets pulled into the anus when a cat is having a bowel movement, and it gets all tangled up with the poo causing him to have problems eliminating properly.
 

kollannia

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I give chagrin, @2tablespoons a day. It is, (for him), better than pro/pre biotics. Instead of  fitaflora powder.          k. 
 

stephiedoodle

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Lilly used to love being groomed not so much now we have gotten out of the habit we need to get back into it really but I found Wrapping her in a towel head/eyes covered butt exposed and combing the caked on poop out with a desheading comb worked wonders. Just when the lil poopy but wriggles let him go and reward him for staying still for so long.
 
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