Kitty always has a stinky bum

One of my cats always has a stinky bum and it always looks dirty. The other cat who's much cleaner will try to wash the other cat but he just wants to play all the time. I'm thinking that his poor cleaning habits are because the breeder insisted I take him at 10 weeks rather than 12 and possibly he didn't learn how to clean himself properly from mommy cat because he left her too early. How can I teach him to clean himself? Is it even possible?Any thoughts?

am not to sure but I know 10 weeks isnt to to early. I feel 12 is perfect but at 10 he should be eating and cleaning himself by then.

If he is a busy little guy he may just be in too much of a hurry to do the job right yet. I keep some kitty wipes on hand for my pork belly cat since he sometimes doesn't do a very good job cleaning. It really doesn't take much and since I've started helping him out he seems to do a bit better job. (I think maybe I've offended him by helping.)

I've seen a suggestion on here before which made a lot of sense to me! I forget where it was, so I'll summarize...

Get a spray bottle and put it on the mist (finest spray) setting. Spray it at his bum area and he will start to lick it because of the water on there. Ideally, he will eventually get the idea and start cleaning himself.

If he's still a young kitten, this is something that will develop with age.

Originally Posted by Malakaiii

I've seen a suggestion on here before which made a lot of sense to me! I forget where it was, so I'll summarize...

Get a spray bottle and put it on the mist (finest spray) setting. Spray it at his bum area and he will start to lick it because of the water on there. Ideally, he will eventually get the idea and start cleaning himself.

If he's still a young kitten, this is something that will develop with age.

Click to expand...

That is a great idea and a wonderful tip. Let us know if you try it and how it works out.

Thanks for the feedback. I will try the spray bottle idea. Also what are kitty wipes and where do you buy them?
The reason I thought 10 weeks might have been too young was because when I got him he cried for the first 2 weeks and was very needy/clingy. If I left the room for 1 minute he would howl for me. I had never known a kitten to do that before and I had read that if a kitten leaves it's mother too young it would have that reaction. My previous cats had never behaved that way. Maybe it was just his personality.

I used to buy kitty wipes when Milo was young. We got Milo when he was only about 4 or 5 weeks old, because he was abandoned in a field. He used to be bad at cleaning himself too, so we used to help him out. He eventually got the hang of it. He is now almost 2 and the cleanest cat I have ever had. He's always cleaning Zebra too because she gets into things and doesn't always smell the greatest.

Oh wow, somebody actually remembered my technique with the spray bottle and the poopy bottom! Malakaiii, you said it as best I could.
The important part is that the cat knows its not a punishment! If you use the spray bottle to punish your cat it probably won't work and will just confuse them.

Well then I need to look into kitty wipes for his bum because I do use the spray bottle to keep them off the counter & table and I don't want him to think he's being punished. So where can I buy kitty wipes?

u can use baby wipes, much cheaper. I try to get a brand called "simple" as they are unperfumed and for sensitive skin, but I also get Pampers or Shop's own brand if they are for special deal. I prefer the cotton cloth type ones, they are also handy to clean the edge of the cat toilet and give the toilet-shovel a quick clean. I keep them next to the cat toilet at all times. I don't like the really cheap ones (they come in a round bottle), as they are the size and consistency of those hand cleaning things you get at take-away shops.

Gizmo's bum is always clean (amazing, as he is long-haired), Bubbles needs help sometimes, he's just lazy. But using a babywipe on his bum makes him clean it.

baby wipes I tell you are the key. Get the sensative or unsented huggies they are the thickest. The will take anything off.