cat suddenly wiping bum on floor.

[tyleete]

Well, as it says, she suddenly started wiping her (often) dirty bum on my floor. I took in this cat about 4yrs ago and she's settled in here. But suddenly she's leaving ugly track marks behind after rubbing her bum.
Now granted, she's FAT.
Anyone have prior experience with this? I'm actually getting to regret talking her in now. But it's really gross. And she'll lick her tail, Pic for cuteness. Her name is Shizhama.

 

[Biomehanika]

Cats like having clean butts and most cats will do this once in a blue moon if they take a poo that leaves a mess or has a hanger-oner. If it is happening often though that likely means something is wrong. How often does she poo? What are her poos generally like? What do you feed her? It’s possible she has a poo issue going on or something with her anal glands, or inflammation/something going on in her GI tract. If she is significantly overweight/fat like you say she may have trouble grooming herself back there properly, which will just exacerbate the issue. You can help her clean herself back there with cat butt wipes or just a clean cloth or paper towel with warm water, but since this sounds like a regular ongoing thing she should probably see the vet.

 

[Kwik]

Well, as it says, she suddenly started wiping her (often) dirty bum on my floor. I took in this cat about 4yrs ago and she's settled in here. But suddenly she's leaving ugly track marks behind after rubbing her bum.
Now granted, she's FAT.
Anyone have prior experience with this? I'm actually getting to regret talking her in now. But it's really gross. And she'll lick her tail, Pic for cuteness. Her name is Shizhama.

Shizhama probably needs manual expressing of her anal glands,if not clearly she is itchy and uncomfortable and it's the only way she knows how to try and relieve her discomfort.

You shouldn't regret taking this girl in,if she could talk she'd be saying " help me,I'm feeling terribly uncomfortable" but she doesn't know how to ask for help.... so,please help her

It's more common for dogs anal glands to become clogged but it can happen to cats as well,a firm healthy stool is what milks those glands,IF in fact they are clogged then your Vet will recommend supplementing her diet to help prevent this

In any event I'd suggest an appt with the Vet- she cannot help her own discomfort,it would be great if our cats were in tip top shape & always in perfect health but they do need medical attention when they have a problem-a groomer is perfectly capable of expressing anal glands but you need a proper diagnosis to be sure

 

[rubysmama]

If she's really overweight, that could be part of the problem. Here's a TCS article that might be helpful:
Is Your Cat Overweight? Understanding Cat Weight Management - TheCatSite

However, since this is new a behaviour, a vet checkup is probably a good idea to rule out a health issue.

Meanwhile, here's some older TCS threads on the topic that might be helpful.

All threads with "scooting' in the title:
Search Results for Query: scooting

Some specific threads:
Scooting
Anal Glands/Scooting. When to get care?
Scooting bum across the floor??
Cat scooting
Scooting: How do I know if he needs anal gland expression?

 

[Caspers Human]

Three main things come to mind, for me. Either worms, anal glands or she's trying to clean herself where she can't reach.

If it's worms (most likely, tapeworms) it wouldn't be a very nice feeling. The cat is probably trying to get them off.
If your cat is kept completely indoors, this would be the least likely reason. Cats that are kept indoors aren't exposed to fleas and other things that can cause (transmit) worms.

If it's anal glands, somebody will probably have to express them. It's not hard to do but it's rather icky. I've had to do it on dogs, before, but never on a cat. Best to find a groomer or a vet who knows how to do it.
Basically, her glands might be full of fluid which can make her have an itchy bum. She's trying to scratch, back there. That's probably why she does it.

The third cause (unable to reach) might have something to do with the second cause. If a cat can't reach back there to clean itself, the glands might not get the stimulation they need to express themselves. When a cat cleans itself, it causes the glands to naturally express. Also, if the cat's diet doesn't allow for hard enough stools, the glands might not express themselves when she goes to the litter box, normally.

Also, if a cat is overweight, that just means her overall health, including her glands, will need more care. Not being able to reach her backside to clean only makes the problem worse.

My suggestions are to call a vet and have her looked over, just to be sure. Have her glands checked and expressed if necessary. In the future, you're probably going to have to help her clean herself after going to the litter box.

Finally, I'm sorry to say, if the cat is so overweight that she can't clean herself, she's going to need to go on a diet. This is another thing a vet can help you with. They can give you advice on how much to feed your cat so that she'll safely loose wight.

 

[Alldara]

It can also be a sign of constipation or something "stuck" like a human hair.

Let us know if you see a vet. That would be my recommendation

 

[danteshuman]

If she is overweight she needs a diet from the vet & a sanitary cut.

 

[tyleete]

Thank you all for your help. It turned out to be the food. I was doing a really slow transition, but apparently it wasn't enough for my Special cat.

 

[Cf24248]

I'm glad you figured it out! If she starts up again, her weight could absolutely be contributing. If a kitty can't lick her own bum, they can resort to scooting instead. Extra weight also makes it harder for their anal glands to express. Hopefully, though, you've solved the problem