Dirty Bum

[Chold]

Hello!
our 5 month old exotic long hair kitten has been getting poo stuck to his back side quite a bit. He’s been professionally groomed and they shave the back of his legs down, but somehow he still managed to get it all over both legs this morning.

We have a traditional style box and a litter genie with higher sides. I’ve noticed that no matter which he uses, he doesn’t really cover his poop. Instead, he scratches the sides or top of the litter box.

We went to the vet today for shots and they didn’t give me any ideas on how to fix it….

My only other thought is to try one of those under the bed Tupperware bins so there’s lots of room. I’m also going to try and use his paws to cover it if I can catch him going.

Any other ideas? My couch & white bed spread would appreciate it!

Edit to add- he is on dry food only

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Is his poop particularly soft-ish, or sticky?

Have you tried adding canned food to his diet?

Have you tried changing the type of litter - I don't know if this would make any difference, except if he's squatting pretty low and his poop is soft but sits on top of the litter like it might with clay but might not with pellets ... maybe?

 

[FeebysOwner]

As mentioned above, this can happen it a cat's poop is a bit soft, so if that were to be the case, you might think about whether or not his foods are the culprit. Plain pumpkin is sometimes mixed with a cat's food to add fiber which can help firm stools. Psyllium husk is another thing you could try. Of course, both are bit tougher to accomplish with dry food.

As far as the not covering his poo, you can try to 'teach' him, but tbh some cats just don't do it - mine is one of them. She is 19+yo and has never really covered her pee or poop in her entire life.

 

[Chold]

Hi! Is his poop particularly soft-ish, or sticky?

Have you tried adding canned food to his diet?

Have you tried changing the type of litter - I don't know if this would make any difference, except if he's squatting pretty low and his poop is soft but sits on top of the litter like it might with clay but might not with pellets ... maybe?

Sometimes it's sticky and sometimes it's firmer. The last incident it was on the softer/sticky side.

I haven't added canned food to his diet yet, but I will start with that first!

 

[Chold]

As mentioned above, this can happen it a cat's poop is a bit soft, so if that were to be the case, you might think about whether or not his foods are the culprit. Plain pumpkin is sometimes mixed with a cat's food to add fiber which can help firm stools. Psyllium husk is another thing you could try. Of course, both are bit tougher to accomplish with dry food.

As far as the not covering his poo, you can try to 'teach' him, but tbh some cats just don't do it - mine is one of them. She is 19+yo and has never really covered her pee or poop in her entire life.

Such funny quirks cats have!
Thank you for these suggestions. I'll give them a go!

 

[Alldara]

I went back to a pellet litter and that did help with Ghost, as did the shaving his bottom. Let us know how it goes!

 

[iPappy]

Such funny quirks cats have!
Thank you for these suggestions. I'll give them a go!

As a groomer, I tell my customers if there's an issue with "cling on's", it's a diet/stool issue, not a fur issue. I'd try the suggestions given above and see what happens.
I'm also impressed that at 5 months you've already gotten your kitten into a groomer. Your kitten and groomer both will thank you as he will be used to this process and will be a joy for them to work on! For comparison, we groom a long haired cat once a month that started coming to us at 4 months old, and he is SO well behaved for us!