I have another thread about Willy's pooping issues, and actually have made some progress on that.
Wet/dry food ratio and pooping issues
I found a better ratio of wet-to-dry that appears to have prevented constipation significantly.
But he has been a carpet-scooter his entire life, and there is nothing I've ever been able to do to stop it.
Immediately after using the litter box, he goes to my living room carpet, and runs his butt across about 1-2 feet of carpet. Then usually after, he grooms himself properly. But before the grooming, he always scoots.
This leads to frequent need to use carpet cleaner for the occasional bit of poop left on it. The food issue I mentioned above made it less common that anything is left on the carpet. But even in his early life, 8 years ago, he's always done this.
My vet has basically said that in some cats, this is just a habitual behavior you may not be able to break. They learn there is a carpet surface that works as a means to clean themselves more efficiently, and cats never forget anything, so they just keep doing it.
Edit: I should have said that Willy was checked out for anal gland and other issues relating to his backside. Every wellness checkup, nothing is found wrong back there.
But he once did have an anal gland issue several years ago where it needed to be manually expressed, and the lead-up to that appointment could have cemented the behavior.
Wet/dry food ratio and pooping issues
I found a better ratio of wet-to-dry that appears to have prevented constipation significantly.
But he has been a carpet-scooter his entire life, and there is nothing I've ever been able to do to stop it.
Immediately after using the litter box, he goes to my living room carpet, and runs his butt across about 1-2 feet of carpet. Then usually after, he grooms himself properly. But before the grooming, he always scoots.
This leads to frequent need to use carpet cleaner for the occasional bit of poop left on it. The food issue I mentioned above made it less common that anything is left on the carpet. But even in his early life, 8 years ago, he's always done this.
My vet has basically said that in some cats, this is just a habitual behavior you may not be able to break. They learn there is a carpet surface that works as a means to clean themselves more efficiently, and cats never forget anything, so they just keep doing it.
Edit: I should have said that Willy was checked out for anal gland and other issues relating to his backside. Every wellness checkup, nothing is found wrong back there.
But he once did have an anal gland issue several years ago where it needed to be manually expressed, and the lead-up to that appointment could have cemented the behavior.
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