I Don't Know What He Got Into

I was visiting my parents today and their cat Kirby had something all over his back. My mom had no idea what it could be. I tried rinsing it out but it was very gummy and that didn't do anything. He eventually got mad about being held in the sink so I let him go. A while later, I gave him a bath in the laundry room sink using soap and that didn't do anything either. Finally I just decided to cut out all of the stuff that was in his fur because I honestly think it was a glue of some kind. He looks stupid now, but it's mostly out of his fur. He's the sweetest cat ever and was very mad and was actually biting me, so I didn't force him into a third trimming session.

Oh dear! Is he an indoor only cat or could he have got into something outside?

A few of my cats have had mishaps with paint, engine oil and gaffer tape before. (Although not all at once! )

Our vet managed to shampoo or cut out most of whatever was sticking to them. I guess if he wouldn't tolerate being bathed a hair cut was the only thing you could do.

My only concern would be that he might have tried to groom himself and got the sticky stuff in his mouth. Do his tongue and mouth look OK? Is he having any trouble eating? Acting lethargic, panting, drooling etc?

Our vet told us that if a cat gets covered with anything that might be dangerous for them to ingest you should rub flour into their fur. It helps to soak up whatever they've got on the fur, stops it being so sticky and makes it easier to wash out.

Keep us posted. I hope he'll be OK.

Can you describe what it looked like? Color, texture, sticky, wet, dry, etc. Indoor cat only, or indoor/outdoor?

He's indoor only. At first I thought it was syrup but when it didn't come out after several rinses with soap and water, I ruled that out. I couldn't tell what color it was or anything either. It was gummy or like a glue-like substance. Kirby was eating and acting like he usually does too, so I am not too concerned about whatever was in his fur causing some health problems.

Might he have gotten into the trash? I once had a kitten who got into the kitchen trash and got some sort of sticky stuff on his tail. We couldn't wash it off (and never figured out what it might have been that he found) but it eventually wore off. We nicknamed him Sticky Tail and the name stuck even longer: a friend took him in and he lived to a ripe old age.

Think he got into some cobwebs?

lisahe said:

Might he have gotten into the trash? I once had a kitten who got into the kitchen trash and got some sort of sticky stuff on his tail. We couldn't wash it off (and never figured out what it might have been that he found) but it eventually wore off. We nicknamed him Sticky Tail and the name stuck even longer: a friend took him in and he lived to a ripe old age.

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Sticky tail
Word to the wise, cats and fresh caulk don't mix. Always wanted a black and white cat, I guess my black cat heard me and decided to make my wish come true and grow his own pretty white feet.
Sometimes their well being and stress level beats "pretty". His hair will grow back We used to have a gorgeous looking cat that I always pretended was an Angora, and he hated being brushed so when he got old, we settled on a (longer) lion trim. He didn't win any shows but he was comfortable, looked cute enough and we spared everyone a lot of battles with an elderly cat.

It almost sounds & looks like he might somehow have laid down atop a sticky-rat-trap. I rexcued a lizard stuck in one of those that someone had put in our garage. Full strength dish soap had to be worked into that goo, to dissolve it enough to be able to get it off of the poor reptile!

It looks like you have already cut most of it off, but if there is anything left, try Goo-Gone. It will take it out, and then use soap and water to wash the residue out.

You definitely don’t want to use Goo Gone without checking with your vet. It can irritate skin and I would be concerned about the cat getting sick from licking it.

Have you considered trying vegetable oil, mayo, petroleum jelly, unscented baby oil? If it would work, then you can wash out most of the remnants so Kirby wouldn't ingest too much - although a smidgen of any of them wouldn't be harmful, as far as I know.

How is Kirby doing?

I had a kitten wrap herself up in flypaper :/. That was fun. I just rubbed cornstarch on it to make it not sticky and let it come out naturally.

The manufacturer's recommendation for non-target animals getting stuck in (horrible, cruel, vicious) sticky mouse traps is to use oil (on the part the animal is stuck to) and cornstarch (to coat the parts the animal isn't stuck to yet). Mayonnaise is just thicker oil, easier to handle. And then, afterward, dish soap to get rid of the oil.