Dirty Anus

[Elizayne]

Hi all

I feel bad that my first contribution to this site is a question but I hope you won’t mind too much!

We have two sibling kittens, now 12 weeks. Both have been grooming themselves well, except for one very specific spot...

When googling I noticed a lot of people talking about poop marks across the house, poop on fur, diarrhoea, etc. For us this is not the case, poops are healthy logs, nothing catches in fur (despite being medium to long haired), and certainly no issue with poop stains.

I am very much talking about the soft pink anus only, it’s always got a little something on it which inevitably gets crusty. I worry that this could lead to infections at worst, but soreness at best.


We try to wipe it but they hate it, understandably. I think this is made harder in that we often don’t realise immediately when they have pooped.


I’ve had kittens previously and they all cleaned this area thoroughly, is this just what we have to deal with or will they grow out of it? Is there anything we can do to help? Alternatively, am I just being ridiculous?

 

[Tworagdolls]

I’ve had a few kitten and poop issues since I got the two boys some weeks ago. One of the boys curled his tail in such a way that he always pooped on it (that has now been outgrown), the other would try and cover for so long in the litter he would sometimes get it on himself (that has now been outgrown) and yes, also insufficient attention given to the bum afterwards. All of these I suspect are an age thing. Young kittens have so much business to be getting on with that they sometimes only manage a quick lick. My two clean properly now (5.5 months) but this has just started to happen in the last few weeks.

 

[LTS3]

Some cats have dirty butts because they don't clean back there well or at all. Just wipe the butt clean as often as the cat will let you. Offer a treat as a reward for letting you clean back there. Most kittens learn to groom back there themselves.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. They probably will outgrow this, but in case they don't I would highly recommend you make a point of cleaning their behinds so that they eventually get used to it. I use GNC brand unscented, hypoallergenic wipes on Feeby (from PetSmart, but I am sure you can find them at other locations or online). I hold the wipe in place for 20-30 seconds just to help 'loosen' up the poop remnants and then gently wipe it off. That way I don't have to wipe/rub as long, which is the part they probably like the least.

 

[artiemom]

Geoffrey is approx 4-5 years old. I do not see him washing his behind after he uses the litter box. It is always hours later.. and he does not do a very good job at it. Yes, his tail sometimes stinks of poops!! Gross..

When his anal glands are expressing, OMG!! That is when I take the hypoallergenic baby wipe, to clean his behind. He absolutely hates it! But, it has to be done! At least for MY sake!!

I wish he would outgrow this, but at his age, nope....

 

[lollie]

I put my cat in a towel to do this, as she’s not terribly fond of me cleaning there either. I use the flushable wipes as they are a bit softer. If you get a bit of Vaseline on the wipe and rub that into the anal area, anything dried comes off much easier. I clean her up with more wipes, but she always does a thorough bum lick after, which is what I wanted her to do in the first place.

 

[She's a witch]

You can also use cotton pad with a bit of water instead of wipes (huge majority of wipes contain plastic, and personally I avoid plastic because of environmental reasons but also, it seems wrong to me to treat my cats vulnerable parts with plastic). Also what you could do, is to put a bit of butter or unsweetened plain yogurt around his anus area to stimulate the cleaning behavior. Hopefully after few applications he will start cleaning on his own. Good luck!