Dried feces on anus

[menasmom]

My female cat has a clump of dried feces on her anus (not her hair) and I've finally gotten around to trying to get it off her with some Vaseline and toilet paper, but it's really stuck on her. She cried and when I realized that if I just pulled it off she might bleed or be in pain, I stopped.
Is there any way to do this with as little pain to her as possible?

 

[pee-cleaner]

Warm moist cloth (I'd use paper towels!) Hold to the area until it loosens.

 

[menasmom]

Thank you! I'll try it as long as I can keep her still. Thanks for your quick reply.

 

[althekitty]

My cat has longhish hair and although it hasn't happened recently, phew, when he does have a 'lump' of poo stuck to his bottom I have tried the warm cloth and it hasn't come off. A warm cloth is great but as mine is longhish haired the hair can get tangled up in it. So i have just trimmed that bit off. It is fine to do that if needs be, just be careful where you put the scissors!

 

[alleygirl]

Sometimes I have to just stick Riley's back end in the tub, or hold under the tub faucet for a few minutes and use a cloth to gently wash it loose.

 

[proudmamiof4]

My Princess is long haired...and this happens often!! what I do is first attempt to stick her back ind in the sink or tub and wash it off! then if that doesn't work ( sometimes it is a really hard clump,sometimes she doesn't cooperate) either way sometimes I end up having to cut off the clumps (be careful!!) I also heard people say they trim the area around the but??? Good luck

 

[meow meow]

The best method is to use sharp hair-cutting scissors. I regularly do a "butt-fur trim" to avoid poop cling-ons. I pour some tasty treats on the floor and while my cat is eating the, I pull up his tail and trim away. He doesn't love this but it is better than him laying in my bed with a poopy butt!!

 

[menasmom]

Thanks for all your responses, but the feces wasn't at all on her hair (she is short-haired), but stuck on her butt. I had to leave town for a few days and the cat sitter took care of them, although they hide when she comes over and she had no idea I had this dilemma. Surprisingly, when I got home, I checked her butt and it was GONE. There was a tinge of red on the area, but she seemed fine. I don't know---maybe it just got too heavy and fell off, or when she was playing rough with the other cats it came off, but in either case, it's off. Now I noticed today a tiny little brown dot on her butt, so I went out and bought "adult wipes" and I'm going to attempt to clean that area before I'm faced with another big clump.
Is there something I can put in her food that would solve this problem? My other two cats are fine and never have dirty bottoms!!

 

[traveler5]

Originally Posted by meow meow

He doesn't love this but it is better than him laying in my bed with a poopy butt!!

That is why I don't let the cat in my bed.

 

[twstychik]

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

Sometimes I have to just stick Riley's back end in the tub, or hold under the tub faucet for a few minutes and use a cloth to gently wash it loose.

Ahh... the good ole butt bath! Wickett's favorite..... NOT!



How big of a piece of feces was it? Frankie is getting up there in years and I notice she frequently have little pieces stick to her. They are about the size of a grain of rice and since she doesn't sit on out counters I don't worry about them. It would stress us both out more if I were to try and clean her up than its worth.

 

[menasmom]

Originally Posted by twstychik

Ahh... the good ole butt bath! Wickett's favorite..... NOT!



How big of a piece of feces was it? Frankie is getting up there in years and I notice she frequently have little pieces stick to her. They are about the size of a grain of rice and since she doesn't sit on out counters I don't worry about them. It would stress us both out more if I were to try and clean her up than its worth.

I'd say the one that finally came off was about one lump of like 1/4" in circumference??? Big enough to notice when she had her tail up. And she just turned two years old, so maybe she just doesn't know how to clean herself correctly. I don't know! I wish there was a supplement of some kind i could put in her food.
Do you think this is due to soft stools? Hard to tell who's doing what in the litter box when you have three of them, but she eats the same food the other two do...

 

[dianne23]

I have this "poop" problem with 2 (now 6 month old) young cats rescued from a litter of homeless cats at approximately 6 weeks of age. I feed them Wellness Core and regular Wellness canned cat food and Taste of The Wild dry cat food. One cat, the female, has no tail (some accident...the kitten probably tried to keep warm by crawling up under a car and lost her tail when the car was started and the fan cut her tail....I hate thinking of how it happened and this poor scared kitten in pain) and the other cat is a male. I've never had cats with this problem. Wipes don't work. The poop is stuck on so badly that it would hurt them to force it off. They both have short hair and the feces is stuck directly on their little anuses. I cannot force them to stay still long enough to soften it up in water or with moistened wipes. Because I have never experienced this before with cats it makes me think there is a medical problem.

Has anyone figured out what causes this problem with cats, especially young, short haired cats that are fed quality food?

 

[sooz]

If your cat (or dog) is dragging her butt along the floor, it means that he or she has impacted feces in their anus. This must be cleaned out by a vet, as the problem can become worse. Do not attempt to do this yourself as you can seriously cause damage.

 

[terestrife]

My 2 year old cat also gets little clumps directly on her anus. I took her to a vet a few months ago, and he didnt seem concerned? they sometimes fall off, but it takes a few days.

What causes this? My cat is on wet canned food. so its not that shes dehydrated.

 

[shaheena]

How much does she weigh? Can she clean herself properly? 

 

[terestrife]

 
How much does she weigh? Can she clean herself properly? 

12.2 lbs, she is a bit chunky (she was at 12.6).

im working on getting her healthier. Anyway, ive watched her when shes grooming and she reaches her bottom just fine, im not sure why she just leaves the poop there, or why it doesnt fall off.

 

[shaheena]

Currently I am fostering a cat that arrived here overweight 13.7 lb with a similar problem. He was always dirty at the bottom and wasn't pleased at all when we tried to help him to clean it with a damp towel. His belly would cover this area every time he tried to reach it. Since his weight went down to 12.1 lb he  is able to reach those parts easily and since then he grooms himself normally. We are working to get his weight down a bit more, slowly. He has become so much more athletic and interested in physical activity.

You're saying she can reach her bottom. However, I can imagine that she starts to put more effort into grooming again as soon as it will become easier.

 

[terestrife]

 
Currently I am fostering a cat that arrived here overweight 13.7 lb with a similar problem. He was always dirty at the bottom and wasn't pleased at all when we tried to help him to clean it with a damp towel. His belly would cover this area every time he tried to reach it. Since his weight went down to 12.1 lb he  is able to reach those parts easily and since then he grooms himself normally. We are working to get his weight down a bit more, slowly. He has become so much more athletic and interested in physical activity.

You're saying she can reach her bottom. However, I can imagine that she starts to put more effort into grooming again as soon as it will become easier.

thanks! ill keep working on her weight. But she loves eating, so its not easy. thanks for the info though, it was helpful.

 

[pittypat]

My suggestion is to use coconut oil. Dab some on the dried poop and this will help to loosen it before giving your cat a "buttbath". There is lots of information online about the healthful benefits of coconut oil. It is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, infection fighting, anti-parasitic and rids cats and dogs of ear mites, lice, ear mites, tapeworms and other parasites.
It's also an excellent skin moisturizer and makeup remover for adults too.
PS. Think about getting a different babysitter because they are afraid of her.
PittyPat

 

[bootsiesmom]

PittyPat,Thanks so much for the coconut oil idea. I think I'll try it. I thought of baby oil because that's what I use for her matting. Bootsie is a long haired Tuxie. She recently went to the vet. She had a respiratory infection. He gave her 1 booster antibiotic injection also another 5 day antibiotic injection. Apparently it gave her diarrhea. She was rubbing her behind on the floor so I knew something was wrong.  I was able to get some of it off while it was still semi wet. Now it's dried on real hard and whenever I try to remove it, she will try to scratch me. She's a fighter. I'm wondering if she's unable to move her bowels. I don't find as much in the litter box as usual. The vet had to anesthetize her to be able to treat her. I don't want to put her through that again. it was pretty traumatizing for her. She has arthritis from being attacked by a ferret years ago when she was a feral cat. That was how she came living here. So, she's not able to clean herself much.