Cleaning cat's bottom?

My male cat is having a bit of a problem today and I need some advice
on how to help him. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get a bit graphic
to explain the problem so forgive me or, if you find the topic vulgar,
perhaps you should move on to another post....

He has some fecal material in the fur near his rectum. This is quite
unusual for him - he passes me, tail held high, as he walks past me in
front of the computer monitor so it's hard not to notice - and I'm not
sure what to do for him. He seems to be sitting a bit awkwardly today
and on a couple of occasions today, I have seen him dragging his bottom
along the floor in an attempt to free himself of the "klingons".

There was a very long and rather soft stool sample beside the litter
box this morning and I think that is related. My two cats have recently
started drinking milk again - they seem to prefer it to water - but
this may be having some negative effects on my male. I used to give
them milk all the time without any health problems but I was having
problems with milk splatter on my baseboards near their dishes so I
thought I'd try water for a while instead. But they rarely seem to
touch their Brita-filtered water and started hopping up on the table
and licking milk out of my cereal bowl recently so this seems to be
their way of saying they prefer milk to water. So I pour half a bowlful
of milk into the bowl after I'm done and they take turns lapping it up.
Anyway, that's how I got to the current situation.

This morning, I saw that there was a fairly substantial "klingon" on
his butt fur so I got some toilet tissue and pulled it out of his fur
as best I could. He seemed to be glad it was gone but was rather
squeamish when I tried to get more. I expect it hurts to have someone
try to pull fecal material out of your butt fur so I don't blame him!

What's the best technique to get the remaining material out of his fur
with the minimum discomfort to the cat? I don't want to go to the vet
over something this trivial. I had thought he might lick the material
away by himself - cats seem comfortable licking their own bottoms! -
but I haven't seen him do so yet.

Also, once I've got him cleaned up, what should I do about giving him
liquids? Is it okay to keep giving him milk, even if it softens his
stool and causes more "klingons"? Or should I make sure he gets only
water? I'm worried that he will get dehydrated if I don't give the milk
becuse he just doesn't care for water.

My other cat, a female, is similiarly disinterested in water but
doesn't seems to have side-effects from milk.

The both get a quarter tin of canned c/d and a half cup of dry c/d at
each of their two daily meals. They always finish those meals. I know
they get moisture from the canned food but that isn't enough is it? I
assume they need _some_ liquids over and above the canned and dry food.

--
Rhino

wrote in message
oups.com...
My male cat is having a bit of a problem today and I need some advice
on how to help him. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get a bit graphic
to explain the problem so forgive me or, if you find the topic vulgar,
perhaps you should move on to another post....

He has some fecal material in the fur near his rectum. This is quite
unusual for him - he passes me, tail held high, as he walks past me in
front of the computer monitor so it's hard not to notice - and I'm not
sure what to do for him. He seems to be sitting a bit awkwardly today
and on a couple of occasions today, I have seen him dragging his bottom
along the floor in an attempt to free himself of the "klingons".

There was a very long and rather soft stool sample beside the litter
box this morning and I think that is related. My two cats have recently
started drinking milk again - they seem to prefer it to water - but
this may be having some negative effects on my male. I used to give
them milk all the time without any health problems but I was having
problems with milk splatter on my baseboards near their dishes so I
thought I'd try water for a while instead. But they rarely seem to
touch their Brita-filtered water and started hopping up on the table
and licking milk out of my cereal bowl recently so this seems to be
their way of saying they prefer milk to water. So I pour half a bowlful
of milk into the bowl after I'm done and they take turns lapping it up.
Anyway, that's how I got to the current situation.

This morning, I saw that there was a fairly substantial "klingon" on
his butt fur so I got some toilet tissue and pulled it out of his fur
as best I could. He seemed to be glad it was gone but was rather
squeamish when I tried to get more. I expect it hurts to have someone
try to pull fecal material out of your butt fur so I don't blame him!

What's the best technique to get the remaining material out of his fur
with the minimum discomfort to the cat? I don't want to go to the vet
over something this trivial. I had thought he might lick the material
away by himself - cats seem comfortable licking their own bottoms! -
but I haven't seen him do so yet.

Also, once I've got him cleaned up, what should I do about giving him
liquids? Is it okay to keep giving him milk, even if it softens his
stool and causes more "klingons"? Or should I make sure he gets only
water? I'm worried that he will get dehydrated if I don't give the milk
becuse he just doesn't care for water.

My other cat, a female, is similiarly disinterested in water but
doesn't seems to have side-effects from milk.

The both get a quarter tin of canned c/d and a half cup of dry c/d at
each of their two daily meals. They always finish those meals. I know
they get moisture from the canned food but that isn't enough is it? I
assume they need _some_ liquids over and above the canned and dry food.

--
Rhino


Cats are lactose intolerant so milk is not a good idea. I've heard of
people giving their cats lactose free milk but that seems pretty pricey!

Some cats drink better with flowing water--such as a Drinkwell fountain.
Cats get a lot of moisture from canned cat food so a good quality canned
food would be better than dry. Many people feed their cats exclusively
canned food.

As far as cleaning your cat's behind--good luck! With long-haired cats I've
sometimes actually shaved or cut out hair around their backsides. With a
extremely co-operative cat and about 10 sets of hands I've also been able to
wash it out under a tap--usually with a lot of complaining from the cat and
bloodshed on my part. Other people will probably have better ideas.

Have fun!

Bonnie

On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 23:47:56 UTC, wrote:

My two cats have recently
started drinking milk again - they seem to prefer it to water - but
this may be having some negative effects on my male.

Milk is a big no-no for male cats. We almost lost Ruf to bladder
stones when he was young. My wife was giving him a tablespoon of milk
a day, and the vet said that that small amount was what was causing
the cristals to form in the bladder. The vet was able to clear the
pipes with a cathetar. We stopped giving Ruf milk, no matter how much
he cried for it, and he's not had the problem again.

Cheers,
Jerry

--
My cat and I are very much alike: we're both gray, we're both fat,
and we both dig in his litter box.

22brix wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
My male cat is having a bit of a problem today and I need some advice
on how to help him. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get a bit graphic
to explain the problem so forgive me or, if you find the topic vulgar,
perhaps you should move on to another post....

He has some fecal material in the fur near his rectum.
[...]
What's the best technique to get the remaining material out of his fur
with the minimum discomfort to the cat? I don't want to go to the vet
over something this trivial. I had thought he might lick the material
away by himself - cats seem comfortable licking their own bottoms! -
but I haven't seen him do so yet.
[...]
--
Rhino
[...]
As far as cleaning your cat's behind--good luck! With long-haired cats I've
sometimes actually shaved or cut out hair around their backsides. With a
extremely co-operative cat and about 10 sets of hands I've also been able to
wash it out under a tap--usually with a lot of complaining from the cat and
bloodshed on my part. Other people will probably have better ideas.

Have fun!

Bonnie

I have an old, fat, thickly furred white cat who has often had bowel
problems and has almost never cleaned her own butt. She does "scoot"
her butt on the rug when she's got some "residual", and sometimes I can
help her get stuff off using dry toilet paper, but mostly that doesn't
work unless I get it almost immediately after her trip to the litter
box.

Usually, I find it necessary to use a wet or damp solution to get the
suff off her bottom.

(1) I've had some success cleaning her up with baby wipes - but that
only seems to work well if there is very little "goopy poopie" back
there.

(2) If she's really quite gross, I use a wash cloth, gentle soap and
running water (this options tends to get her belly wet too, and is
fairly tramatic).

But the best all-around solution I've found is to use ...
(3) my Oil of Olay Facial cloths!! I always cut them in half (I like
that size better for my own face) but full size sheets might actually
work better for cleaning dirty kitty butt. When I need to clean
Jasmine's butt, I make sure I have a supply of 3 or so ready and right
close at hand before I commense the kitty-butt cleaning operation --
and also a small terry towel for drying her after she's clean. When
that's set up in place, I take Jasmine into the bathroom, close the
door, place her on the vanity (this requires active holding with my
left hand and arm, because she knows that no good thing happens on the
bathroom vanity!) and gently run the water warm (btw, keeping the door
closed is also very important, because if (when) she escapes from my
left-handed hold, she can't go very far, and she's quite easy to
recover and re-place on the vanity). The Oil of Olay Facial clothes
will foam up with soft and gentle soap when I wet them and mush them
about in my right hand. Then I use this warm, wet, gentle soapy
disposable facial cloth to wash Jasmine's butt and the fur around it.
It may take a second or even third facial cloth to get all the dreck
off, but I just throw the soiled ones right in the trash and keep on
going. The last one, I rinse out a few times under the still running
warm water and use it to rinse off her butt. Then I have a small towel
nearby to dry off her butt. With this approach, I rarely get either
her belly or her tail wet, the nasty stuff is easy to throw away, and
she doesn't seem to be quite so distressed by the proceedure.

Anyway, that's what works for me. Hope you find a solution that
works well for you!

Elizabeth

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 13:15:01 GMT, wrote:


My two cats have recently
started drinking milk again - they seem to prefer it to water - but
this may be having some negative effects on my male.

Milk is a big no-no for male cats. We almost lost Ruf to bladder
stones when he was young. My wife was giving him a tablespoon of milk
a day, and the vet said that that small amount was what was causing
the cristals to form in the bladder. The vet was able to clear the
pipes with a cathetar. We stopped giving Ruf milk, no matter how much
he cried for it, and he's not had the problem again.


Use lactose free milk!!

22brix wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
My male cat is having a bit of a problem today and I need some advice
on how to help him. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get a bit graphic
to explain the problem so forgive me or, if you find the topic vulgar,
perhaps you should move on to another post....

He has some fecal material in the fur near his rectum. This is quite
unusual for him - he passes me, tail held high, as he walks past me in
front of the computer monitor so it's hard not to notice - and I'm not
sure what to do for him. He seems to be sitting a bit awkwardly today
and on a couple of occasions today, I have seen him dragging his bottom
along the floor in an attempt to free himself of the "klingons".

There was a very long and rather soft stool sample beside the litter
box this morning and I think that is related. My two cats have recently
started drinking milk again - they seem to prefer it to water - but
this may be having some negative effects on my male. I used to give
them milk all the time without any health problems but I was having
problems with milk splatter on my baseboards near their dishes so I
thought I'd try water for a while instead. But they rarely seem to
touch their Brita-filtered water and started hopping up on the table
and licking milk out of my cereal bowl recently so this seems to be
their way of saying they prefer milk to water. So I pour half a bowlful
of milk into the bowl after I'm done and they take turns lapping it up.
Anyway, that's how I got to the current situation.

This morning, I saw that there was a fairly substantial "klingon" on
his butt fur so I got some toilet tissue and pulled it out of his fur
as best I could. He seemed to be glad it was gone but was rather
squeamish when I tried to get more. I expect it hurts to have someone
try to pull fecal material out of your butt fur so I don't blame him!

What's the best technique to get the remaining material out of his fur
with the minimum discomfort to the cat? I don't want to go to the vet
over something this trivial. I had thought he might lick the material
away by himself - cats seem comfortable licking their own bottoms! -
but I haven't seen him do so yet.

Also, once I've got him cleaned up, what should I do about giving him
liquids? Is it okay to keep giving him milk, even if it softens his
stool and causes more "klingons"? Or should I make sure he gets only
water? I'm worried that he will get dehydrated if I don't give the milk
becuse he just doesn't care for water.

My other cat, a female, is similiarly disinterested in water but
doesn't seems to have side-effects from milk.

The both get a quarter tin of canned c/d and a half cup of dry c/d at
each of their two daily meals. They always finish those meals. I know
they get moisture from the canned food but that isn't enough is it? I
assume they need _some_ liquids over and above the canned and dry food.

--
Rhino


Cats are lactose intolerant so milk is not a good idea. I've heard of
people giving their cats lactose free milk but that seems pretty pricey!

When I posted to one of the cat newsgroups about giving milk several
years ago, I was told that SOME cats are lactose intolerant and that,
at worst, they would get diarrhea from consuming milk. As a result, I
tried giving my cats milk for a day or two to see if they would have
problems. They didn't so I gave them milk for several years - they are
both 6 years old - without difficulty. If they drank milk without
problems for years, I doubt that one of them could be lactose
intolerant now.

Unless, of course, a few months without milk can MAKE them lactose
intolerant. Does anyone know if that can happen?

Some cats drink better with flowing water--such as a Drinkwell fountain.
Cats get a lot of moisture from canned cat food so a good quality canned
food would be better than dry. Many people feed their cats exclusively
canned food.

I noticed that they lost weight after a few months on the canned c/d.
The canned food is quite expensive and I still had some dry c/d left
over so I started giving them both: a quarter can of c/d and an eighth
of a cup of dry c/d at each meal. They still don't seem to have gained
the weight back though. They used to be at their ideal weights but look
slenderer now. I'm a little surprised really. They used to get a
quarter cup of dry c/d each at every meal and sustained their perfect
weight. Then, for two or three months, they got only a quarter can of
wet c/d and lost weight. For the last three or four months, they got a
quarter can of wet c/d and an eighth of a cup of dry c/d and don't seem
to be gaining much weight....

As far as cleaning your cat's behind--good luck! With long-haired cats I've
sometimes actually shaved or cut out hair around their backsides. With a
extremely co-operative cat and about 10 sets of hands I've also been able to
wash it out under a tap--usually with a lot of complaining from the cat and
bloodshed on my part. Other people will probably have better ideas.

That leaves me about 8 hands short ;-) I may have to con some friends
into coming over :-)

Have fun!

Thanks!

--
Rhino

wrote:
On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 23:47:56 UTC, wrote:

My two cats have recently
started drinking milk again - they seem to prefer it to water - but
this may be having some negative effects on my male.

Milk is a big no-no for male cats. We almost lost Ruf to bladder
stones when he was young. My wife was giving him a tablespoon of milk
a day, and the vet said that that small amount was what was causing
the cristals to form in the bladder. The vet was able to clear the
pipes with a cathetar. We stopped giving Ruf milk, no matter how much
he cried for it, and he's not had the problem again.

Really??

I posted here a few years ago asking about giving milk to cats and was
told that the only negative consequence was diarrhea and that this
would only happen for cats that were lactose intolerant. No one said
anything about crystals! I know that's very serious, especially in
males.

In fact, the "nurse" (? whatever you call the people at the vet's
office that book the appointments, sell you the food etc. I know
they're not vets themselves but they seem pretty knowledgeable) at the
vet's office said crystals formed if cats weren't getting enough
moisture through hydration. The hydration helps dissolve the crystals.
Since milk is 99% water anyway (I'm guessing), wouldn't it help to
REDUCE crystals through hydration, rather than CAUSING crystals??

--
Rhino

wrote in message
ps.com...

22brix wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
My male cat is having a bit of a problem today and I need some advice
on how to help him. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get a bit graphic
to explain the problem so forgive me or, if you find the topic vulgar,
perhaps you should move on to another post....

He has some fecal material in the fur near his rectum. This is quite
unusual for him - he passes me, tail held high, as he walks past me in
front of the computer monitor so it's hard not to notice - and I'm not
sure what to do for him. He seems to be sitting a bit awkwardly today
and on a couple of occasions today, I have seen him dragging his bottom
along the floor in an attempt to free himself of the "klingons".

There was a very long and rather soft stool sample beside the litter
box this morning and I think that is related. My two cats have recently
started drinking milk again - they seem to prefer it to water - but
this may be having some negative effects on my male. I used to give
them milk all the time without any health problems but I was having
problems with milk splatter on my baseboards near their dishes so I
thought I'd try water for a while instead. But they rarely seem to
touch their Brita-filtered water and started hopping up on the table
and licking milk out of my cereal bowl recently so this seems to be
their way of saying they prefer milk to water. So I pour half a bowlful
of milk into the bowl after I'm done and they take turns lapping it up.
Anyway, that's how I got to the current situation.

This morning, I saw that there was a fairly substantial "klingon" on
his butt fur so I got some toilet tissue and pulled it out of his fur
as best I could. He seemed to be glad it was gone but was rather
squeamish when I tried to get more. I expect it hurts to have someone
try to pull fecal material out of your butt fur so I don't blame him!

What's the best technique to get the remaining material out of his fur
with the minimum discomfort to the cat? I don't want to go to the vet
over something this trivial. I had thought he might lick the material
away by himself - cats seem comfortable licking their own bottoms! -
but I haven't seen him do so yet.

Also, once I've got him cleaned up, what should I do about giving him
liquids? Is it okay to keep giving him milk, even if it softens his
stool and causes more "klingons"? Or should I make sure he gets only
water? I'm worried that he will get dehydrated if I don't give the milk
becuse he just doesn't care for water.

My other cat, a female, is similiarly disinterested in water but
doesn't seems to have side-effects from milk.

The both get a quarter tin of canned c/d and a half cup of dry c/d at
each of their two daily meals. They always finish those meals. I know
they get moisture from the canned food but that isn't enough is it? I
assume they need _some_ liquids over and above the canned and dry food.

--
Rhino


Cats are lactose intolerant so milk is not a good idea. I've heard of
people giving their cats lactose free milk but that seems pretty pricey!

When I posted to one of the cat newsgroups about giving milk several
years ago, I was told that SOME cats are lactose intolerant and that,
at worst, they would get diarrhea from consuming milk. As a result, I
tried giving my cats milk for a day or two to see if they would have
problems. They didn't so I gave them milk for several years - they are
both 6 years old - without difficulty. If they drank milk without
problems for years, I doubt that one of them could be lactose
intolerant now.

Unless, of course, a few months without milk can MAKE them lactose
intolerant. Does anyone know if that can happen?

Some cats drink better with flowing water--such as a Drinkwell fountain.
Cats get a lot of moisture from canned cat food so a good quality canned
food would be better than dry. Many people feed their cats exclusively
canned food.

I noticed that they lost weight after a few months on the canned c/d.
The canned food is quite expensive and I still had some dry c/d left
over so I started giving them both: a quarter can of c/d and an eighth
of a cup of dry c/d at each meal. They still don't seem to have gained
the weight back though. They used to be at their ideal weights but look
slenderer now. I'm a little surprised really. They used to get a
quarter cup of dry c/d each at every meal and sustained their perfect
weight. Then, for two or three months, they got only a quarter can of
wet c/d and lost weight. For the last three or four months, they got a
quarter can of wet c/d and an eighth of a cup of dry c/d and don't seem
to be gaining much weight....

As far as cleaning your cat's behind--good luck! With long-haired cats
I've
sometimes actually shaved or cut out hair around their backsides. With a
extremely co-operative cat and about 10 sets of hands I've also been able
to
wash it out under a tap--usually with a lot of complaining from the cat
and
bloodshed on my part. Other people will probably have better ideas.

That leaves me about 8 hands short ;-) I may have to con some friends
into coming over :-)

Have fun!

Thanks!

--
Rhino

I have a very long-suffering husband who is very gentle and strong at the
same time which is an immense help! I occasionally have trouble with one of
my long-haired cats who has very silky, furry "pantaloons" and I really
can't get it clean with just wiping--it just seems to spread it around. The
dip under the tap is a last resort when I can't clean him otherwise! If I
change his food too suddenly he tends to have more problems so sometimes
I'll trim the long hair on his backside.

As far as the milk, it might be worth trying the lactose free milk and see
if it makes a difference. I've always heard that cats in general are
intolerant of lactose but I suppose that could vary from cat to cat.

Bonnie

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 18:35:53 UTC, wrote:

Since milk is 99% water anyway (I'm guessing), wouldn't it help to
REDUCE crystals through hydration, rather than CAUSING crystals??

I'm just reporting on our experience and what our vet told me. Our
female Burmese loved chocolate ice cream and never had a problem, but
Ruf is a neutered LHD male and seems to be a different case. As
always, your mileage may vary.

Jerry
--
My cat and I are very much alike: we're both gray, we're both fat,
and we both dig in his litter box.

I had to clean our kittens butt recently. I used a damp paper towel.
For a day after she followed me around faithfully, like I would always
be there to be her PAW (Personal A** Wiper). It was cute and my wife
gave me some good laughs.