Kitten will not clean her bottom!

[LittlePenBigHeart]

Can you teach a kitten to clean themselves!?

She has a very temperamental tummy (loads of tests done but looks like she's just sensitive) so we keep her on sensitivity biscuits and cooked chicken, but husband tried her on normal kitten food for a few days and she's had a runny tummy a few times. The problem is that she's pretty fluffy and she gets poop all over her rear end...which then just stays there! Even when she doesn't have a runny tummy, she gets a little bit of poop on her fur around her bottom that she doesn't clean off. It's horrid!!

We've been wiping her bum with a damp piece of kitchen roll or some tissue, which she really hates, but she just won't do it herself! We're about to go on holiday for just under two weeks and I've got this awful idea of her getting poo all over the house and us coming home to a kitten whose bottom is caked in poo!

Is there anything we can do to teach her to do this for herself!?

[Crewella]

I've not had much experience with kittens so can't offer any advice, but it might be worth clipping the fur around her back end as a short-term fix?

[Lilith]

Ugh.

I agree with Crewella about trimming her backside fur, even if she ends up looking motheaten for a while, it'll make life much easier for you both.

A lot of kittens go through a stage of not washing...like teenagers maybe (or has that changed now? But I remember being a grubby teenager...a LONG time ago lol.) But I've heard of white kittens who went around grey until they realised about washing. Somehow, it just happens. Have you seen her washing any other parts of herself?

I do hope she wakes up to the notion of proper cat hygiene soon - preferably BEFORE your holiday so that you can go away without worrying about mucky carpets and kitten. Best of luck with her - she will, she'll grow out of it

[issiandarchie+68]

My Gandhi is a big cat with tummy troubles, didn't use to clean his rear after runny bum ( I cant spell diarrhoea ). I mean frankly, would you want to taste that? Anyway, he's an otherwise clean cat, especially now he's an 'only' and always cleans after solids. I personally would not use kitchen towel on your little kitty, far too harsh. I always use large men's soft tissue, crumple up and pour a drop of good quality olive oil on it. Gently scoop under/behind your cat's front legs so she is resting on your forearm and her front paws are lifted slightly off the floor, she won't feel trapped but won't dash off, then, with an upward motion sweep the tissue across the offending patch and flush.. tissue not cat. That will take the worst away and she will get into habit of cleaning oil from her bum, or so I've found with my lot over the years. So that's soft tissue/olive oil/scoop/lift/swipe/flush.. pour yourself a large glass of wine . Seriously though don't worry about it. I agree with Crewella, have you ever seen a teenager in a nappy and carrying a security blanket into class?

Issi

[Ruth B]

You can buy 'Cat Wipes' which might be an idea if the problem continues. While just a glorified wet wipe, they do come in hypoallergenic, unscented options that are supposedly the best option for wiping a cat clean. I got some a couple of years ago for our aging Ragdoll as he was no longer grooming properly and used them to help keep both ends clean (not the same wipe). I don't remember them being that expensive and I bought a box of 100 and the once remaining are still slightly damp even after all this time. They would certainly be a better option than kitchen roll.