I’ve noticed that people talk a lot about "messy cats", but it's usually about those who don't use their litter tray or who ruin beds and sofas. So, I wanted to start a thread about cats (well, a kitten in my case) who don't clean their behinds.
My little girl is still young (5 months old) and when she gets out of her litter tray, the fur on her bum (and sometimes the back of her legs and tail) is often matted with poo... It’s really not ideal, especially as she doesn't settle down to clean herself right after leaving her "poop-room" (plus she’s semi-longhaired, which makes it even more of a nightmare!)
I’ve tried looking for solutions on forums online, but besides just "waiting it out", I haven’t found anything very useful, I must say. So, if you have any tips or advice, or if you’ve been through this yourself, please do share :) In the meantime, I’ll keep cleaning her with a flannel and some water so I don’t irritate her skin.
Translated from French
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Spot on @Zanaya, when wet food is a proper part of their daily allowance, you have to be strict about it :) Same as with dry food. It also all depends on what the puss can tolerate.
If the soft, smelly stools carry on, it's because this dry food doesn't suit him and you'll need to switch.
My Peluche sometimes gets little bits of poo stuck in his fur (though it's quite rare); it's not easy to get out and I often have to use scissors because his lordship doesn't like anyone faffing about with the fur around his bum. I regularly thin out the fur in that area because it gets mats all the time, even with a brush almost every day.
In my opinion, wet food isn't the problem, and it's actually VITAL for any cat that doesn't drink enough. Since it's made up of 80% water, it won't be what's causing the digestive issues.
Oh, tell me about it! I’ve got a similar kind of litter. After a while, the pee clumps just start crumbling, the smell is absolutely rank, and then my dogs have a habit of sticking their noses in and eating the lot -_-
Hmm, that’s a fair point, but it just occurred to me that I could potentially split it with a friend; I have a mate who’s just got a little kitty :) About 15lbs each would be quite good.
And with the number of cats you’ve got, I can only imagine what a handful it is :s Plus, it’s not too pricey, the price is very reasonable!
LOL litter tray wars!
I’m not sure what it looks like, I’ll go and have a look ;)
and you know, 31 lbs isn't actually as huge as it sounds......
you need to put about 2 inches in the tray ..... and top it up when the level goes down.....
Not only have I tried a fair few of them myself...... but whenever I'm cat-sitting, there's always someone who turns up with their own litter that's supposedly better than the rest...... my foot!!!!
Like "Cat's Best", that 100% natural and eco-friendly cat litter you see advertised on the pet blogs .... it's absolute rubbish ...... total crap !!!!!!
It’s a shame they don’t do smaller bags of Golden Grey Master :s
Since Réglisse goes out, he’s got into the habit of doing his business outdoors... But he still goes inside occasionally, so the litter lasts for ages; a 31lb bag is just way too much :/
It does look really good though ^^ A mix of silica and clay. I find silica on its own a bit gross, to be honest. I tried it for Réglisse and the wee just ended up right at the bottom; I had to change the whole lot every time and then there was the smell after a while :/ My little lad has quite a strong scent ^_^ It was quite good for seeing if there were any urinary issues (depending on the brand), but Réglisse tended to poop right next to the tray... I soon gave up and went back to clumping litter; the cheap stuff got everywhere and, my god, it stank. So now I’m using something more natural: a plant-based litter, but I’m not that happy with it.
Do you know if you can get it in pet shops?
As for litter, I'm really not a fan of silica or crystal litters at all.... you can't scoop out the clumps of pee.... and the cat ends up walking in it, which isn't very nice for them.....
If you go for crystal litter..... it's non-clumping......
For my lot, I use "Golden Grey Master" from Zooplus; it's brilliant, doesn't track...... doesn't smell at all..... no waste at all..... nothing but pros.....
No, thankfully I've never seen her scooting like that. There have been some marks on the floor before, but only when she sat down. Anyway, I’ll keep an eye out, but I reckon I would have noticed it by now.
Actually, ever since I got her, she’s always had soft and very smelly stools. To start with, I was giving her wet food every night, but I quickly started alternating. For the first month, I gave her a mix of the dry food the breeder had given me along with some Purina One I had to hand (WHICH I DON’T GIVE HER ANYMORE). It’s been a fortnight since I switched to Nutrivet, so now I only give her wet food once or twice a week. She drinks fairly regularly, but she doesn't spend all her time with her face in the bowl, so no worries on that front.
The litter I use is just a clumping supermarket brand—I can't remember the name, but it's the clear crystal type. I’ve used this litter since the day I got her. Could it be down to that?
