# Kitten won't clean herself after going to the toilet



## ejrogers (Sep 7, 2009)

Hi, has anybody had any experience with kittens not cleaning themselves properly after going to the toilet? My 8 month old kitten is meticulous about cleaning herself everywhere except down there! As mentioned in another post she has runny pops and the result is that after having been to the toilet she leaves marks on everything like the sofa, bedding, carpet etc.
Any ideas what I can do to encourage her to clean herself down there?


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## Jiskefet (May 15, 2011)

I think you should concentrate on finding out why she has runny poo and solve that problem.

A cat should not have runny poo, so there is obviously something wrong with her.
See a vet, switch to better food..... But get the intestinal problem solved, and I bet she will be clean again, too.
Would you like to lick your poo from your butt? 
Bet your cat doesn't, either.

In the mean time, you'd better help her clean herself. Wash her butt with a damp cloth, or, if she is really dirty, bathe her with cat shampoo.
Longhaired cats often have a dirty bum, because stools will stick to the long hairs, which is why they need to be bathed regularly.


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## merlin12 (Jun 24, 2011)

Mine has the same problem, he is very very clean but hasn´t discovered that part of his anatomy. His poos are not runny but he sometimes needs to be cleaned. In his case I suspect he was taken too early from his mother as he was brought in from Poland ( saw that in his breed document) so I just clean him up when he needs itas I haven´t found a way of showing him the way.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

As mentioned above, you do need to sort out the runny poop to give the girl a fighting chance to keep herself clean. ( I am sure you know that ) I cant remember if you know what the issue is with her poops but I can---and will!!--highly recommend Protexin Enterogenic. It has save me from Millie's 'dire rear' issues.
Overall I just think most cats get better at keeping themselves clean, but until she does I would recommend a warm soft wash cloth and a _tiny_ bit of baby shampoo.


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## m4tth3w (Jan 12, 2012)

I just check my 5 month old kittens feet when she has a poo, because she sometimes treads in it when burying it.

You can get paw wipes from pets at home.

I can't say I really go looking at her nethers for poo,

(let's face it) as they can't wipe then there is probably gonna be a bit there and it's just weird wiping it's bum, unless as you say it's runny.

Like others have said, worry about the runny bum, get that sorted and kitty will be much cleaner, and more importantly - healthier.


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## jo-pop (May 27, 2011)

I found with my kitten that just a very gently dab with cotton wool and tepid water did the trick. Not so much to clean it off but it encouraged him to investigate and clean himself. I only did that a few times a day for a week or 2 and I don't need to anymore. For him it wasn't an issue of not being shown by his mother as he was with her till he was 16 weeks, I think it was more a case of not wanting to miss what's going on so he just never stopped to clean


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## Amin (Jul 31, 2009)

Yes, Occasionally we have to clean Indie,s backside area, Being a coonie he is very fluffy otherwise he,s very clean. 

Hamish also gets into the odd fight with litter tray and his paws will get cleaned too.


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## JOANNEJ1655 (Sep 5, 2009)

I had the same problem with Sammy when he was a kitten. I bought some Tushie wipes from Pets at Home and cleaned his bum everytime he had a poo. I did this for a little while and he hated it. It soon got him cleaning his own bum from then on.


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## ejrogers (Sep 7, 2009)

Thanks everyone for all your replies, I will try some of those ideas. Regarding the runny poos, yes we are on the case already. She was very ill when she was a young kitten with various parasite infections and the vet told us that it will take a while for her insides to get back to normal and to expect diarrheoa for a while.
However its been going on too long now so we're going to have her re-tested. If the tests are still clear then its likely aggravated by food so thats the next challenge!


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## Merenwenrago (Sep 5, 2010)

My moms cat lynx (longhaired cat) had that problem plus not covering her poos in litter tray, but luckily my cat Amy helped her with that stuff since they were only a month apart.

Havent noticed any problems with lynx when she goes outside to the toilet, maybe Amy or the other cats still help her clean up or she has finally learnt.


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## Lunabuma (Dec 12, 2011)

Glad that you are getting the runny poo issue sorted out. 

My two are about 10 months old and I've seen a definite improvement in their personal hygiene. I was regularily calling Ziggy "crusty bum" for a little while. 

The good thing about having two cats is that the help each other out with that problem.


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## samevans05 (Jul 8, 2012)

I think you should do the job for her first or just help her instead. Clean her for the meantime and as time passes, she'll be able to do it by herself. Anyway, do you already know why she has a runny poo?


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## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

Can I ask what you are feeding her on?
My Kitty had Gardia and Trich--can't spell it but it was bad. He has been treated but we feed him on royal canin gastro intestinal. He will be one this week and we have now seen an improvement on his poo.
We still give him the Gasto intestinal but gradually introducing other foods to see if he is ok on them.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Just to point out that long-haired cats get bathed to keep the coat grease free and in top condition. Their bathing schedule is not set so often because they have cling ons.


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