# My cat messes himself with poo!



## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone could help. I have a 4 month old male neuter ragdoll. He seems to be a little clumsy in the litter box. After he makes a poo, he stands in his poo when trying to cover it with litter. I don't know if he realises that he stood in it because he walks all over leaving poo marks on the floor and I can even smell it on him if he walks past me but he doesn't stop to clean his paws/the affected area. I've had cats before and this never happened with any of them. Not sure if this is just Cruz and I should just accept that he is clumsy or if there is a way to fix it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! I love him but this one thing just makes me crazyyy! Imagine waking up in the morning and finding poo marks all over the floors :-x


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

He may need bigger litter boxes. As he gets older he'll probably get the hang of it, but I recommend give him more space.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

He'll get better at it - I promise! What type of litter are you using?


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

I hope so!! But he never used to mess before. We use cats best Oko plus clumping litter. It was the first one we bought and it used to mess all over when he gets out of the box - clean litter though, and it will stick to his fur cos he's medium/long hair. So we tried cats best nature gold and then we thought maybe the litter is a bit too big so it's not covering the poo properly so he steps in it. But I think it was just around the same time when he started stepping in his poo... cos we switched back to Oko plus and he still messes :Woot


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

My ragdoll used to do this..he grew out of it though  now I just have the issue that if he has a not quite solid enough poo it goes on the fur of his back legs and I have to clean it off! :Vomit


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

At what age did he stop? Hahaha know the feeling!! Happens with my one too. Most nights I have to wake up to clean him when I smell poo cos I'm 100% sure he's messed :Arghh some people shave/trim the fur by the bum area. But i just can't do that lol


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

I couldn't bring myself to cut his hair either! I love his fluffy legs . I can't really remember but I don't think it took too long, maybe by 5 months old? I have quite a big tray too.


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Ahhh well Cruz has 1 more month to get his act together! How big is your babies litter tray? Here is mine . Is yours a lot bigger? This was the biggest one I could find


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

Yes it is bigger than that, it was a covered tray but I took all top and any other inside trays off so I was just left with the large bottom tray. I'll get a photo when I get home from work later.


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Hard to tell from the photo. It looks big but not sure if it's long enough. I think the best ratio is 1.5 x 1 length of your kitty. And he's still growing. Is his poo solid or runny?

Can you please post more photos of your lovely boy


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

Mine is this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ferplast-Ma...+cat+toilet+home+55.5+x+45.5+x+41+cm+burgundy with all the other stuff removed so it's just the bottom tray (I inherited it so that's why I wasn't too bothered about using only some of it, didn't realise how much it was!)


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

I think I'm going to look for a bigger tray this weekend. Thanks guys! Let's hope it helps *fingers crossed* his poo is not very runny but when it gets messed on his fur by his bum it looks like it is runny, but I think it probably looks like that because it touches the fur and like slides down . Sounds so weird to say. But when I see the poo in the tray it's not runny. Will post a few pics of my rascal. Let's see your baby too!!


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)




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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)




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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)




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## Sh N (Dec 2, 2015)

Oh that is one beautiful kitten!:Joyful:Joyful

After trying a couple of commercially available litter trays and a few accidents, I just use a storage box, its perfect for Maya's size and I have two of them around the house for her to use. Even then she pees so dangerously close to the walls that I'm forever checking for accidents! :Arghh


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

He's absolutely adorable. What do you feed him? 

My Ragdolls like to pee and poo in separate litter trays. I have 2 cats and 3 trays. Do you have more than one tray for Cruz? It's just a wild guess but perhaps he hasn't fully learnt yet how to cover his 'deposits' that's why he steps in his poo


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Thanks guys! He is naughty as hell but gets away with murder because of his darling face. I feed him orijen cat & kitten. What do you give yours? About once or twice a week we give him hills science plan - the wet food. Just in the morning . So like on a Saturday morning and wednesday morning. I just have one litter tray for him. Don't think I would be able to handle more than one, I will just have to look for a bigger one


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Sumayah said:


> I feed him orijen cat & kitten. What do you give yours? About once or twice a week we give him hills science plan - the wet food. Just in the morning . So like on a Saturday morning and wednesday morning.


My Ragdolls only eat wet food. I feed a few different brands (grain free and sugar free) to ensure they get the right nutrients and protein. Daisy has a sensitive tummy so she needs to eat single protein food (e.g. turkey only or venision only etc). Harvey eats pretty much everything but he won't eat the same cat food all the time so I need to rotate different brands and flavours.
Hills is a known brand but very expensive and not great quality. IMO it'll be better to give Cruz different wet cat food and increase the wet to dry food ratio gradually. Do you have much choice of cat food in South Africa?


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Sumayah said:


> his poo is not very runny but when it gets messed on his fur by his bum it looks like it is runny, but I think it probably looks like that because it touches the fur and like slides down .


It should not be runny at all. It should be formed little sections, three or four little tootsie rolls that separate once they hit the litter box.

Perhaps it's time for a diet change in addition to larger boxes (he should have two boxes)? What are you feeding him?


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I agree that diet needs to be addressed in order to eliminate ( pun! ) this issue.
Millie reacts strongly to any food with grains in and ends up with poop all over her back end. I need to be strict with her diet to stop this happening.
When she does get messy I have found the easiest solution is to pop her in the bath and shower her back end, just the plain warm water rinses the poop away pretty effectively, I never use shampoo these days.


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Ragdollsfriend said:


> My Ragdolls only eat wet food. I feed a few different brands (grain free and sugar free) to ensure they get the right nutrients and protein. Daisy has a sensitive tummy so she needs to eat single protein food (e.g. turkey only or venision only etc). Harvey eats pretty much everything but he won't eat the same cat food all the time so I need to rotate different brands and flavours.
> Hills is a known brand but very expensive and not great quality. IMO it'll be better to give Cruz different wet cat food and increase the wet to dry food ratio gradually. Do you have much choice of cat food in South Africa?


what brand of food do you suggest?


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

thanks everyone for all the input . I don't find Cruzies poo to be runny. It looks quite good and solid . Orijen has a high protein content and shouldn't cause his poo to be runny? I just find that he steps in it probably because the tray is not big enough anymore . When he was smaller he never used to step in it and mess because the tray was a fine size for him at the time. Why do you guys suggest changing the food? All info will be appreciated!


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Maybe the poo is not runny but just soft? It shouldn't be too soft and it shouldn't leave much trace on his coat.
Orijen is fairly good as far as dry cat food goes. Well it's always a good idea to explore other options in case one day Cruz wakes up and decides he's had enough of Orijen. You're outside Europe so I don't know too many brands. Can you get Weruva? Or Ziwipeak?


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Ahh I see. Okay so his poo needs to be a little more solid than it is now. Do you think I should feed him wet food only? I heard it could cause constipation so that's why we limit it to twice a week. Haven't heard of ziwipeak but I saw weruva in Vetzmart - only the tin food though. Are you talking about weruva dry food?


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

Mine isn't a massive fan of wet food, and finding one he will eat and not cause issues has been a bit of a minefield! He has wet and dry daily so really it is whatever suits your cat. A wet food only diet is seen as a better diet but in practice it is sometimes difficult! It won't cause constipation though.


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Yep I meant Weruva wet - instead of Hills.


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Is it the one in the tin? And comes like in shreds of chicken or turkey? What do you think of Royal canin? We bought that wet food last week for him instead of hills. Said we will try it out. He doesn't seem to be very fussy about it


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Well before I joined this forum I thought Royal Canin was a great option. Luckily a few PF members quickly pointed out RC is high in cheap carbs and fillers like rice and corn. So don't waste your money on RC 

EDIT: have a look at this link to find out how to read the list of ingredients 
http://www.pethealthcare.co.za/PetFriendly/Articles/deciphering-pet-food-labels


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

I've just noticed the photos...he is so cute! Get loads of photos of him as a kitten, they grow too quickly! Here is Neville at 12 weeks and at 10 months in the same carry case...


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Ahhhh okay I don't think we get the good stuff here in SA:Bored

Oh my! He is absolutely gorgeous wow :Shamefullyembarrased are you from the UK @Chippers ?


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Can you get Orijen wet food in SA?


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

Yes I'm in the UK


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Tried searching online for it but can't find it. Could you perhaps post a link and I can check with my vet and the local pet store if they would be able to get it for me pleeease


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Hmm looks like Orijen only comes as dry food. Fairly decent. So now the mission is to find decent wet food 
Here's my boy Harvey on TV lol


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Awww he is adorable! How old is he? Is he blue point? Which wet food do you have? I will check if we have it here in SA


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Crazy cat :Woot


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Sumayah said:


> Do you think I should feed him wet food only? I


Yes. Cats are strict obligate carnivores and were never meant to eat a dry diet of any kind. Canned food does not cause constipation, where did you get that idea from? Any constipation is going to be caused by the dehydration of an all dry diet.

Here's a good place to start learning how to feed that little carnivore of yours the best way possible for optimal health and well being:

www.catinfo.org

www.catcentric.org


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Last week I bought a can of weruva . I noticed Cruzies tummy was making noises during the day after eating it. So I thought it might be a bit harsh for his tummy. He also never seem too keen about it - surprisingly. Maybe he is used to the other kind of wet food and not the shreds. But I did some research now and also taking advice from @Ragdollsfriend so I think I'm going to try weruva again


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Hey @Sumayah do you free feed or does Cruz have set meal times? If you let us know more details perhaps we could suggest a few ways to gently introduce more wet food into his diet.


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Hi @Ragdollsfriend  we started off feeding him 3 times a day, around 4.30am/5am (when hubby wakes up) , then lunch and supper . Was working well until he started leaving some food for later. And now what I've noticed is that he would always leave a little bit in his bowl and meow for more food when he's hungry . Or if he doesn't meow then when put more food, he will come to eat, but he won't eat until his bowl is empty. Don't know if this is common but my other cat used to do the same lol. If hubby and I are going out then we usually put food for him before we leave just in case. 
I bought weruva cans today. Hope it doesn't affect his tummy, not sure if I should mix it with other wet food for the first few days? What do you think?


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

IMO it's best to introduce new food gradually. How about giving Cruz 1/3 of Weruwa in the evening when you're home. On its own I wouldn't mix it with other food. You can save the rest in the following days, just put it in an air tight jar or container and store in the fridge. Please don't store it in the original tin. And if you wish to serve it again, take it out of the fridge in advance to let it come to the room temperature. I guess 1/3 Weruwa won't be enough in the evening so maybe 2hrs or so later give Cruz his regular cat food. And try to continue with Weruva in the evenings. If his tummy is happy you can increase after a week or so to 1/2 tin and so on. 

I give my Ragdolls four meals a day. I work from home so it's manageable. They get breakfast, lunch, dinner and second dinner before we go to sleep. I often see they don't finish a meal, sometimes they come back to a bowl a few minutes later to continue but sometimes they don't and then I bin the leftovers.


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Okay so I gave him a little bit last night... Woke up to a disaster . Poo all over. More runny than normal . But maybe it he needs to adjust to it? So scared now cos in case he keeps messing . N we were asleep so I don't know where else he must have went like on our rug or something hubby cannot deal. He wants to shave Cruzies bum fur . But I'm showing Cruz in April so don't wana do that even if it will help a lot at home with the mess.


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Oh dear sorry to hear. What flavour was the food? Fish? Chicken? Sometimes it can be reaction to a particular protein. My Daisy has an explosive reaction to beef


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

It's chicken. Felt that was the safer option but not sure now lol. Shame he seemed to like the food though. Think I should try a few more days and see whether his poo stays runny or changes . Could just be a shock to his system because he's been having the dry food all the time and his other wet food is not like the weruva one


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

You might be right about the shock to the system. What other flavours are available? Maybe try to decrease the dose.

My Daisy was a breeding queen and she was fed dry Royal Canin for years. When I adopted her and started to transition onto wet food, there was runny poo for weeks.

This Daisy, now 10 years old. She's a seal mitted tabby Ragdoll.


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Oh wow she is gorgeous! <3 
The other flavours they gave is beef and fish. Okay so I shouldn't be alarmed if his poo is runny for a few days hey. 
They get nice and fluffy there in the UK! Too cute. What is the price more or less for a ragdoll in the UK if u don't mind me asking?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Sumayah, I would put your cat straight away on a diet of plain home cooked chicken for a few days until her stools firm up. You can roast the chicken in a roasting pan in the oven with about 3 cms of water in the pan. Cover the pan with baking foil. Serve the chicken off the bone and without skin, and add some of the lovely nutritious cooking water to the meal.

If you are worried she does not tolerate chicken you can give her poached white fish and the fish cooking stock instead of chicken.

Do not feed anything else other than the chicken or fish, i.e. no dry food or treats.

Once the stools are firm you can gradually transfer her to a wet cat food diet. But I would be inclined to avoid the Wereva for the time being as it gave her bad diarrhoea. Are you able to buy a sensitive food such as Royal Canin Sensitivity Control wet food? I would not suggest feeding it long term but as an interim measure. Then look around for other sensitive foods.

Try and keep to single protein foods if you can, so it will be easier to see which protein is upsetting her.


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

I've just been reading up on the list of ingredients on Weruwa.com and it really seems like a good single protein complete food. What a shame it didn't go down well with Cruz. Did you give him any treats that day? My Daisy loves dreamies but if she eats more than 2 the aftermath is aweful.

To be on a safe side, just follow tips provided by @chillminx


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Hi @Sumayah how is Cruz today?


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Hi @Ragdollsfriend ! Sorry I've been MIA. I don't know why I haven't been receiving emails so never know that you guys replied. Great news!! For the past 3 days Cruz has not been messing as much as before. I stopped the wet food just to check what is the cause really. And now his poo is more firm and he messes only on his fur but very very little - which he cleans himself. His poo is definitely not like before. Seems to be more firm now. I'm just so glad that he's not messing himself like before! I took him to the vet yesterday for inoculations and deworming etc. vet checked him up and said all seems fine, but wanted a stool sample just to check. So dropped it off this morning and will await results. Do you think the wet food gave him a runny tum? I've stopped the wet food for about 5 days now and his poo is much more firm. I'm not sure what to do because if he gets a runny tum with the wet food , it's not good, but when i read online it says wet food is the best for cats. Confused!!


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Yeah a stool sample is a smart move. Did you have to collect his poo over 3 days?

I guess Cruz's digestive system has been through ups and downs and basically is still unsettled. His tummy may over react to new food. The obvious way forward is to wait for the results of the 'poo test' But I also think in the meantime it'll be good to follow the tips shared above by Chillminx .

I've said that Orijen is a decent brand as far as dry food goes. However, bags with dry food are often stored in a warehouse (before getting dispatched to shops) and could be exposed to storage mites. Both cats and dogs can be allergic not to food itself but to these mites. That's another reason why wet food is far better.

And you can also discuss with your vet if it's worth putting Cruz on Royal Canin Gastrointestinal (wet food in pouches) for a few weeks.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Sumayah - it won't be the wet food as such that caused the diarrhoea but it could be the particular make of wet food you gave him, or a specific meat protein or filler that was upsetting him. 
, 
The problem with feeding dry food is that it can mask symptoms of diarrhoea. It is possible the only reason his stool is firmer on dry food is because he is not getting enough fluid in his diet, i.e. he may have low level dehydration. Cats need to eat wet food as they are not designed to be big drinkers and so it is unlikely Cruz is getting enough fluids on a dry food diet.

Did his stool firm up OK on the plain chicken diet I advised you to feed him for a few days?


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Hi @chillminx  thank you for all the info . I hadn't given him the plain chicken , just stopped the wet food because I was worried. Cruzy drinks a lot of water throughout the day, I'm continuously filling up his water bowl - good size , and it's not kept in the sun . We give him bottled water . Got his results from the stool sample today. He has tape worms!! Poor boy, vet gave some meds that will sort him out


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I am glad a cause for the diarrhoea has been found! He should be OK now.  So you can go back to giving him wet food again.  He may well drink a lot of water on the dry food diet, but it still won't be enough. He would need to drink over half a pint of water a day.

As he has never been outside he must have got the tapeworms from his mother. If he has had fleas at any time he could have got tapeworm that way, as the tapeworm uses the flea as an intermediate host. Really you ought to inform the breeder that he has had tapeworm infestation, as her cat(s) are the most likely source, and she needs to treat them.


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## Sumayah (Feb 21, 2016)

Yes I actually spoke to the breeder and told her the whole story. See when we got Cruz from her , he didn't have any fleas as none of her cats go outside and they all are protected against fleas every month anyway. So we went on holiday in January and left him there for a week . When we got back and picked him up , I noticed him scratching and found a few fleas which I killed and then bought frontline for him. Anyway while we were away, she bought another cat from overseas who possibly had fleas . But she had already given her bunch their innoculations/deworm/revolution before she could come. Only Cruz did not get his cos we were delayed. Our fault . She didn't say that anything is wrong with the new cat that she got. So I'm not sure about that . But Cruz was playing a lot with the new one cos they were around the same age , the other cats she had were smaller. just really relieved that we know the cause and he's going to be okay. He's too precious . Gave him the tablet an hour ago . Will definitely try the wet food again . I bought a few cans of it and he likes it thank you for all your help @chillminx and @Ragdollsfriend


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## MissBettyPage (Mar 12, 2016)

What a beautiful little man. I'm quite glad i saw this post as i'm having exactly the same problem. Fisty is 11 weeks old. like you i've never experienced it with any of my other cats. We now have a routine of catching him when he's finished covering his business and he gets his feetsies and bottom wiped with baby wipes (non allergenic and no additives etc) He's getting a bath later too. It's his 3rd and we've only had him 2 weeks LOL

I'm sure he'll grow out of it and i'm getting a bigger tray too. i wasn't prepared with how big Raggies are even at 11 weeks.(My avatar is the first day at home at 9 weeks old and he's already grown so much! i did loads of research but for some reason i think my brain blanked out the big part! my partner keeps saying "oh great we basically bought a dog"


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

Hi @Sumayah how is Cruz these days? Did the meds help with the issue? Hope he's much much better now


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