Thread: Dirty Rear End?

My MC doesn't like to bathe herself very much, and she pretty much doesn't bathe her back end at all. My vet thinks that she's not agile enough, but I've seen her do it, so I know she can. She's only 6, so not an old lady yet (really, I think she's just too lazy). She will tolerate me bathing her, but it seems it's disgusting again the next day.

She has four giant litter pans, but she pretty much only wants to use the tiny litter pan that our elderly cat uses (and she's found numerous ways to sneak in there and use it). We actually put puppy pads down around that one because both of them will get their front paws in it and go without their back ends in it - the Maine because she just doesn't understand she's not a tiny kitty, and the elderly cat because she can't see hardly at all.

Anyone have any ideas on how to encourage her to bathe herself, or else to keep her cleaned up?

I've not had experience of that little problem so far, but one thing you said made me wonder if the vet's got a good point... I'm assuming the litter tray you use for the older cats has shallower sides if it's smaller? Perhaps you should try a bigger tray but with shallow sides? It makes me wonder if she has trouble getting over the top of the bigger one. Just a thought. Hope you find a solution though, it's so undignified (for the cats) to be cleaning their behinds. I'm fortunate and only get the problem if they've eaten something that's given them Runny Bum Syndrome.

Originally Posted by FreyjaRoMaine

I've not had experience of that little problem so far, but one thing you said made me wonder if the vet's got a good point... I'm assuming the litter tray you use for the older cats has shallower sides if it's smaller? Perhaps you should try a bigger tray but with shallow sides? It makes me wonder if she has trouble getting over the top of the bigger one. Just a thought. Hope you find a solution though, it's so undignified (for the cats) to be cleaning their behinds. I'm fortunate and only get the problem if they've eaten something that's given them Runny Bum Syndrome.

It's actually a tub that we cut a hole in. The blind elderly cat, not being able to see, was peeing all over the place (she was terribly fastidious when she was younger, so I think that's truly a sight thing). The entrance is at litter level, though. I've seen the Maine do that with all size pans, though. She gets her front feet in, or she'll have all her feet in and still miss the box. Unfortunately, the room the old cat resides in just doesn't have enough room for something bigger, and I don't think we could convince her to move elsewhere, and the Maine is very sneaky about getting in there.

I think she's just not quite aware of her size. She also seems totally unconcerned about covering. I got her at about 6 months, so I'm not sure if she was litter trained the right way, or if she's just a lazy butt and doesn't care.

Not sure if I can offer any more suggestions - my first thought was the same as Karen's in that perhaps the sides of the litter tray were a little too high for Sage.

I'm assuming you've had her since she was a kitten - just wondered if this was a problem she'd always had or if it's a fairly recent occurrence?

I know we had problems with Gracie only getting the front half her body in the litter tray and peeing over the carpet but we invested in a huge covered litter tray which has solved the problem entirely. We also have a large length of clear plastic carpet protector which also helps catch any litter residue from over eager covering up efforts!

She's always been like this. I really think it's not the litter box, but that she just doesn't like to bathe herself. She's a lot happier right after she's been shaved, so we take her to the vet to be shaved several times a year, but it seems like she'll be good about bathing for about a week after getting shaved, then she just gives up again.

Would be interesting to know if she was a hand reared kitten,our oldest adopted MC was & although she doesn't have a dirty bottom she very often smells of pee & I have never seen her clean herself around her private parts,she also has never covered up after herself when she uses the tray & she is the only one we have had problems with by messing other than in a tray but solved that one when we took the lid off which was one blessing,the thing is by being hand reard they are not taught the nicesties by mum they rely on human mum to clean & somehow don't seem to take it on board that they do have to take over for themselves,her daughter,who belongs to my daughter although she cleans herself also never covers when she uses the tray because of course mum didn't do it so it was one part of growing up that never got passed on.....