Cat Poop stuck to fur!!

Hi all. Has anyone ever had the problem where your MC gets poop stuck to their fur (and I'm not talking small bits here, either)? It's happened to Freyja three times now and this last time I think she was trying to get rid of it as I've got what can only be described as 'tread marks' on the carpet. Unfortunately, all she managed to do (besides leave a trail) is squish it into her fur, and I ended up having to gingerly cut the fur away to avoid pulling it out. It can't be comfortable for her to have it stuck there, and it's certainly no fun for the rest of the house. Plus she has to suffer the indignity of me trying to get it off her, followed with liberal application of foam shampoo. I feel so sorry for her and wondered if there was anything I could to help her avoid it happening in the first place?

Have you got a huge litter tray?

I would love to help but if I knew the answer I would not in fact have to wash Zacks foot every other night when he steps in his poo and does the same thing!!!

I have watched him - he goes and then steps sideways and backwards right into it - same foot every time!!! I have two large trays but it doesnt seem to matter.

I now go straight to the sink - it is set up with a towel on the washing machine and bucket to add warm water and shampoo. I sit him on the towel and wash his foot with a large cloth. I use small amount of shampoo if he has really done a job with it. He is used to it now and is fine but we did have an altercation during one of our washing events and I am still waiting for the large holes in my arm to heal from the back claws that got me in a wild back foot swing!!!

I occasionally have this happening with my older moggie, who is very longhaired and not as agile as he used to be. I just clean it off, which is a bit of a battle I must admit: grab him under my left arm, tail end facing, have a pile of tissue and a warm wet rag at the ready, do it quickly before he goes mental. The location for this is on the garden wall, and afterwards he runs round the garden in a huff for a bit.

With my old Persian cat Bob (now deceased) the vet used to shave around his back end, to avoid this very problem.

We have the problem if they are a bit 'loose' when they go, I try to be lying in wait so to speak when they have finished in the tray to check their bum, they are quite resigned to the inspection as we have done it ever since we had them.

I keep a pack of baby wipes near to the tray and if there is anything stuck to their bum give them a quick wipe.

I don't know if it is a boy thing but Hector seems to get poo on his paws as he sems to enjoy making hills out of the litter when he is done, he also watches me clean out the tray and change the litter as he has to be first in the clean tray.

I have this with one of my girls, even when everything is completely solid. I have now taken to clipping her back end so that the fur is shorter and less likely to get stuck as she really doesn't like the bath!

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Originally Posted by Louie-Louie

Have you got a huge litter tray?

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Not sure if it's big enough, I have to admit. It's a large corner tray, measurements are 45cm out from the corners, and the long side is 60cm. She's got plenty of room in it, although being in a corner it can looked a bit cramped in that respect. I've actually moved it this evening to a bigger part of the room in case the fact it's in a corner is making it difficult for her. What kind of size tray should I be using for an MC? She's just over four months right now.

Might be the tray I dont think there is much space for maneuver in the corner ones you could get a cheap large uncoverd one & see if thats any better before buying a large hooded one :smile:

Not sure of the size we got for Harry but it's the largest one Pets at Home sell and has a lid that fids over the top to give a lip around the edge (if you get what I mean) it helps with cat litter being scraped all over the floor, it's great for that.

Yes I've wondered about trays. At the moment the Criminals are using the standard-sized covered trays from Pets at Home, with the little doors on, no problem. They are 4 and a half months old, but I must admit I wonder if and when I'll have to get larger trays.

:LOL: we have two of those from p@h & a huge one, but Louie likes to try & hide on top of them & bat anyone comeing out of them :LOL: & then he wonders why he gets a paw round the ear.

Criminals good one :rofl:

I've seen a colossal 'jumbo' tray online somewhere, and Van Ness do some REALLY deep ones too, so might try her with one of those. I have to say, after I bought her the corner tray I remember seeing a 'kitten starter kit' in Pets At Home and cannot believe that at any point in Freyja's young life she was small enough to fit in it! And she's so clumsy in there - sometimes she covers up her deposits and other times she doesn't bother, but the other day she decided it was a clean up day and managed to chuck piles of litter outside the tray and throw the aforementioned deposit up the wall, the door, the bin (door and bin are over a foot away from litter tray - perhaps I should see if Fabio Capello needs a new striker) and even the landing between rooms. And what a joy it was getting that lot out from between her furry little toes...

We have had this issue from time to time (including scooting along the rug). As noted, some MCs develop quite a bit of hair around their rear ends, and that certainly contributes to poops getting hung up (even when not soft). We do occasionally trim ours, and have found you can do this without destroying their "pantaloons." This thread reminded us of our MC mix that had been a stray, because when he would get something stuck back their and we were trying to cut it out, he would sound like he was about to rip us to shreds--made the process very tense.

As for litter pans, I feel the bigger the better. As we have added larger pans, the cats have shown their approval by quitting using the smaller ones (even those pans are labeled jumbo). We have gone to these: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Petmate-22040-Giant-Litter-Bleached/dp/B000HHLVA4"]Amazon.com: Petmate 22040 Giant Litter Pan, Bleached Linen: Kitchen & Dining@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/312Nd89pbwL.@@AMEPARAM@@312Nd89pbwL[/ame]

Chester is just 5 months old and he LOVES to flick his litter pellets EVERYWHERE. Last night he was flicking away, stood in his poop and needless to say, there were little pawprints left on the carpet and tile.

Today, we got the biggest hooded litter tray we could find. It was $100 from petwise.

He's got to get used to using it - and we had to remove the 'flapdoor' for now as he's not really sure how to open it and gets stuck inside (he''s still a kitten and this is for a huge cat or a dog!).

OUt of curiousity - do you line your litter trays with anything eg newspaper?

Yes I use a tray liner but it does get shredded after 3-4 days. So that's when it's time to clean out and disinfect the tray. I can just about gather the shredded edges together and bag up the dirty litter. I do wonder whether there's much point in using them, though.

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Originally Posted by NCarver

As for litter pans, I feel the bigger the better. As we have added larger pans, the cats have shown their approval by quitting using the smaller ones (even those pans are labeled jumbo). We have gone to these: Amazon.com: Petmate 22040 Giant Litter Pan, Bleached Linen: Kitchen & Dining

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This looks great, but sadly, I cant't find a stockist in the UK - can find smaller ones of identical design but not the same size. I'm probably going to order a Jumbo from Zooplus, which is 70cm long, 56cm wide and 27cm deep. Hopefully that will help, but I'm also going to try clipping her rear end - any tips on how to keep the pantaloons?

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I'm also going to try clipping her rear end - any tips on how to keep the pantaloons?

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We find you need to clip only right around the anal opening and immediately below; you do not have to do way out to the sides. Also, you do not have to trim too much--just make certain there isn't hair covering the opening nor sticking way out right below.

Eww! The things we have to deal with!

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Originally Posted by Howlinbob

Eww! The things we have to deal with!

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Tell me about it. At no point - in ANY of the Maine Coon books I've read - does it mention trimming your cat's bum-fluff... they go into all that detail about the perfect litter tray with no mention of cling-ons, cats with no sense of direction that tread poo through the house, or how to get the blasted stuff out of their fur without losing an eye!

Worth it though.

Yes, quite. Larry used to regularly tread in his own poo and walk it across the floor. Good lad for using his tray, but....! I learned early on that he has an obsession with wet cloths. On this particular occasion he stank so I grabbed him and held him belly side up to wipe his pooey paw, which he let me do. But when I got the cloth to wipe the floor, he jumped on it as if it was the world's most amazing toy. I chucked his actual toys across the room in an effort to distract him, but he suddenly wasn't interested in them. Then as I wiped back and forth he lunged for the cloth and I got 4 parallel scratches across the wrist! Thanks Larry - for cleaning up your stinky mess!

I've got another completely gross story which I'll save for another day.

Come on,why wait,I have checked eight bums this AM as they came out of their room in single file,all clean & correct so I can sit here rather smugly & titter at other peoples misfortunes....

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Originally Posted by jckkerrison

Come on,why wait,I have checked eight bums this AM as they came out of their room in single file,all clean & correct so I can sit here rather smugly & titter at other peoples misfortunes....

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Oh all right then, brace yourselves...

In the bedroom we have our one and only houseplant, a large floorstanding dragon tree. For years I have had the top of the pot dressed with some attractive gravel. (Can you see where this is going?)

In the first week of having the Criminals, I was woken up in the dead of night by the most horrendous stink. I dragged myself out of bed and realised that Larry had mistaken the pot for a perfectly good litter tray. He'd done his job properly, dug a nice big hole, left a nice big smelly deposit in it, and covered it up. Most of the covering up was on the carpet, along with bits of turd. But I couldn't be angry with him, could I? How was he to know that wasn't a tray!

After clearing up the mess and opening the windows (Larry shut away safely) I decided I would forget the gravel in the pot, and replace it with large cobblestones from the garden. Problem solved! Now they just scratch the stem of the plant and chew the leaves off.

Oooooh, lol nice one ! I braved it too this morning and have done a "clingon check" all ok except for the skidmark on the white pvc back door apparently, but luckily I was second up this morning and it was dealt with by hubby ;)

Sorry Howlinbob could see where that was going & sorry again,just had to sit & giggle.
This forum is so like the "Simons Cat"books & film clips,you just get there before them ,
oh joy....

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Originally Posted by Howlinbob

After clearing up the mess and opening the windows (Larry shut away safely) I decided I would forget the gravel in the pot, and replace it with large cobblestones from the garden. Problem solved! Now they just scratch the stem of the plant and chew the leaves off.

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That's really funny - got a great image of this bald dragon plant being held down by boulders now.

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Originally Posted by harrymc

Oooooh, lol nice one ! I braved it too this morning and have done a "clingon check" all ok except for the skidmark on the white pvc back door apparently, but luckily I was second up this morning and it was dealt with by hubby ;)

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Good strategy - I'll try this in future.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that cat crap could be so amusing...:rofl:

I had this problem with Simba for a while but he seems to have grown out of it, must be getting better at where he puts his feet. I have a covered litter tray, fairly large and one of those mats outside it that is meant to catch the litter as they walk accross it. The other thing that is good is that Elsa, one of my dogs, is obsessed with cleaning him up and every time he comes out of the litter tray Elsa is there waiting. Simba always tries to make a dash for it but he can't get away - I've even seen him going along the kitchen floor on his front legs only with Elsa's nose shuved up his bum lifting his back legs off the floor:LOL:

We too have a dragon tree and I have moved it at least three times in an effort to stop Simba trying to climb it or eat it's leaves. Now he is outside more though he prefers to climb the real trees outside. I haven't had him do a poo in it though but we too found quite early on that the large pebbles make less mess:LOL:

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Originally Posted by NCarver

We find you need to clip only right around the anal opening and immediately below; you do not have to do way out to the sides. Also, you do not have to trim too much--just make certain there isn't hair covering the opening nor sticking way out right below.

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Wow.......we're impressed! I've just been reading this thread out to my husband - and he wants to know:

1. What sort of protective gear do you wear for this?
2. Do you hypnotise the cat in some way, so you can clip round its bum without it suddenly developing sixteen paws all armed with claws and whirling like furry helicopter blades?

Seriously, though - Hobbes is HOPELESS when it comes to stepping on his offerings in the litter tray. It is like his paws are magnetically attracted to the poo. He just can't help standing in it while he tries to bury it and we have four Really Huge Trays too.

As to the bum thing, we only have a real problem if he has eaten a particularly laxative bug that has incautiously wandered into the cat run - then we take an end each (flipping coins to see who gets the business end) and then try to soak this with as much warm water as possible, followed by a good rub with a moist grooming cloth. This is then followed by a stiff drink (for us, not Hobbes).

Hobbes always looks so offended afterwards!

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Originally Posted by Menolly

Wow.......we're impressed! I've just been reading this thread out to my husband - and he wants to know:

1. What sort of protective gear do you wear for this?
2. Do you hypnotise the cat in some way, so you can clip round its bum without it suddenly developing sixteen paws all armed with claws and whirling like furry helicopter blades?

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It does usually take two people (one to hold and one to trim), though with the two males you can nearly always do it when they are lying down and resting (the two girls will get up and run away). Only our more dominant female is ever a problem with swatting if you keep at it too long. Doesn't take long to do--just a couple of snips.

Zack has finally had over a week now without stepping in his poo - it is a very exciting time for me!!!!

If I get home tonight and he has stepped in it I will scream!!!!!

Freyja also seems to have gotten the hang of not stepping in her deposits, so I share your joy. Having taken NCarver's excellent advice and trimming around the 'business end', and getting a much larger, deeper litter tray, the problem I seem to have with her now is the transit of said deposit as gravity takes it from her her bum to the litter below; it seems to catch the fluffy bits on her inner pantaloons, especially around the knee joint. Mercifully less frequent than it used to be, we only have to wrestle her into a half-nelson and squirt her legs with water-less shampoo about once a week now. I'm optimistic that by the time she's 4 years old, we might only have to do it once a fortnight... Of course, by the time she's 4 we'll probably need chain mail body armour to get into the half-nelson!

To be fair to her, she doesn't actually get aggressive, just bloody indignant and tries to wriggle away to regain some dignity and dry her bum off.

This thread gets more interesting to read,I can imagine MC owners everywhere short strawing to see who does what,indignant cats parading round telling everyone who will listen about what their owners put them through & sales of spirits rocketing ...
Luv it as I can still sit here quite smug,only one small mishap last week Wellynton Boots caught & ate one huge bluebottle & sure enough next day slight upset stomach but that was ok, he is hubbys cat,sooooo,guess who had to deal with it....

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Originally Posted by jckkerrison

Luv it as I can still sit here quite smug,only one small mishap last week Wellynton Boots caught & ate one huge bluebottle & sure enough next day slight upset stomach but that was ok, he is hubbys cat,sooooo,guess who had to deal with it....

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So THAT's where I'm going wrong... sneaky, I like it!

I wound up getting the kids a 100L clothes bin from Wally World.

http://www.sterilite.com/productfile...1_17641704.jpg

http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProdu...=252&section=1

Holds a large sack of SwheatScoop and is plenty big enough so that they don't pick up the Klingons.

Lid goes underneath to collect the scatter.

Cheap too.

I came home to a poo house yesterday, she'd got a big bit of poo stuck in her fur and left poo patches on the bed, near her food and all over over the ironing board

Going to buy a new ironing board cover today.. :shy: