I find I am having to clean my kittens bottoms after they toilet as little bits stay stuck. Is this normal ??

Question

My kittens are 14 weeks and they are on a dry food diet which the vet recommended. We got them at 8 weeks.

Answer 1

Perfectly normal, but dont doit for them as they will never learn to do it themselves, they should have learn from there mother

Answer 2

Some kittens don't learn to groom themselves very well until they get a bit older. You may just have to keep doing this for a while until they get the pictures. Also, cats should have normally firm stools that don't leave a mess behind so if they are having diarrhea and leaving a mushy mess back there, that's a bad sign.

Some things that can cause diarrhea or soft stool:
Intestinal parasites - have them dewormed or a fresh stool sample checked by your vet.
Eating too much!- very common problem with kittens. Their food should be measured out and given at specific times of the day, allowed no more than 10 minutes to eat at a time, so they can't eat a whole bunch at one time. They have very tiny tummies so if they eat too much at once, it can cause some tummy upset.
Poor quality food - lower quality foods have lots of flavors and fillers, but not highly digestible ingredients, so they will poop more, it will stink, and it often won't be firm. Feeding a high quality food can help reduce the amount of stool they produce, how often they need to go, and firm it up.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome - not likely in kittens this age, especially if both of them have it.

Review your feeding habits and have a stool checked by your vet. Keep a good stock of baby wipes on hand for regular cleanings and enjoy your kittens!

Answer 3

No, they probably have either a little bit of diarrhea or a little bit of constipation (depending if it is soft or hard).

In both cases it is not good, if the bits seem hard give them a little bit of wet food or yogurt that will soften their movements a little bit, if the opposite give dry food only and wait and see what happens.

There is also another reason and it is they are kittens, they may no be closing their little anuses enough to get everything out or they are still too young and expect mom cat to clean them up, (which they may be expecting you to do).

I don't recommend you to go running to the vet because kittens do tend to have stomach upsets especially because they seem to put everything in their mouths!. Be a good mom and keep on cleaning if it doesn't get better in 15 days go see your vet.

Answer 4

Yes and no. Depending on the age of the kittens, and their diets, it can be normal, and is something a mother cat does up until the kittens are old enough to do it themselves.

However, it could be a reflection of improper diet.

To fully answer this question, we would need more information such as age of the kittens, and whether or not the mother cat is available.

Best of luck!

Answer 5

They must have long or longish fur do they? I have a himalayan and when she was a kitten I would have to do that from time to time (and if her fur is left too long I have done it now that she is an adult). I remember one particular time when I was taking a trip in the car with her (she actually loves the car!) she happened to have EXPLOSIVE diarrhea (we used to take a clean, covered litter box in the car for long trips) and it was covering her whole bum so I actually had to turn around, go back home and dip her in soapy water and scrub to get it off!! Too gross!! So I know how you feel! The friend that was with me still laughs to this day!

Anyhow, I would suggest getting the fur trimmed really short or shaved in that area. I get a "lion clip" done to my cat at the vet to keep her hair short, because she won't let me brush or cut her hair. You can go to a regular cat groomer or a vet office. You could also just keep wiping them until they get better at grooming themselves! Good luck :)

Answer 6

This sounds like your kittens are getting too little fluid in their diet, which can lead to early death from kidney disease. Make sure they have clean water all the time, and give them tuna with spoonfuls of water mashed into it. Continue to clean them, but unless they are longhaired, they should be able to do this for themselves, so give it a couple more weeks then ask your vet if this is OK.

Answer 7

You can also trim the hair around the rear of the kitten, if its a longhaired kitten. If the problem is with bits of stool sticking and becoming dry and hard to clean off, a little vaseline applied to the anal area of the kitten's rear will help that problem.

Answer 8

I am not sure of what type of kitty you have, but I have a Himalayan with very long hair and I about drove myself nuts when I first got her. I had to clean her butt in the sink almost every time she used the bathroom, it was horrible. Finally I called the breeder and asked if this was normal? She said yes, trim the hairs around the butt area and this problem she stop. So I did and sure enough, it doesn't get stuck in her hair anymore, just occasionally I will have to clean her up, but it sure worked like a charm, try it.

Answer 9

I do it once a week for my cats...they are long haired cats and they seem to have problems with what you are describing. My vet says its normal, but offered to shave the area around their bottom once a month as a remedy. I am going to do this starting November. All in all, I do not think that you have anything to worry about!

Answer 10

It is normal for small kittens. Do they have long hair? If it is getting in your home, in your carpet then just try trimming it a bit around their back end until they learn to clean themselves better.

Good luck!

Answer 11

It's normal, you might even find a older cat will come in with bits stuck to it;s fur but you will find the cat will always clean it's self, give it time.
Cats are naturally clean animals