What do you do when a kitten won't clean hisself/herself??

Question

we just got a kitty, and we've never had this problem, before!! I thought it was just instinct!!

Answer 1

Cats that are under stress, or that are sick can sometimes stop grooming. You said that you "just got" the kitten, so I assume you've not had him for long. If this is the case, it may simply be that he's afraid or stressed, and that once he relaxes, he'll start grooming normally again. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt for you to wipe him gently, in the direction of hair gowth, with a moist cloth once a day to keep him clean. Make sure it's only a damp cloth - you don't want to get him wet through! As an experiment, it migh be worth putting a little wet cat food, or perhaps plain yoghurt (just a little) on one of his front legs, where he can easily reach it. If he cleans it off, it should indicate some hope that he'll begin grooming soon. If he doesn't clean it, I would suggest taking him to the vet for a checkup. As you know, cats love grooming, and it's an instinct, so if he shows no interest in it even when he's "dirty", there may be an underlying reason.
Hoping for the best!

Answer 2

you dont say how old this kitten is so the advice to clean it yourself is all i can advise.

remember that some mothers will still clean their kitttens till they are 12 weeks old, i had one mother who even let her kittens still feed from her at 6 months old.

cleaning stimulates many things with a cat like its bowel movements when it is young so i would wrap it in a towel and rub it and also very gently sponge it clean

sorry but it is all i can advise given that you dont say how old it is

Answer 3

Perhaps you could teach him. I taught the kitten I had found, he had lost his mummy before he had learned to clean his face. So I helped him put his fron paw in his mouth, on his tongue, and then clean his face with the wetted paw. You could help him do the movement of licking, or wet your finger on his tongue and "wash " him with that. Do all that very gently, so that he really enjoys the process, so that he likes to do it himself. Oh, and my baby-kitties right now clean themselves when they are covered in milk, so perhaps if you "accidentally" spill some food on their fron paws or sth., they may lick it off so they will get the idea of cleaning themselves.

Answer 4

Bathe it. Chances are you have a long fur kitten, right? It probably cleans its paws and *ahem* butt. But sometimes kittens with long fur refuse to clean themselves unless they have a plant to chew on so they don't get hairballs.

Answer 5

Change it's name to Dirty

Answer 6

clean it urself