Cat's Poor Hygiene

Long-haired cat's poopy butt

Sept 2013

I really need help dealing with our poopy cat. He has medium to long fur, and his brother is a short hair. The cat with the longer fur constantly steps in his own poo, drags it out on his tail, has it hanging on the fur near his bum, and then smears it around the house. It is so disgusting. I give him dry food, never wet food, as I found that changing his food gives him diarrhea. Still, he often has soft poo, and he just seems messy. His short haired brother is fastidiously clean and never tracks anything.

Both cats eat Purina indoor formula dry food. We have a litter robot and the arm and hammer Super Scoop cat litter.

Do you think a change in diet would help? Giving him a larger litter box? Shaving him down? Supplements?

I'm open to any and every idea, as this has gone on for years and I'm so fed up. I am somewhat attached to my litter robot though, because it's my husband's job to clean the cat litter and he is really inconsistent. But I'm willing to scoop litter myself if it means no more tracked poop around the house. --Tired of poop

Trim the fur around his behind so he doesn't get poop stuck. We used to also trim our kitty's tail fur. Also, please, please DO NOT feed cats dry food. It is really not good for them. When you switch, it initially may take them some time to get used to it but in the long run it will be better for their health. Also, you may want to try a separate litter box or clean it more frequently. Finally, you may want to take him to the vet if the problem persists, lack of grooming could be symptom for other problems. Long haired kitties are more prone to heart problems and could be manifested via litter box and cleanliness issues Bored kitty!

I would suggest giving your cat what I call a ''butt cut'' (The fancy pet groomers call it a sanitary cut) which I have to do for my dog who has fluffy butt syndrome too, and when not trimmed close, will drag around poop logs and sit on them, so I totally know what you're going through. The stepping in the poop might be because the cat drops them out of the box if they are stuck and then steps on them there. I would definitely go for the cut. Good luck!!! dingleberries-no-more

We too have a short haired and long haired cat...we used to have he same problem as you. Our solution was to trim the long hair cat fur around her bum and on the underside of her tail. We also started giving them fish oils for their coat as she is very allergic to fleas and will incessantly clean herself and pull out her fur. I think the fish oils may have helped her #2s and we also do not give any wet food. We buy a holistic formula from trader joes. it's definitely a two person job for the trim but it really helps to not have little nuggets dragged around the house! Good luck! Ct