an overweight middleaged cat's messy bottom

[bds1960to]

just looking to see if/how anyone else is dealing with this problem:

Last December I brought home an obese 9-y-o cat (16.75 lbs) from the humane society. Longhair brown common tabby. Too fat to clean her own bottom. As well, her stool came out rather wet (not diaherrea -- sp?) so it stuck to her rear end hair. She's down in weight now, maybe to 13 lbs. And have given her a lion cut. Stool problem persists. After doing dirt in her box, she jumps out and plonks her bottom down (doesn't then drag it). Obviously, she's uncomfortable and not feeling closed. Her bottom remains wet and so she marks wherever she first sits. So I'm cleaning up a lot. We're visiting the vet in two days to make sure there's not something particularly medically wrong with her.

Anyone else have a similar situation and how are you dealing with it?

[allfurlove]

Hi. I dont have this problem at home but I work at a humane society and see this alot. It's so sad to see them that way :sad:. Bless you for adopting a big older lady Does she put her bottom down right outside the litter box? Perhaps you could put down some towels or puppy pee pads around it.
Good luck at the vet.

[bds1960to]

yes, she does her dirt in the box, then hops out and immediately plonks her bottom on the floor and sits for a bit. as if she knows she's not finhished. then gets up and walks away. where she sits down after that, she marks/smears

[Tim W]

Best solution would indeed be to put some kind of pad or protection around the box so theres less of a mess.

[Khari]

Originally Posted by bds1960to

just looking to see if/how anyone else is dealing with this problem:

Last December I brought home an obese 9-y-o cat (16.75 lbs) from the humane society. Longhair brown common tabby. Too fat to clean her own bottom. As well, her stool came out rather wet (not diaherrea -- sp?) so it stuck to her rear end hair. She's down in weight now, maybe to 13 lbs. And have given her a lion cut. Stool problem persists. After doing dirt in her box, she jumps out and plonks her bottom down (doesn't then drag it). Obviously, she's uncomfortable and not feeling closed. Her bottom remains wet and so she marks wherever she first sits. So I'm cleaning up a lot. We're visiting the vet in two days to make sure there's not something particularly medically wrong with her.

Anyone else have a similar situation and how are you dealing with it?

Now that she has lost weight is she still having loose stools in the litterbox? If she is then it may be diet related? What are you feeding her? She may have a sensitivity to the food? My cat had this problem for years and my vet wanted me to feed Medical Hypoallergenic and Royal Canin sensitivity to him. Never cleared up his problem. He would pump medication into my poor kitty and it never fully cleared his diarrhea/loose stools up. What has been the life saver for my kitty is switching him to a species appropriate diet. I feed him a raw diet now and for 10 months his diarrhea has never come back. He doesn't have poop on his rear end anymore and he is happy and healthy at 12 years of age.

Has she been tested for parasites, worms, etc.?

[Khari]

Originally Posted by allfurlove

Hi. I dont have this problem at home but I work at a humane society and see this alot. It's so sad to see them that way :sad:.

Alot of this is most likely due to the abrupt switch in the cats diet. Cats tummy are very sensitive and any change can really upset their tummies. Also, some of the kitties may be allergic to something in the food the humane society is feeding them. No fault of the humane society since they are feeding the animals on a limited budget :sad::sad:

[catlover2]

Continue to keep fur trimmed around anus very short with scissors (blunt nose moustache scissors work well) and any on her breeches that may catch stool. Put some old crumpled towels around her litter box, so that when she comes out & sits down, it will soak up any wetness. You might also put old towels on chairs or other favourite places to sit. You've received some good ideas re diet, so only comment is to do any diet changes very slowly to a different food over the course of a week adding a little at a time. Thanks for adopting this senior girl. Good luck!

[bds1960to]

Here she is. Vet says she's healthy, except fat. New food and a ball to put it in to encourage her to exercise. Still 17 lbs of cat.

[catlover2]

She's adorable! What a sweet face and that round tummy is just too cute! Tho it will be healthier for her to slowly lose the weight. Hopefully she will be able to clean herself as some point, tho she may prefer you doing it.

[Khari]

Is she still having problem with loose stools? You never did answer what you are feeding her...

[bds1960to]

Originally Posted by catlover2

She's adorable! What a sweet face and that round tummy is just too cute! Tho it will be healthier for her to slowly lose the weight. Hopefully she will be able to clean herself as some point, tho she may prefer you doing it.

yes, right now she looks like a koala.

[bds1960to]

Originally Posted by Khari

Is she still having problem with loose stools? You never did answer what you are feeding her...

Before I answer your question...yes, I know, there's a cadre out there who think vets don't know anything about nutrition.

When I got her, the locum vet at my clinic recommended Royal Canin indoor light 40. I fed her at the "reduce weight" amount. And I was surprised Saturday. She hasn't lost an ounce. She's still 17 lbs.

This time we saw the chief vet and clinic owner. He's one of the top vets in the city (yes, I know, they all claim that, but this guy's got the experience, creds, awards, etc. to back it up). We are now on Medi-Cal Calorie Control. He said it would also dry out her stool (it was never loose, just quite wet).

He emphasized exercise. She's very sedentary. Took home one of those balls with holes in it that you put food in. But she didn't figure it out.

Meanwhile, her stool is darker and firmer. I used an electric trimmer last night on her bottom. That'll help.

Exercise-wise, she's not much for it. Two people have recommended laser pointers. Better than string, they say.

PS: Soon after I got her, I tried her on a wet meat diet. That made her much worse.

[bds1960to]

'nother lioncut pic

[ancientgirl]

I don't know if this will help, but I saw a show about overweight pets not long ago, and one of the problems a pet owner had was, while she was following the directions on the amount to feed, her cat was still gaining weight.

Turns out, the recommended amount to feed on the package wasn't correct. It made me think that many of these food companies don't have the right information and many people wind up overfeeding their pets.

I feed mine canned, and each one gets 2 tablespoons at each feeding, which is twice a day. I've been feeding that same amount for 2 years and all of my cats have maintained a normal weight. My largest cat weighs 18 pounds, but he is just a really big cat.