First timer Hello &help

[rinkrunners]

WE have three cats and I have never seen this behavior with a cat.
Our tabby "Winston" has recentley started to drag his butt on the floor.
Winston is about 2 years young and 18 lbs.

[SableCollie]

Could be worms, anal gland problems, itchiness for whatever reason....your vet would be able to diagnose and treat the problem.

[Winston]

Sounds like anal glands....a vet visit would likely be necessary..Sometimes these problems are food related...

Good Luck with Winston

Cindy

P.S I like the name!

[kiara]

Sounds like he has a weight problem and an itch problem, because he cannot reach his bum area to wash. First I would take him to a vet and get diet food, because if he stays this big he will surely develop diabetes. The itch may be nothing just dirt or some other problem that he needs to be tested for? In the meantime you could wipe his bum with a cloth and water and some cat shampooo.

[Skryker]

Certainly vet time, but check out the food forums here for some good information about foods before you feed a vet diet food. There are some very good commercial foods out there without going to a diet food (as some foods use fillers to make the cat feel less hunger, but then they aren't really getting good nutrition)-choose a high quality food and feed less.

[chico2]

I too have an 18lb cat,he actually does not look fat,just big,but still needs to loose some.
I have him on Orijen(dry no grains)) and 1 tablespoon canned food,breakfast and dinner,he seems to be losing weight very slowly.
He too used to rub his bum on the floor,but mostly if he had loose poop.

[sugarcatmom]

One of the best ways to help a cat lose weight is get rid of ALL dry food, feed only canned or raw. Dry food is just way too calorie dense for some cats, especially when they're allowed to do the bottomless bowl free-feed thing (it would be like eating a bowl of raisins compared to the same size bowl of grapes).

And especially DO NOT FEED any "diet", "lite", or "indoor" dry food. These are loaded with carbs and are even more likely to cause obesity, not to mention being Diabetes-In-A-Bag. Cats just aren't designed to handle a carbohydrate-heavy diet and their pancreas tends to "burn-out" after being fed this stuff for so many years.

I know many people are reluctant to go all canned because they think dry is good for teeth (not true), or they don't want to be tied to a meal-feeding schedule (canned CAN be free-fed), or because it's cheaper (not if you end up with monster vet bills later!), but probably mostly because it's so darn convenient. Seriously though, wet is truly better for cats, and hopefully more vets are starting to realize this.

[chico2]

sugarcatmom,I agree with you,although many won't
My cats have always had canned food,their teeth no worse for it.
They do free-feed on Orijen,which has 0%grain or fillers,but only a few pieces at a time,it's more like a snack through the day.
The kibbles-business was definetly for the convenience of the owners originally,not what was best for the cat.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by chico2

sugarcatmom,I agree with you,although many won't

The kibbles-business was definetly for the convenience of the owners originally,not what was best for the cat.

Tell me about it! I’ve got a bit of a reputation amongst my friends/family as a cat-food nazi. I can hear their eyes rolling when I start in on the subject. While some of them have at least STARTED to feed the occasional bit of canned, most of what I say just isn’t sinking in, even with the many ailments of my own cats as an example of what happens after years of dry food (if only I’d known then what I do now!).

Anyway, didn’t mean to jack this thread, I just get a little concerned when I hear recommendations to see a vet about their cat’s diet, especially regarding weight-loss. They inevitably suggest some poor quality, overpriced prescription dry food that ends up doing more harm than good. Anyone thinking vets are the ultimate authority on nutrition should read this quote from NOW Magazine:

Who's sponsoring any of the studies on animal nutrition? "A lot of the research is funded by the industry. We have to be very grateful, really, to the industry, because there is no federal funding for dietary studies in pets. Unless [that funding comes with] strings attached." When pressed to confide which companies are applying such pressure, Hoenig stays mum.

It's a point that gets raised at the Cecil Street meet by host MPP Rosario Marchese. He tells NOW, "University of Guelph is the main veterinary college in Ontario, and it has no nutritionist teaching in the [core curriculum]. Companies like Hill's and Royal Canin/Medi-Cal provide the only nutritional information that veterinary students receive, including free products. That is a problem."

Indeed, Marchese is tabling a private member's bill this week that will require Ontario post-secondary schools to report annually on all private donations they receive and come clean on any agreements signed between them and the private sector to smoke out just such connections.

Marion Smart, clinical studies and nutrition prof at Saskatoon's Western College of Veterinary Medicine, has surveyed every accredited veterinary college on the continent and found a similar pattern almost everywhere. "The pet food industry has seen this void and filled it by sponsoring and supporting nutrition programs in colleges. If the educators aren't willing to take hold of it, in a way the pet food industry is doing a service and a disservice to veterinarians."

[badger]

Well, we suspected it all along but it's good to know for sure that some vets are, in fact, narrowly-educated sales agents for pet food companies. That being said, I have never been hustled over food by my vets (although their waiting rooms are stacked with the stuff). I'm happy to take the occasional free can of 'convalescent food', however
So it's pretty mild compared to the drug companies, really, who will go to ANY lengths to influence doctors.

[chico2]

My vets,are ALWAYS pushing Medical or Hills,but I think I put her straight the last time I was there,they don't need my business,there are plenty of new cat-owners who lap up everything the vets says and believe the vets to be right.