0

Kitten Won’t Clean Herself After Going To The Toilet (Now What?)

If your kitten is not cleaning itself after it poops you may be wondering why, and if you need anything to help it clean itself (Click here to see my best solution to help a kitten clean, on Amazon #Ad).

Should kittens clean themself after they poop?

Kittens should be cleaning themselves after they poop. But, not all kittens learn how to do this at the same time. Some pick it up quicker than others. You may need to help it clean up until it learns to be self-sufficient.

What you will need to help your kitten clean up

Description	Image	My Rating
01. Pet wipes (My Best) Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
02. Petkin pet wipes Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
03. Feliway Plug-in Diffuser Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad

So, now you know that kittens should clean themselves. But, why is your kitten not doing it? What can you do to help? Can you use baby wipes on your kitten? Keep reading for these answers, and so much more…

 

Why is my kitten not cleaning himself?

Your kitten may not be cleaning itself because it may have been separated from its mother too early, and not learned self-grooming skills to do it. Or, it just needs more time to truly get it. If it’s the former you may need to help it clean up until it learns.

Kittens usually need full support from their mother up until 4 weeks old. After that, they are expected to gradually become independent. But if your kitten is not grooming itself after 8 weeks you could consult with your vet for advice.

The reality is some kittens will take more than 8 weeks but it may give you some reassurance if you consult your vet.

How do you train your kitten to clean itself?

If you do need to help your kitten learn how to clean itself then here is what you will need:

• Cotton cloth
• luke-warm water
• patience

The idea is to help it learn by imitating its mother’s actions. Take the cotton cloth and literally dab it in the water. The main thing is, do not overdo this. Why? Because it should feel close to its mother licking it, and this means not too much moisture, are you with me?

Then you need to wipe across the fur gently to groom the fur. In time your kitten will learn how to do this itself. If you have a real soiled area then this method will not do the trick. You will need a bath if that is the case.

How can you clean your kitten after it poops?

Earlier I explained how to train your cat to clean itself. But, you may be looking for a specific method for after it poops, right? Well, the process is similar, but let me explain…

01. Identify the mess

The first thing to do is to identify the mess. This is important because if it is too messy then you may just need to bathe it. But, let’s assume there is some light soiling near where it pooped. You can now proceed to the next step.

02. Choose whats needed

If it is some light soiling then you can either use a cloth, as I explained above or cat wipes (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad). It’s important to not just grab some spare baby wipes, they are not formulated for cats and, for that reason, should be avoided.

03. Gently clean

Now that you have identified the mess and what’s needed you can gently clean the soiled area. It’s important to be gentle. If not you may scare your kitten and make it less cooperative in the future.

What you should know before you clean a kitten?

Kittens are like babies they are constantly learning. Therefore, these experiences can be positive or negative. So, my point is if you get the cleaning wrong your kitten could build a phobia or anxiety about it. It could be a small thing like how you wiped it down, etc.

Stick to plain water at this stage. Kittens fur and skin is fragile. So, unless your vet has recommended a specific alternative, then just keep it simple.

If your kitten is quite hard to handle there are calming pheromones (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad) that can be used to make them more relaxed.

Why do some older cats stop cleaning their bum properly?

As cats get older they are more susceptible to health issues that can affect how they groom themselves. This is no different for elderly humans that may run into problems as they age. Here are some of the specific issues that can affect cats:

Anal gland problems

Anal gland problems can cause irregular poops and make your elderly cat cleaning up after. This could be hard to find out without speaking to your vet.

Mobility issue

Mobility issues can be caused by a few things such as arthritis or even obesity. As cats get older they increase their chances of getting some of these problems. And, if you have ever witnessed a healthy cat grooming itself, especially near its bum, it needs some real flexibility.

So, as you can imagine, this can be affected a lot by these issues.

Bowel problems

Bowel problems are other issues that can affect your elderly cat’s ability t clean its own bum. For example, it could be constipated or have diarrhea.

Can you use baby wipes on kittens?

Baby wipes should not be used on kittens or adult cats. The problem is they have chemicals that can be toxic for cats. If you must use a wipe you can get wipes designed for cats (Click here to see the price, on Amazon #Ad) that will do a better job.

It may seem logical to use a baby product with a kitten because they are usually mild and not harsh for babies’ skin. But, now you have learned why this is not a good idea and why it should be avoided.

Why Does My Kitten always have poop stuck to him?

Your kitten may have poop stuck to it because of the food it eats. If it produces hard poop it can sometimes get stuck to its fur and make it difficult for it to remove. This sometimes happens if they do not have enough water in their diet.

This can sometimes happen with adult cats that mainly consume dry cat food. Wet food provides more hydration because of the volume of water in each meal. And, one of the reasons that some cat owners argue that cats should eat it more.

If you prefer dry food you can consider adding water to it or mixing it with wet food to get the best of both worlds.

How do you know when a kitten has to poop?

If you are trying to train your cat to poop in the correct place, such as the litter tray, you may be interested to know any signals that it is about to poop.

You can see somebody’s language that your kitten is about to poop such as it sniffing around the floor area or making a swift move into a private area, such as behind a cupboard.

Honestly, it’s not an exact science, and each cat will have slightly different behavior. But, keep with it and see how they act and try and redirect it to your desired area.

How should a kitten’s poop look?

You may be keen to work out how a kitten’s poop looks so that you can work out if it has issues or not.

A kitten’s poop should look brownish but, the important thing is the texture. It should be like the contents of a paint tube used for art. If it deviates from this, for example, hard, or yellow, you may have an issue but with worth double-checking with your vet.

Using a litter tray is a great way to monitor your cat’s poop. This is one of the reasons that cat owners are not keen on training their cat to use a human toilet. And yes, this is possible!