"Scooting" cat

[Shhh....]

So not to publicly humiliate my kitty cat that was introduced below, I am withholding my name!

I have a cat that has trouble cleaning after using the restroom. It's gross, I know. What's even grosser is that her solution is to scoot across the carpet, a blanket, or anything accessible. We clean her every night, but she still does the scooting thing when she comes out of the litter box. We discourage it, but I know she does it when we're gone. Any ideas how to get her to stop????

 

[Sue W.]

Diet issue?

I never met a cat who could use toilet paper! But also I haven't noticed this problem with any of our cats, through the years.
It may be that your cat has a problem with the food you are using, making constipated or the opposite. You might try a different type of food, switch brands or forms, dry to canned for example.
If that doesn't make a difference you may want to check with a vet. There may be a physical problem.

 

[trailpaint]

Worms?

I know that dogs do this when their glands need to be expressed and sometimes if they have worms and it causes them to itch down there...I don't really know a whole about cats, but I think this could warrant a trip to the vet to make sure? Good luck!

 

[stephanie]

I agree

We had a cat that did this at one time. She did not do it when we got her, but began to after a few weeks. Turned out that she had a urinary tract infection. Once cleared up with medicine, she was ok. She did have this problem several times over the course of her lifetime. I agree that this probably warrants a trip to the vet. Good luck!

 

[Chicago Teacher]

scooting cat

I had 2 long haired cats growing up that would "butt walk" across the room fairly often. I always assumed it had something to do with the long hair getting stuck or being uncomfortable down there. I'm not sure there is really anything you can do to stop it unless it's a medical issue that can be addressed. We pretty much just made fun of our cats when they did it. (They did not leave marks or bathroom stains when they did it, so to us it just looked weird but was not bothersome)

 

[dkd1173]

Possible cause of scooting?

My cat recently had a ruptured anal gland (I know, gross) and the vet mentioned that dogs sometimes scoot when their glands need to be expressed. She did say that cats normally have no symptoms, but it might be worth going to the vet to get it checked out. My kitty (see picture at left) was pretty sick and had to have 10 days worth of antibiotics. Ten days of giving a cat a pill twice a day is no fun!

 

[Caroline]

"Scooting" Cat

Will she just take the closest thing or does it happen well after?

How about putting a towel close by or something that she can use for that purpose? Old, worn-out towel that you can then just throw out...

Good Luck!

 

[The OP]

Thanks for all the ideas and advice. We actually did take her to the vet awhile back, because she had serious bathroom problems, ie, pain and swelling. We cleared all that up, after Desitin applications (no joke) and nightly cleanings with baby wipes. We still clean her to prevent any more problems, but she still scoots. I'm definately trying the old towel thing. How gross, a scooting towel. The things we do for our beloved animals!

 

[AD]

My dog has a "scooting" problem too and finally visited the vet yesterday. He did have a blocked anal gland (sorry it's gross!). They "unblocked" it and he seems better. Since then he hasn't scooted or tried to "clean" himself back there.

It might be a good idea to call your vet and ask or make an appointment. It's not very sanitary that animals scoot across the floor!

 

[musicbug]

Kitty "scoots" and worms.

My female long hair had that problem as a baby. The vet diagnosed her with worms. Once the wormmies were gone, she was (and still is ) a perfect little lady about her tray habits.
My little male is just gross. He likes to lay in the box. Gross!!! And needs to be groomed once a month.Good luck!

 

[chrisstl]

I know!

The problem is probably impacted anal glands....take her to the vet at once. If a cat "scoots" right after using the box and/or excessively licks the hindquarters, this is the likely problem. It makes it very painful to go AND can lead to inappropriate soiling....