Cleaning hindquarters

Good grooming practices are essential for maintaining health and happiness for you and your cat. This is a forum to exchange tips and advice for proper care of your cat's hygiene needs.

Beverly

I'm not fat- I'm just big- boned!

Purred: Mon Dec 29, '08 7:05pm PST


	I'm having trouble cleaning my cat, Beverly. She's obese, and getting to her hindquarters just isn't as easy as it will be when she loses all that weight. So now it's my job to help her get clean. The thing is, she freaks out whenever I touch her back there, and I know I'm not hurting her. I'm going slow, starting with Nature's Miracle wipes, and eventually we'll build up to the foaming shampoo. She let me cut her mats out of her behind area a week or two ago, so that was good. :happy dance: What really worries me is that she seems to still have urine stuck on her fur, and when she sits on the couch she leaves a urine spot. The vet did a work up on her, and she's not diabetic or dealing with a UTI. And she always uses the litter box. It looks like she just can't get to everything, and part of the urine is sticking to her. Other than bribing food and talking gently to her, do you guys have some tips on getting her clean back there?

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Isabelle

Do I smell- treats??

Purred: Mon Dec 29, '08 9:02pm PST


	Do you have someone that can either hold or do the cleaning while you hold? I don't know how you'd tackle that alone ... Is she a sound sleeper? Or like her tummy rubbed, where you could sneak in a wipe or two? It's next to impossible for me to get Isabelle to hold still for me when I have to eh-hem get a tidbit off her bum, so can't imagine having to bathe the whole area!

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Beverly

I'm not fat- I'm just big- boned!

Purred: Mon Dec 29, '08 9:08pm PST


	My friends love me, but not that much. I think I'll be on my own as far as holding her. Methinks that's what happened at the groomers that they tried to grab her bum and she was NOT having any of that. I like your suggestion of getting her while she's asleep. I could do the wipes while she's snoozing.

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Khina

Don't breed or- buy when shelter- pets die

Purred: Mon Dec 29, '08 9:21pm PST


	If you need to get her wiped up right away before she sits on anything could you put down a plate with a smear of something like a bit of unsalted butter (good for hairballs) or meat baby food or canned pumpkin (good for diarrhea or constipation or just keeping things movin' along. Some kitties love it, some don't.) or her regular canned cat food and go at it while she's busy with that. Then maybe she could associate the wiping with something nice. I know you're helping her lose weight, so you'd have to make sure any extras were calculated into her daily intake.

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Bumpurr

RESPECT The- Star!

Purred: Tue Dec 30, '08 9:13am PST


	Just wanted to add, about the baby food, if you go that route. It has to be chicken or turkey ONLY, and read the label, to make sure it does not contain any onion, onion powder, garlic, garlic powder, which is toxic to cats. You also only want to give her a few licks, too much and it will give her diarea or she will throw it up. If all else fails, you could try putting a cat muzzle on her, so she doesn't bite you, and wrap her in a towel, so she doesn't scratch you, stick her in the sink, and spray off her back end. Don;t use soap, unless your sure you can thoroughly rinse it off, and suave baby shampoo is the best way to go, don't use dish soap. Best of luck.

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Beverly

I'm not fat- I'm just big- boned!

Purred: Tue Dec 30, '08 12:19pm PST


	^ Thanks, to all of you. Now I've got some totally devious strategies.

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Khina

Don't breed or- buy when shelter- pets die

Purred: Tue Dec 30, '08 5:09pm PST


	Oh yes! Definitely like Bumpurr said... it must be meat only. And I would put little smears all over the plate so she'd really have to work at getting her few licks, but it wouldn't actually add up to more than just a taste. Maybe even let it dry up on the plate so it'd be good and stuck on there. Oh so sneaky!