Cats are clean animals, they take pride in grooming themselves and keeping their fur clean. However, there are times when cats get poop stuck in their fur and they will require help to get it clean.
Fortunately, it isn’t too difficult to get your cat’s fur clean again.
It’s usually best to get the area wet, remove any clumps on faeces and then wipe it down with cat shampoo before rinsing and drying.
This will help remove the faeces as well as the smell and will prevent the poop from causing any skin irritation.
What You Need:
This guide will help you clean faeces from your cat’s fur.
It’s easier to collect all the tools you need and place them in the bathroom ready so you can remove the faeces and clean your cat’s fur in a short space of time with minimal stress.
You will need:
- A jug
- An old long sleeve top
- Rubber gloves
- A plastic bag
- A clean cloth/ wipes
- A fine-tooth comb
- A clean towel
1. Dilute Cat Shampoo With Soapy Water
First, take some cat shampoo and put it in a jug of water (dilute the shampoo with 1 part shampoo to 5 parts water).
Important: as this can cause skin problems. If you are in a tight spot and you can mix water (4 cups) with gentle (1 cup) and apple cider vinegar (1 cup).
Rather than , which many cats find stressful, this mix is going to be used only on the dirty fur.
Having the mix already diluted will make it easy to use, gentle on your cat’s skin and will help to effectively rinse away any smaller poop particles.
2. Wear Long Sleeves and Gloves
Before you pick up your cat, wear long sleeves or to protect your arms from scratches.
Wear rubber gloves too as you will be picking pieces of poop out of your cat’s fur and gloves will help to protect you from both scratches and bacteria.
It’s best to choose clothes you don’t mind potentially discarding after use, hopefully this won’t be necessary but it’s best to keep this in mind.
3. Wash the Dirty Fur
When your cat is calm or sleepy, pick them up and give them attention.
Speak to them calmly and offer them .
It’s best to take your cat into the bathroom and close the door as it will be easier to handle them in an enclosed space.
Continue to talk to your cat and stroke them.
When you’re ready to get started, position your cat over the sink or bathtub and begin cleaning their fur.
First, remove any larger pieces if you can and put them into a plastic bag so you can dispose of them later.
Be gentle when removing the faeces so you don’t hurt your cat.
Next, use a wet cloth to moisten the area where the faeces are stuck.
Moisten and wipe the area to remove as much of the faeces as you can.
4. Comb the Area
With some of the faeces removed with the cloth, now use a to remove the rest.
Do this gently and stop if the combing is hurting your cat.
This may take longer if your cat has long fur but be gentle and switch between the cloth and the comb if needed.
5. Wash with the Soapy Water
Most of the faeces should now be removed so you can use the shampoo mixture and massage it into the areas where the faeces were.
Make sure all of the affected areas are washed with the soapy water as this is going to help remove any remaining poop as well as any smell.
If your cat has long fur, make sure you clean all of the fur rather than just the top layer.
6. Rinse with Clean Water
Use some clean water to rinse the soap mixture away.
You can either refill the jug with clean water or you can use a gentle sprayer to rinse the fur.
Once all of the shampoo mixture has been washed away, have a look at the area to ensure all of the poop has been removed and the fur looks clean.
7. Dry the Washed Area
Take a towel and use it to dry your cat off.
Gently wipe the area with the towel to remove as much moisture as you can.
Once the fur is dry, give your cat treats and let them out of the bathroom.
8. Clean Up
With your cat now clean and smelling fresh, you need to clean up the bathroom.
Bag up all of the poop you removed, tie the bag and dispose of it.
Disinfect all of the tools you have used as well as the sink/ tub.
Clean your clothes, towels and clothes in a washing machine or throw them away.
That’s it, your cat’s fur is now clean.
This is not an issue cat owners should face often so if you have noticed it happening a few times recently, consider the possible causes and take your cat for a check-up at the vet if you are concerned.
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Is It A Recurring Issue?
If you have noticed your cat is getting faeces stuck to their fur on a regular basis, it is important to look at the reasons why.
Below we have listed the more common reasons for this problem:
Food
One of the top causes of this problem is an issue with your cat’s diet.
What your cat eats is going to impact the consistency of their poop.
They may have food allergies, their diet may be imbalanced or a recent change in diet may have caused a reaction.
Diarrhoea
Your cat may be passing loose stools which are getting stuck in their fur.
If your cat has diarrhoea, you will need to clean their fur regularly to prevent the loose stools from causing skin irritation.
Diarrhoea could be caused by a number of factors and it is best to get your cat checked by a vet to diagnose and treat the issue.
Long Fur
Cats with long fur are more likely to experience this issue than cats with short hair.
If your long-haired cat has experienced this problem a few times then it may be necessary to trim the fur around their bottom.
By trimming this area you can decrease how often poop is getting stuck in their fur.
This kind of hygiene cut will need to be repeated on a regular basis to ensure the fur doesn’t grow too long.
An Issue with the Litter Box
Another possible cause is their litter box.
Maybe the litter box or the litter inside is too high or needs to be cleaned more often.
Make sure the litter boxes are well maintained and positioned in a quiet area of the house with not a lot of foot traffic so your cat will feel safe and private when using it.
Always have 1 litter box per cat plus an extra 1, if you have 2 cats put 3 litter boxes around the house.
Summary
Cats keep themselves clean so if you notice they have poop stuck in their fur on a regular basis it could be an indication that something is wrong.
This could be something simple like the litter box needs to be changed or it could mean they have a medical issue that needs to be treated by a vet.
Cleaning poop out of cat’s fur is quite easy, just use warm water and cat shampoo.
Once your cat is clean and dry, look at resolving the underlying issue to prevent future incidents.
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