Bathing kitten?

[ChloeKim]

Hi, I have a four month old kitten, she is called Phoebe and she is lovely, kind and has a wonderful temperament.

I have found that she doesn't seem to clean her rear end very much, and I end up having to bath her nearly every day. Is this normal? She cleans herself well on her body, but tends to leave her bottom. Her fur is quite long too, which makes for a tangled mess of you know what. She is very good when I bathe her, and doesn't scratch, just makes a tear jerking whimper. Thanks for this forum only just found it,

Any ideas. thanks. chloeKim

[fecto's mum]

Hi Chloekim. Is her poo runny, if so maybe a change of diet. Other than that maybe you could trim her fur. Four of my five cats are longhaired and I sometimes get problems with 2 of them if they have upset tummies. I also give them food designed to reduce hairballs which they all have problems with from time to time. Best of luck with Phoebe, perhaps other people can give you better advice.

[ChloeKim]

Thanks Fecto's Mum, I did wonder about trimming her fur, but nice to hear someone else suggesting it too. Yes change of diet may well be linked, and I am looking at a more gentle food for her, and stopping her eating (for sure this time) my older cat's food. Many, many thanks for the advice, so helpful. Is it okay to like bathe your cat? Thanks.

[fecto's mum]

We bathed 2 of ours the other day. Fecto is 12 and gets very grubby and is not very good at washing, especially his face so he gets bathed about 4 or 5 times a year. We use Johnson's baby shampoo (no tears). It seems to be the gentlest. There are specific cat shampoos if you prefer.

[angieh]

Hi CloeKim - if you don't want to always bathe Cloe, you could see if pet wipes are sufficient to do the cleaning up? Does Chloe go outdoors or use a litter tray?

[ChloeKim]

Phoebe is just 4 months old. She doesn't go out yet. She will when she has been neutered. It's been so difficult in this heat these last few weeks. I have bought her a little harness and lead and bless her she is happy to get some fresh air every now and again. I was told by the vet that she could be neutered at 6 months, but not to let her out before that, as she would get pregnant and being so little having kittens at her age would be very dangerous. So she uses a litter box at present.

Many many thanks for your help.

Kind regards. Kim
Hope you're all enjoying this weather !! phew!!

[ChloeKim]

What a brilliant idea Angieh, pet wipes, where do they sell them? Not seen them in Tesco or Sainsburys? Thanks for suggestion. Kindest regards. Kim

[Velvet]

Simple baby wipes or any non perfumed baby wipes are suitable to use on them. Are you just washing her bottom area? Or her whole body? Washing her bottom should be sufficient.

Our long haired cat had diarrhea for first six months we had him. We used simple baby wipes which are very effective. Once started on ProPlan Delicate cat food all the looseness stopped. You can buy in Jollyes or online in eBay or Amazon, VetsMedic Uk etc

Start up a grooming regime now if your kitten is long haired, she sounds a very amicable little soul & grooming is also a nice way to bond with your pet