Kitten not cleaning himself

Gadeia

Hi everyone!
Last week we got a 7 week old kitten and everything is going great. But last night and this morning he has gotten a bit dirty while using his litter tray and he seems no be bother at all. I'd lIke to help him and show him how to do it but not sure what's best. I've used wet cotton wool to clean him as much as I can but he doesn't like it a lot. Any ideas or advice?

planetX

7 weeks is still very young, his mother would still be cleaning him - he'll get the hang of it as he grows up a bit. A new home is a major stress which often causes messy stools, just keep cleaning him up - it's like having a baby:D

Ayla

Anyone ever hear of a full grown cat who doesn't clean themselves? Just discovering that our cat (approx 18 mos) doesn't seem to clean her fur - ever. Very odd, any other cat I've ever seen spends most of its waking hours (minutes?) licking, licking licking.

I think our cat must be part-dog.

evilmonkee

Gadeia wrote: »

I'd lIke to help him and show him how to do it but not sure what's best. I've used wet cotton wool to clean him as much as I can but he doesn't like it a lot. Any ideas or advice?

7 weeks is too young to be away from the mother but I have had success in showing a kitten how to clean, when her mother gave up on her.

Firstly, you will need to get used to bathing your kitten, until they can clean themselves its your job as cat feces can be extremely dangerous to humans if it gets into your system. Get some tough rubber gloves and a workmans jumper or jacket, prepare to be scratched.

What I did to teach cleaning was:

Get some tasty food, for example some cat milk, and gently rub a little where the kitten can easily lick it off. This gets them used to licking their own fur.

Get some warn water, dip your finger in and gently rub your finger on them, this will encourage them to lick (as they expect food)

Repeat the water on area's which have gotten "dirty", they should get the idea, although it will take awhile.

Gadeia

Today when i came from work he was back to normal even the bits I couldnt rub out this morning with the cotton wool (I was expecting to having to bath him tonight), he just seems to be having some trouble to clean his face, so it seems that he is getting it and its more a matter of patience until he masters it. I'll keep a close eye on him anyway and if I see that get worse I will start a proper training with him. Today i found out that his mum abandoned him so I can say that his foster did a great job!

evilmonkee

Gadeia wrote: »

Today when i came from work he was back to normal even the bits I couldnt rub out this morning with the cotton wool (I was expecting to having to bath him tonight), he just seems to be having some trouble to clean his face, so it seems that he is getting it and its more a matter of patience until he masters it. I'll keep a close eye on him anyway and if I see that get worse I will start a proper training with him. Today i found out that his mum abandoned him so I can say that his foster did a great job!

That's great news! Hopefully soon he'll have the hang of it!:)

planetX

Ayla wrote: »

Anyone ever hear of a full grown cat who doesn't clean themselves? Just discovering that our cat (approx 18 mos) doesn't seem to clean her fur - ever. Very odd, any other cat I've ever seen spends most of its waking hours (minutes?) licking, licking licking.

I think our cat must be part-dog.

It can be a sign that something's wrong, if a cat is in discomfort it will often stop grooming and a bad coat is the first clue you get. Or you just have a lazy cat, maybe she wants you to brush her?

Ayla

Thanks for that planetX. I'm going to go w/ lazy cat syndrome - if she's in any discomfort as she takes over my daughters' beds and lounges around in the sunshine all day she's sure hiding it well

She's pure white from nose to tail so if she was overly dirty we'd notice it. Instead all we've noticed is the lack of active grooming. Lazy cat it is then, lucky sod. :P