Aggressive cat with poo stuck to bum

[myhouseistoocold]

HELP! I have a rescue cat, we've had her for just over four years. First few years were fine, she seemed to keep herself clean and tidy.

She's never let me or anyone else in my family near her with a brush. She scratches and bites us if we try.

Last summer she got really matted back fur, we had a groomer come over but the cat wouldn't let her do the groom. In the end I took her to the vets and had some dental work done at the same time so she could go under GA and be shaved.

She's now got loads of poo stuck round her bum and absolutely stinks and has done for a week or two. I was hoping she might manage to get it off, but no.

Vets have said we can take her there and it'll be £200 to leave her there for the day so they can keep trying to groom her, going up to £300 if they need to use sedation.

I'm going to have to do this as need the poo off. But what do I do longer term and ongoing? I can't afford to have my cat de-pood frequently for £200/£300 a time, and what if she just gets pooey again a few weeks later?

I'm not sure what the solution is if this keeps happening and it's a bit scary, financially.

[BiscuitDrama]

If you dunk her back end in some cat temperature water would she then try and lick herself dry?

[pinkmagic1]

You will need 2 people. One of you wrap her in a towel, leaving just her nose free so she can breath, then hold her gently but firmly. Other person can then clean the bum.

[BiscuitDrama]

Or that. And then cut the fur as much as you can.

[saxatablesalt]

Is she really fluffy? That's bizzarre even so. My two (both extremely fluffy) occasionally have a hanging poop I have to pull off but they've never been matted with poo - they would clean it off. Does yours not do that?

[dementedpixie]

Can one of you hold her up while the other trims the bum fur with short round ended grooming scissors?

[dementedpixie]

Is she having runny poo that sticks ? Maybe need to look at what she's eating too.

[Ihaventgottimeforthis]

This para from All Creatures Great and Small has been living in my head for over thirty years:
^“I think it was the beginning of Mrs. Bond's unquestioning faith in me when she saw me quickly enveloping the cat till all you could see of him was a small black and white head protruding from an immovable cocoon of cloth. He and I were now facing each other, more or less eyeball to eyeball, and George couldn't do a thing about it. As i say, I rather pride myself on this little expertise, and even today my veterinary colleagues have been known to remark, "Old Herriot may be limited in many respects, but by God he can wrap a cat.”
― James Herriot, James Herriot's Cat Stories^

Just substitute head for bottom and go at it with the scissors and a nose peg!

[myhouseistoocold]

Thanks folks, looks like the only option is to try and do it myself and see if I can come out of it still alive.

My cat is ferocious. Which is a shame as she's so very very pretty.

She's very fluffy. Previously she's always kept herself clean, I'm not sure why now she is not doing so.

I haven't given her anything different to eat, but it's possible some well meaning neighbours might be giving her treats. She is very beautiful.

[buzzzzzzz]

If you have to wash her on your own with no help, it might be worth investing in some cat restraint equipment OP - keeping a cat wrapped in a towel while trying to wash with only one pair of hands can get tricky.

A cat grooming bag would help you immensely in dealing with the issue. They have zippers at the front and back which allow you to access body parts and are made of mesh which allow water through.

Obviously it’s stressful for the cat. Once you are on top of it, maybe try some really slow desensitisation - leaving a brush close to where the cat rests and building up to getting her to touch it herself before you even think about picking it up yourself - slowly slowly, it might take months but could be worth it.

[EmperorBallpitine]

My GCat is horrendously fluffy and lazy. He resists grooming with teeth. He got into fox poo recently so, after reading How to bath your Cat on the internet I did it. Mainly it is pouring lukewarm water on the cats back end carefully and respectfully whilst they are pinned down in the empty bath. I used thick waterproof gloves. He was surprised and not pleased but as it wasn't painful he allowed it. Brushing is worse for them. If the cat is really poopy you can use special cat shampoo.

[junecat]

I have a very fluffy long haired cat who occasionally gets a gritty bum. He would tear my hand off if I went near it with a brush so I stick him in the bath where he oddly doesn't fight at all. Once he's clean I give him a trim while still in the bath. He hates me for a few hours then he's fine again!

[junecat]

Grotty not gritty!