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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Can I wash her little paws...? And what is safe?

77 replies

BulletFox · 16/12/2017 17:49

We've just made the transition from her being an outdoor cat to indoor.

She's coping really well. But I did wonder about attempting to wash her little paws every day though I'm not sure what would be a safe washing agent and how she'd react.

Could be kitty claws at the ready!

OP posts:
OtterInDisgrace · 16/12/2017 23:54

But why do you need to rinse her feet at all, @Bulletfox?

Honestly, it’s just not necessary.

Original poster
BulletFox · 16/12/2017 23:58

Hmm, quite a lot of consensus on here to ignore the paws.

I was worried that as she's now indoors, and quite a clean little beast (aside from litter tray scrabbling) it might be a good idea to make her feel cleaner. Praps not.

OP posts:
NoSquirrels · 16/12/2017 23:58

There's totally no need - no difference in her cleanliness to pooping outdoors in dirt and using a litter tray.

In fact, if you keep the tray clean, by scooping, then it'll be cleaner than her going outside so if you didn't clean paws then, it's mad to start now.

notangelinajolie · 16/12/2017 23:58

Whoever told you to do this is having a laugh at your expense. They are taking the piss. Wash a cat's paws? Seriously?!!

dementedpixie · 17/12/2017 00:01

If she wants her paws to be cleaner then she will clean them. If you chase her around trying to clean them then you will cause a stressful situation. Is that what you want each day?

OtterInDisgrace · 17/12/2017 00:02

Mine is a litter-tray-scrabbler and it’s a bit of a pain in terms of tracking and then hoovering it up but that’s part and parcel of having a cat. If anything all that scrabbling will make her feet cleaner!

She will clean anything else off her feet by herself. I understand you want to do the best for her and that would be to let her get on with her natural behaviour, and cleaning herself is something she is programmed to do automatically Smile

Original poster
BulletFox · 17/12/2017 00:07

Oh alright alright alright I'll leave the paws alone

It was only an idea

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 17/12/2017 00:07

You won't make her feel cleaner, you'll make her feel stressed.

OlennasWimple · 17/12/2017 00:07

Leave her paws alone! Seriously - don't "jsut give it a go"!!

Altwoo · 17/12/2017 05:37

Please speak to your vet for advice anyway, including the issues on keeping a cat indoors. You really need some guidance on car ownership, as despite your best intentions some of your thinking is going to make for a stressed cat.

It’s lovely that she is a people cat (travelling on a lap in the car is not that ununusal :-) ), but that doesn’t mean she’ll enjoy having her freedom being taken away.

scaryteacher · 17/12/2017 07:37

The only time I do anything to my cats paws is when it's been pissing down outside and they come in soaked. They get dried off in a towel and I dry their paws, but that's it.

Original poster
BulletFox · 17/12/2017 10:49

Altwoo yeah I think we're both a bit stressed and adapting.

She's acting crackers today, demanding food every 5 minutes and I KNOW she's well fed so I assume it is a stress thing.

I haven't had an indoors cat before (I mean I've had her nearly 9 years but she's always had access to outside before), so we'll have to muddle through for a few days and I'll seek specialist advice about it tomorrow

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 17/12/2017 10:56

Could you get a harness/ lead and take her out that way? She will be unused to being in all the time

Original poster
BulletFox · 17/12/2017 11:06

Think it's YesItsMe on here who successfully trained her cat with a harness? That would take time and patience!

And owner to decompress first!

Yeah, it's an idea. I really think she's comfort eating today and might let her out to the courtyard later.

OP posts:
MrsGrindah · 17/12/2017 19:15

Why does she have to be an indoor cat now?

Original poster
BulletFox · 17/12/2017 21:44

Oh we just moved, I needed a quick half year rental at short notice and as this was the first place I found which accepted pets (bearing in mind time limit - I sold a house a bit quicker than expected) we don't have a garden.

We have a courtyard however and I could let her out for a runaround, but it's shared with other neighbours.

OP posts:
AstridWhite · 18/12/2017 04:22

I don't understand the relevance of her now being an indoor cat. Confused

Her feet would probably have been dirtier when she was an outdoor cat.
She would have had to scratch and dig in garden soil to cover her poo and that would have been a much messier business than just scraping up some kitty litter.

If you really feel some burning need to wash her paws then just wipe them gently with a damp flannel when she's nice and relaxed and sleepy and she'll probably not mind too much - definitely no cleaning agent, that's a bad idea and not necessary. None of it is necessary but you seem determined to do it anyway. Confused

laudanum · 18/12/2017 04:30

Ummm no you might lose your eyeballs, and also doing that would damage her pads and the natural defences of her fur/skin. Cats are pretty damned clean.

smurfy2015 · 19/12/2017 09:27

I got my cat when she was abandoned at 6 weeks old, she got spayed at 5 months as she was dying / and trying to get out to see the bigger world despite hours of play to distract her, she had a heat season over her by then so I knew she was ready.

If the cat was coming in from outside with clumps or tracks I would say if you feel you need to wipe with an old facecloth which is damp with water, nothing more needed unless obviously oil etc

The first times I let her out, I bought a tub of the cheapest margerine I could get hold of and before I opened the window, I rubbed some margerine on each of her paws on the paw pad, this meant she went outside and sat sniffing all around her (for other cat scents in the big world) and then sat and licked herself and went off to explore and came back every couple of mins to make sure I was still here as she had an easy tracking system back, (paws are scent sensitive x 15 times our human noses) as she came back in that day for last time, I just wiped her paws on an old facecloth dampened with water while she had a treat

I do actually bathe her as she goes under a couple of cars occasionally but she is relaxed about it now and doesn't fight, that doesn't happen much only when oiled.

The only other occasion is on the same day as she has had her worm and flea medication esp the flea about 10 hours afterward she gets a lovely shower and the only meow the last time was when the water hit her bum - I did get a scratch but it was from giving the medication that morning

Original poster
BulletFox · 19/12/2017 11:24

Astrid no I'm not determined, I worry about her being indoors now, that's all, no paws have been washed as yet.

And no eyeballs lost.

I'll let her have a runaround in the courtyard in due course, she really is so good, she respects boundaries so well.

OP posts:
Original poster
BulletFox · 19/12/2017 11:36

And actually I'm thrilled she'll never get beaten up by another cat again! She'd get so frightened when that happened.

She'll be the only cat on the block, even if I do let her run around the courtyard (it's enclosed)

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 19/12/2017 12:47

smurfy2015 I hope it's not a spot on that you use for flea and worm treatment as giving a shower afterwards will wash it back off again. The treatments I give warn not to wash afterwards. Also it's pointless putting margarine/butter on their paws. I didn't do it and my cats also came back to the house!

smurfy2015 · 19/12/2017 16:08

@dementedpixie not a spot on so don't worry, I give a flea tablet and some syringes of wormer so it all goes inside and works from there so nothing to wash off, this is what I use (if anyone is interested)

www.vetuk.co.uk/flea-products-flea-treatments-capstar-flea-tablets-c-3_428/capstar-for-small-dogs-and-cats-flea-tablets-p-11

www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-worming-cat-worming-beaphar-wormers-c-17_1081/beaphar-worming-syrup-for-puppies-and-kittens-45ml-p-8567

@BulletFox apologies for the slight derail

If your cat is going to be indoors a lot more than he/she used to, playtime will need to increase a lot to keep him/her amused and content, happy cat = happy life

Original poster
BulletFox · 19/12/2017 16:17

Smurfy that's fine, I only come on here to chatter anyway as I'm a way away from friends/family!

I'll have to get her a £20 note, it's the only thing she likes playing with

OP posts:
smurfy2015 · 20/12/2017 08:00

We all need to chatter and that's part of the reason I come on too,

What do you call your cat? Honeycomb is resident here.

Poor wee pet had a rough morning yesterday and was so confused as had a severe case of trapped wind from both ends. The perils of gobbling food like no tomorrow. (definitely not starved either although she might say different)

It took a while but managed to burp her in the end which as I had her over my shoulder earned me an appreciative lick right into my ear. Thanks for that lol

Spent about 20 mins playing and rubbing tummy until "silent but deadly" fragrances emerged from the abyss that is a cat bum and sounded all co2 alarms within a 10-mile radius

Now for Xmas 2018 if she continues to do this, I will try and bottle it so that it can be sold as an eau de toilette (quite appropriate actually). a perfume. a body lotion and spray and aftershave deodorant that is unscented until it has been on the wearer for a least an hour, it will also be mixed with "Eau de cat on heat" to suit male / female purchases.

It will be the PERFECT present for those family members and in-laws you want to go no contact with.

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