[See-Saw]

When we first got our kitty a couple of months ago, I found skidmarks on one of our doormats, and on our white carpet.
Luckily, I cleaned it up before my wife saw :shock: I thought it was an isolated incident.
The first time I witnessed it, See-Saw came running up the stairs (probably just finished pooping in the litterbox) and she was all hyper-crazy. Then, she shifts into 2 wheel drive, and started scooting on our nice white carpet. I yelled at her, and put her in her transport to punish her, and to confine her 'till she cleaned herself off.
Another time, I was in the garage having a smoke, and kitty was there too. She used the litterbox (we have food, water and litter in both the house and garage), and then walked up to me calmly, sat down on the newspaper I was reading, then underlined a paragraph in her own special way. Again, I yelled, and locked her in her transport to get her to clean herself.
Last night, in the garage, again, she scooted on the concrete. Same thing, yell, lock her up, then clean up. And she was hyper-crazy again.
It was almost funny how she looked, after finishing in the box, she made a purrrrmeow sound, was bouncing around, and then comically plopped onto her tushy with her legs splayed out in front of her. She scooted a fair distance, and I was laughing at the sight of it, but still angry and disgusted. My guess is that she's irritated down there from something or other, and instead of licking, she's scooting (and I can't blame her- I'd scoot too, if I was to choose between the two)

The first time it happened, I checked her stool, and it was firm.
The second time was a little bit softer, but still firm.
Last night, her stool was firm, until the very end, where it got real runny.
The marks she left on the concrete were watery, but with a definite poo- content.

I have been checking her stool for worms and eggs, with no evidence.
I'm scared that she's scooting everyday without my finding the skidmarks- that'd be real gross!
Could there be something wrong with her anal sacs? Is scooting the normal method for a cat to empty an anal sac?

My wife is pregnant, and its taken a lot of talking to get her to allow me to keep kitty... But If kitty's gonna be scooting on a regular basis, I'll take her back to the shelter myself.
Is this is a behavior that she can be trained not to do, or just a reaction to soft poo or something?
The fact that I've seen evidence from when we first brought her home, and that I've seen it firsthand 3 times, warns me that See-Saw might be accustomed to scooting.
I have an appointment with the vet to get her checked out next week.
But again, if I can't stop this scooting, for the sake of hygene and our unborn baby, kitty will have to go.

 

[Bean]

it could be something with swollen anal glands, and hopefully it will go away. Best to get it looked at sooner rather than later - you don't want it to become a habit it does regardless of heath problems.

 

[marijun]

i find the legendary skid marks around my place sometimes too. sometimes it just gets stuck to their butt hair and they can't shake it off, other times the poo is just a big poo that they can't, uh, pinch off. its probably not a behavior issue.

 

[Lilly]

My mom has a cat that scoots, she is an older cat(15 years old) and overweight, so she cant get it off herself. Fortunetly my mom is home all day, so whne kitty goes potty she wipes her bottom with a baby wipe. She has to help her clean herself to, not just her bottom because she is so overweight she cant reach around herself.

The only other thing I can think of is ask your vet why she is doing this, there must be a reason. The vet can help you decide what to do. Also take a fecal sample to the vet to be checked for worms. Try to get a fresh one and put it in a plastic baggie.

Good Luck!

 

[Zalensia]

Story that wont help but funny!
When vienna was a kitten, we kept her in the bathroom at first. When she could hear us getting up it was meow meow meow, well one day she was using her litter tray, i opened the bathroom door, she was in mid-poop she RAN to get out! poopy litter flung onto the wall stuck to it! and there were 2 huge skid marks! one from her bottom, and one from her paw!
I couldnt believe it!

 

[drjean]

You cannot see worm eggs with the naked eye; they are microscopic. I'd suggest having a fecal done at your vet's, and also an exam to make sure her anal sacs are not swollen, impacted, or infected.

If she's long-haired, a little trim in the area might help; also if she is too overweight to groom adequately you may have to "help" her with that!

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[meowmix]

i attempted to shave off some of ralphie's rear end area since he's a long hair but he seems to be very afraid of the shaver, any other options? i tried using a normal one and a cordless one, the sounds they both make seem to scare him.

 

[drjean]

Cats in general hate clippers. Best to have a vet or groomer do it. That way he can be mad at them!

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[bluey]

My huge cat scoots once in awhile. Its hilarious to see, because he's so big and fat, but man...I sure don't appreciate the skid marks.

I dunno why he does it either, but thank god it's only once in awhile.

 

[queen of the nile]

bluey, your cat probably does that because he is too overweight to clean his rear end. My cat Cleo has lost 4 lbs and no longer scoots. Actually, after only 1 lb of weight loss, she did this considerably less. The best way to fix this problem is to put your kitty onto a diet. Not only will this likely clear up the scooting problem, your cat will be much healthier and less prone to diabetes.

 

[BoscosMum]

Bosco was a scooter for the first 6 months or so after I adopted him.
His anal sacs were filling up every month, along with runny poo's.
I started feeding him a better diet...he no longer needs to have
his anal sacs expressed each month and he finally has solid poop!
YAY!!! (doing happy dance)

I have been learning even more about cat nutrition on the forum
and may try adjusting his diet again to improve it!