[jillybeans25]

Ok, I have an adorable new kitten - aren't they all adorable when they are small? Well it's about 9 weeks old - long hair tabby. The trouble is, he doesn't seem to clean himself very well at all. Litter and stool stuck in his fur - he's become very, very stinky :? and we've had difficult mornings with trying to get him clean.
How do I get him to clean himself?
Adding to the problem - we also have a 2 year old lab. He's very loving to the kitten - and seems to have taken on a mothering role, licking and cleaning the kitten constantly. Do you think this hinders the kitten to learning how to clean himself? I hate to separate them, after all I never thought I would have a problem with them getting along TOO well. The kitten seems to love the dog amazingly. Anyway, any comments, suggestions or help is appreciated.

 

[tio]

My mother has a small trick for you, Jilly. Try to apply little cooking oil (or beef fat) on his fur. As he laps oil, his fur is also cleaned. Maybe, this trick is a bit funny, but my mother did it with my cat Xam Nho and I think it's effective.


And about your lab, oh, I used to have a 10 year old lab but he went away In Vietnam, we have an idiom "like cat and dog" to express the disharmony, but the idiom is not always correct. Now, my dog named Cao (Fox) and my cat Xam Nho live together in peace. Sometimes, Cao licks and cleans but I usually see Xam Nho do it herself. In my opinion, your lab mothering role is not the reason. It depends on cat's breed. The long hair breed cats take care of themselves not very well.

 

[Jeanie]

Your kitten will also improve her hygiene as she gets older.

tio, we use the expression "fighting like cats and dogs," but my collies nursed and raised two kittens. It was special.

 

[kitkat]

Kittens are going to be a bit more messier than adult cats but they start learning how to clean themselves on their own. Its part of their natural instinct to clean their coat and sometimes it just takes some time for the cat to learn on its own. All cats are different so just give it some time since your kitten is still developing.

 

[Wayne]

My experience with long fur kittens, is that at times it is easier to trim their fur wherever their poop sticks.