# Sitting On Own POOP!



## Kate Fillo (Dec 22, 2014)

I rescued a Maine **** mix in September and the vet said he was probably around 8 weeks old then. He’s had at least 4-5 courses of anti-biotic for flu and dewormed 3 times since; and I only managed to get him only vaccinated 2 weeks ago after he finally recovered from flu. He’s everything my family loves as he’s playful; loving and just adorable. 
The problem is: he poops then SITS on his poop. He also seems to squat too low and sometimes the poop just sticks on to his fur. Vet says his poop is fine so I believe it’s a behaviour problem. I’ve tried changing litter, trays and location of the litter tray. It happens about 30% of the time when I’m not around to hold on to his tail and make sure he doesn’t sit down on his poop. He gets his bum, hind legs and even tail soiled and I’ve had to wash with warm water even during times when he had flu, sometimes twice a day. 
I’m going back to work in 2 weeks and I can’t be around to keep an eye on him. He’s ok for a week and then when he does soil himself, it’s usually over 3-5 days. He tries to clean (not much) but the poop just sticks and only water will wash it off. He’s left trails of it all over the house, even the kitchen! There are kids here and it’s really not hygienic for everyone, kitty included. He watches our other older kitten poop and doesn’t seem to learn. He got a little depressed and started being aggressive when he was confined during the flu bouts so I don’t want to keep him confined for the rest of his life! Any advice (besides potty training)? PLEASE HELP!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Hmmm, have you tried a sani-trim (shaving the area around his anus)? I'm not sure that would help but it might. I just don't know - I've not run into this behavior before. Maybe a larger litter box with more room to walk away after pooping? Sometimes they poop, then make a tight circle and step in it before covering it. I sure home you find a solution and you can share it here.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

It's just an inherent problem with long haired cats, especially young ones. Holly is 8 and still gets poop stuck in her fur at least twice a month. Trimming the fur around the butt goes a long way to help this problem.


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## Cheddar (Jul 11, 2014)

Could the amount of litter be too deep?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Is it a covered litter box? He's still young and like others have said, it's an issue with long-haired kitties. The potty-patch works wonders in helping with this.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

You can use blunt-nose scissors to trim back the fur around his anus, and trim down his breeches too a little. Hard I know because they're so darn cute! It is very unusual to have a cat actually sit down on his own poop....in all my years raising and owning cats I've never had one do that. Maybe he can't feel it because of the longer hair....if he's trimmed up and then sits in it he'll feel it and maybe won't like that. Here's hoping....


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

After months and months of watching my 65 foster kittens, I have determined that cats take on 2 different postures when eliminating. They squat down low to pee (normally) and they hunch their back and spread their legs more to poop. Is it possible he already pooped and was afterwards peeing in the exact same spot??


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## Kate Fillo (Dec 22, 2014)

Thank you heaps for all your replies. I've been too busy with the holidays and poor Bello had diarrhoea and vomited two days before Christmas. He's alright since taking antibiotics and dewormed again. 
This is the first long haired cat I've adopted so your advice is really appreciated. My sister used to have pure bred Persians and Birmans but never had this problem. They were show cats and didn't need to have fur around their bums trimmed for any potty problems. This one is just puzzling for us.
He hates getting his fur trimmed especially lower parts but it has to be done.
I think he may have short legs (compared to my other kitty) and needs time to grow taller so I might have to wait it out. I hope he grows out of it soon.

Marcia: Thanks! He pees in a different place but yes, he doesn't squat high enough when pooping.

Doodlebug & Catloverami: Thank you! I've been trimming that area every 2-3 weeks and it makes cleaning easier but he still soils himself. He also hates being cleaned with a wash cloth. I hope he's not too sore in that region!


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