# Kitten doesn't groom himself



## squid01 (Jan 17, 2016)

I have not seen my 3 month old kitten lick or clean himself, my adult cats clean themselves all the time, do they eventually learn to do that? He will poop and sometime
Roll in the kitty litter, his paws sometimes still have poop on them
Or kitty litter stuck to the bottom of his paws .


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

At 3 months, it's kind of like expecting a human toddler to clean themselves well...doesn't happen. It will get better over time...I've found that they're pretty good at it by about 6 months.


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## squid01 (Jan 17, 2016)

Thanks glad to hear that, I've had my older cats for so long that I've forgotten if they did groom
Themselves when they were just kittens


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Some kittens will, but with most of them they do their paws and then get distracted.

You can encourage or teach him to clean himself if you like - after he's had a meal is the best time, since they usually have a post dinner bath. Get a washcloth and wet it, squeeze it out so it's just damp. Use short strokes following the direction of his fur. I usually start at the top of their head, and work my way down. The kittens tend to 'help' by cleaning their paws, then fussing and trying to play, then calming down for a nap. Go slow, be gentle (but firm), and do their whole body. The slight dampness will encourage them to lick themselves as well, but they shouldn't get wet.


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## squid01 (Jan 17, 2016)

thanks  Will use slightly wet cloth to clean him


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## LouisXIV (May 6, 2016)

My kitten was pretty bad at cleaning himself when he was two or three months old, but when he was 4 he was already self sufficient for the most part. He only learned how to avoid stepping on his own poo when he was like 6 months old though, so I always covered his poo for him before then.


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## squid01 (Jan 17, 2016)

Thanks  cant wait for him to learn to clean himself 


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