# kitten not cleaning self



## Poofys Mama (Sep 8, 2009)

KitKat is young...sixish weeks now...we just got her a few days ago from a local animal rescue...shes learning to use the litter box...i have to take her to it to remind her where to go several times a day, but shes doing better...but not cleaning herself like cats do...her BMs are normal so shes not sick she just doesnt know how to lick anything but a spot or two...the cats ive had in the past were always lickoholics and cleaned themselves all day long it seemed lol...including those areas which which we humans cant reach lol....I keep "cleaning" KitKat for her...its not like shes a mess, but a bit of "stuff" and litter at times is stuck on her so I am using pet wet wipes to do it for her....I assume they usually learn to do this from watching thier mothers? Will she learn to clean herself if I keep doing it for her? I want to keep her clean so not to soil anything around the house...Ive never had a kitten this young before and I dunno how long she was at the rescue before we got her, guess whoever had them just dropped them off as soon as they were able to munch kibble...anyway is there anything i should be doing? Thanks in advance.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Think of a 6 week old kitten as you would a toddler that just got potty trained...they kind of get the concept of wiping themselves but have no real idea how to go about doing it right. The fact that she takes a couple licks says she gets the concept, but her instincts have not completely kicked in yet (cleaning is a survival instinct so that the don't smell and attract prey to themselves). I find that it usually takes till about 4 months before they really do it well, until then you'll need to help her. 

Oh and a heads up....watch the feet carefully in addition to the butt. Kittens are famous for stepping in it....


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## Poofys Mama (Sep 8, 2009)

thanks and yeah ive had to clean her feet more than once lol


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Speaking from experience, unscented Baby Wipes are great for clean-ups that don't require a full bath.


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## Poofys Mama (Sep 8, 2009)

thanks for the advice...right now im using some "pet wipes" but will get those for kitty after I run out...we use them anyway with our daughter for clean ups.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yeah...the baby wipes are probably a whole lot cheaper than pet wipes. Just make sure they're unscented.

I didn't have much luck with baby wipes for Holly, probably due to the length of her fur and how fuzzy she was. I would fill the bathroom sink with warm water and a squirt of kitty shampoo and dunk her butt and wash it. Then drain and refill the sink to rinse her. She wasn't happy but she tolerated it.


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## Poofys Mama (Sep 8, 2009)

Shes getting a wee bit better about it...shes not licking her booty yet that ive seen but will clean her paws and such a bit.


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