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Cat Forum / General Topics / October 2004Immagine a cattaht doesn't clean itself
So my mom decided she wanted to keep this stray cat that we found wandering in our backyard. The poor thing was on its last leg, and clearly dying of hunger. Feeling sorry for it, my mom began feeding it and has since decided to keep it. It is really a sweet cat, and very cute. He is just growing out of his kitten stage. It is short haired, pure white, and has one blue and green eye. He loves to sit on peoples' laps and be petted. When we found it, we thought it was cross-eyed and named him Sammy after Sammy Davis Jr. It turns out that he wasn't cross-eyed at all as after he regained his health, his pupils straightened out (yeah, he only had a few more days left in him when we found him...) Anyway, my question is this. Clearly a stray (he wasn't nudered, declawed, etc.), he has very bad cleaning habits. His fur is very thick for being white (much thicker than the short, black-haired cats I have had). His tail has some sort of tar that has darkened the base of it. We tried putting vinegar oil on it to help loosen it; we've gotten most of the chunks of tar out, but his tail is still gray. He doesn't seem to want to clean himself much, aside from the occasional lick here and there. When I pet him, my fingers end up getting black with dirt particles from his thick fur. True, he spends a lot of time outside and in the bushes, but I've had many outdoor cats who are just as clean as indoor ones. Is there any way to train a cat to clean itself a little more thoroughly? Every cat I've had has been obsessive about its hygiene. This is a first for me. Thanks, Dan > Is there any way to train a cat to clean itself a little > more thoroughly? Put on thick rubber gloves and give him a bath, or rather, a shower. Wet him slowly. Make sure the water is neither too hot or too cold. Use cat soap. Rince very well. Dry him with a towel. Put him in a warm place, in the sun or near a heater. If he refuses to comply, threaten to stop feedimg him. Try to be gentle, but sometimes you must take necessary mesures. Cats don't like to be washed. When the cat is clean, he'll feel good and will probably take better care of himself, if only to avoid another bath :) And do not pet him if he's dirty. Try to get a cat that's clean and pet him. Eventually, the message will get through. Cats are intelligent. Yours won't want to go back to the situation he was in before. But be patient and constant in your reactions, just as if your cat was a child. GP >> Is there any way to train a cat to clean itself a little >> more thoroughly? [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >was in before. But be patient and constant in your reactions, just as >if your cat was a child. There is also the point that the tarry dirt may be toxic and the cat avoids licking it because it makes him sick. That would teach the cat that cleaning is bad. After a good cleaning, he should discover that it no longer makes him sick and should resume cleaning. Cats that don't clean themselves have a compelling reason. Yes, a bath is definitely in order, and if professional assistance can be had, I would recommend that too - the vet may be willing to provide a tranquilizer, but bathing a sedated cat has to be done very carefully to avoid getting water in the airways. -- T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu) > There is also the point that the tarry dirt may be toxic and the cat > avoids licking it because it makes him sick. Tar wouldn't make him sick, but it sure would be better to revove it with lighter fluid, then wash him. > the vet may be willing to provide > a tranquilizer A tranquilizer to bath a cat? You people really like vets! "See a vet" pops up all over. Before I consult a vet to get a tranquilizer to bath a cat, I'd send some money to 3rd world countries. GP Don't "threaten" to stop feeding your cat *sigh*. Take him to a professional groomer for a thorough cleaning. It's likely once he's clean from the built-up debris and dirt he accumulated as a stray, he'll begin to keep himself cleaner. >> There is also the point that the tarry dirt may be toxic and the cat >> avoids licking it because it makes him sick. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >pops up all over. Before I consult a vet to get a tranquilizer to bath >a cat, I'd send some money to 3rd world countries. For some cats, the alternative is a team of several people, all wearing full plate armor. If I tried to bath my Millie while she was fully consious, she would not get bathed and I would require immediate medical attention - and she's a tiny cat. I could probably get away with only minor injuries with some of the others. T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu) SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. >>A tranquilizer to bath a cat? You people really like vets! "See a vet" >>pops up all over. Before I consult a vet to get a tranquilizer to bath [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > medical attention - and she's a tiny cat. I could probably get away > with only minor injuries with some of the others. I've got a hard time figuring what kind of relation some people here have with their cats. They stop purring at one year old, they scratch, etc. I won't tell you I never got a scratch while giving a bath to my cat. The cat is nervous and he's trying to get out of the bath at all costs, even while still full of soap. But, I recovered well enough to be able to write to you today :) As for the cat, he feels better soon as he's dry and goes on purring. GP >>>A tranquilizer to bath a cat? You people really like vets! "See a vet" >>>pops up all over. Before I consult a vet to get a tranquilizer to bath [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >But, I recovered well enough to be able to write to you today :) As >for the cat, he feels better soon as he's dry and goes on purring. I have eleven cats, and three others sometimes eat here. That makes fourteen different relationships with cats. Millie and her brother Ozy are tamed barn cats and have limited tolerance for handling - petting when they want it is about the limit. Both of them have mauled me at least once. Snowball and Fleagor fall in the lap fungus category - easily handled and relatively nonviolent. Fleagor is the alpha cat and is respected and even liked by all the others except Mudpie (the beta cat); Snowball is hostile to all the males except Fleagor and becomes somewhat dangerous to handle when she is confronting one of them. Fluffy and Spooky would never hurt me intentionally. And so on. T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu) SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. > >>>A tranquilizer to bath a cat? You people really like vets! "See a vet" > >>>pops up all over. Before I consult a vet to get a tranquilizer to bath [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > is confronting one of them. Fluffy and Spooky would never hurt me > intentionally. And so on. It really depends on the personality of the cat and their status in the household that makes their behaviour. The cat I have now is the most loving, affectionate, animal I've ever had. I've had neurotic cats in the past with their own individual quirks, and they were not treated any differently. Some cats will flip out if you try to bathe them, others will barely tolerate it. > T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu) > SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." > somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. > It really depends on the personality of the cat and their status in the > household that makes their behaviour. The cat I have now is the most [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." > > somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. I've been able to bathe all of my cats in the past. I have one foster who I wouldn't even attempt to bathe without waterproof welder's gloves. W > I've been able to bathe all of my cats in the past. And you survived? And your cats too? Amazing! :) > I have one foster who I > wouldn't even attempt to bathe without waterproof welder's gloves. This is another story but, with patience and care, as I said to the OP, it's often possible. Surely somebody succeeded in my neighborhood. There was an ugly, dirty old, black and white stray cat roaming around in the lanes for one year. The damned thing even once decided to have a piss on my balcony because my cat's litter was in the garbage. Once, not twice, believe me. I saw him yesterday calmly laying in the chair of my downstairs neighbor on the balcony. He looked like a real gentleman, 10 years younger. And clean! He even let me get within a few feet. And, surely, the person who bathed this cat didn't sedate him. That's unhear of here. GP > So my mom decided she wanted to keep this stray cat that we found > wandering in our backyard. The poor thing was on its last leg, and [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Thanks, > Dan I think if you can get him cleaned up he will probably maintain it. I don't know what to recommend to get the tar out. You might try getting a comb that is designed to loosen the underfur which is probably matted and start gently combing him. This should thin out the coat some and will get some of the particulate matter out. OTOH it might just be easier on him and you to take him to a groomer and see what they can do with him. W > I think if you can get him cleaned up he will probably maintain it. I don't > know what to recommend to get the tar out. You might try getting a comb that > is designed to loosen the underfur which is probably matted and start gently > combing him. This should thin out the coat some and will get some of the > particulate matter out. OTOH it might just be easier on him and you to take > him to a groomer and see what they can do with him. Absolutely! Do not -- hear me ? -- DO NOT use lighter fluid to remove tar on a cat's fur. A passerby might throw a butt at the cat, he'll catch fire, set it to the house and, most probably, the whole block, if not the entire city. It'a worst the Oussama threat! Really, is it worth taking the risk? And one drop of lighter fluid on the cat's skin, and he's going to dry up like a mummy in no time at all. So, the complete advice is "Consult the vet, see the groomer and vote Bush." (More to come!) This is SAFC, Sound Advice From Canada". We accept US currency. GP My Ginger never really washed herself until she had kittens. One day she was washing the kitten (she knew how to do that OK) she accidentally washed herself. She looked startled for a moment as if she had never thought of the idea before. After that it was consistent washing no matter what mess got on her. Jane > So my mom decided she wanted to keep this stray cat that we found > wandering in our backyard. The poor thing was on its last leg, and [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > Thanks, > Dan |
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