Why isn't my cat grooming her anal area despite being able to reach?

It could be that your cat never learned to clean herself as a kitten, or just doesn't realize she has stuff stuck to her fur. Longer haired cats can also get things stuck easily. Keeping the area trimmed and wiping down her bottom with a pet wipe or baby wipe can help keep her cleaner.

If Mila has abnormal stool quality or if she is overweight then it could be a medical issue. Most cats are very clean and groom themselves frequently. However, not all cats are this way and it could be a behavioral thing. If she is overweight then she may not be able to reach to keep clean. There is a food company called Royal Canin that tends to make pets have good stool quality and you may try this diet. If she has a bad stool quality, take her to the vet to see if anything should be done. I hope this helps!

This sounds suspicious that your cats anal glands may be full. The anal glands are located just inside the rectum at the 4 and 10 o'clock position and when they are full they can cause irritation resulting in the pet scooting across the carpet. So this is a common presentation. Typically the anal glands are expressed by pets when they go poop, but in obese or overweight pets this is difficult and can result in them not being expressed properly. So first thing is to get the anal glands checked by a veterinarian to avoid having them rupture because of over-filling. The second thing is to get your kitty on a low fat diet or weight loss routine, such as decreasing portions and limited extra calorie snacks. Here are my picks for weight loss foods if interested: 1) Hills Metabolic- by far the best product in my opinion for FAST (within 2 months approx. 79% of pets lose weight) weight loss and weight maintenance (prescription only) 2) Hill's W/D - effective and also can help regulate glucose to prevent diabetes (prescription only) 2) Hill's Low fat - over the counter, varying results

Excessive grooming of the rear may indicate fleas or worms. The area she's paying attention to is classic for flea allergy. The most common worms are tapeworms, which your pet gets by grooming and ingesting a flea carrying the tapeworm eggs. A broad spectrum dewormer can be gotten from your vet as well as a topical or oral flea control such as Cheristin or Comfortis. You might also consider asking your vet for a dose of Capstar. It helps get the problem under control by killing the fleas on the cat starting in five minutes but only lasts for 24 hours. You also need to treat your home environment. If you use a pest control service, tell them you are having a flea problem and they can adjust their treatment. Use a premise spray that also contains an IGR, insect growth regulator. This will keep eggs and larvae from maturing into adults and helps break the life cycle. Also, vacuum EVERY DAY, throwing out the bag or emptying the canister every time into an outside receptacle and spraying the contents with insecticide to kill the fleas you’ve vacuumed up. Treat your yard as well, since fleas are opportunistic and will hop a ride into your home on your pant leg without you knowing it. Concentrate on areas under bushes, in the shade. Fleas are less likely to be located in open sunny areas where it gets hot. You might want to consider boarding your cat for the day at your vet, to give you the opportunity to flea bomb your house without having to worry about your cat. They can bathe your cat and give a dose of Capstar while you take care of the problem at home. Be patient, you may have to repeat these steps multiple times 10-14 days apart to help break the flea life cycle.

I would assume that this hair loss is due to excessive grooming/licking in that area. It may be due to an allergy or skin infection, or she could be having an issue with her anal glands. Because of her age and the fact that she has had some major life changes recently, I would recommend taking her to the vet to be checked out. She may simply need to have her anal glands expressed. Best of luck.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Coco. I recommend that she has what is known as a sanitary clip. This is when the veterinarian or groomer shaves her hind end. She can be shaved under and around her tail and the back of her legs. This will help to keep her clean. I hope this information helps!

Poor girl. It looks like Memow has an infection going on there possibly. I would get this checked by your vet. The hair needs to be shaved away and the skin looked at closely. If there is an infection, as suspected, then Me-mow will need a short course of antibiotics to hopefully clear this up. The vet will also likely want to check her for a UTI, since this is a common cause for infections near the genital area. If she is not grooming well, then this could also indicate an internal organ issue, so bloodwork may be recommended to check her full health status and make sure we don't miss anything underlying. I hope that your furry friend Me-mow gets this resolved soon! Best wishes and take care. : )