My cat is yowling with poop hanging from her butt. How can I help?

It is hard to tell for sure whether this is poop or a growth; however, at this age dried poop is more probable. You can try some KY jelly or Vaseline massages on it for a few days to see if it softens up and falls off. You may also need to do a mild soap and water rinse on the area, if tolerated. This is seen a lot with cats. The poop gets stuck to the mucosa as it exits the rectum and then just sits there for a period of time. As long as the skin itself is not red or irritated looking, or excessive licking ensues, then its fine to try to resolve this on your own. I must also mention though, there is a good chance this will repeat itself, so weekly or bi-weekly maintenance may be needed to help remove the feces and prevent further infections to develop on the skin. I hope this helps and best wishes with your pet Smoak moving forward! Take care.

He seems to have a big piece of poop stuck. That hurts a lot. Best take him to a vet tonight to remove it and check if there is an injury. You can gently try to put pressure to remove it yourself. put some gelatine or ointment around the inside of the anus to help it move. If you cannot move it fairly easily you will definitely need to take him to a petER tonight.

Once the stool is dried and stuck to the skin, it can be difficult and painful to remove. Clipping or shaving it is not recommended as your cat could react negatively and you may accidentally cause injury. If your cat will allow, apply a warm compress to the area for 10-15 minutes. Once the stool has softened, you should be able to safely remove it. If not, consider a visit to your veterinarian for additional assistance. There could be an underlying medical condition for [soft stool](https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-real-scoop-what-is-your-cat-s-poop-telling-you/), if present, or [lack of grooming](https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-has-my-cat-stopped-grooming) which may be contributing to the issue.

Sure you could use vaseline to help soften the debris or warm water and soap work well too. If it becomes a chronic problem some older kitties benefit from a a sanitary clip (especially if long haired) to keep the hair shorter in this area so fecal material has less to stick too. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

A little added fiber or a daily pet probiotic can help firm up loose stools, however bringing a stool sample into the vet to rule out anything such as parasites or an underlying illness causing it is a good idea. In some cases, even normal stools can sometimes get stuck on long-haired cats. Gently trimming the area to make it less easy for stool to stick, or using a pet wipe after Pockey gets out of the litter box before the stool can dry may help make it easier to clean.

Thank you for submitting your question Bosbos. He appears to have eaten a hair or thread. You can try to remove it with very gentle pressure. If it does not does come out, do not pull harder. It could be stuck to his intestines. If you cannot easily remove it, then he should see his veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

Oh no, this isn't good, poor Coco! In this case, he needs to see a vet as this stool may need to be manually extracted. Please do not attempt this yourself, a nd take him into a vet immediately. Best of luck.