My fat cat can't clean his bottom. Is it safe to use pet wipes?

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

You will need to clean the poop or it can cause an infection or an impaction. cats lose weight the best by changing to a canned food diet. If that doesn’t work you can change to a prescription weight loss formula diet such as science diet metabolic. Try to stimulate and play more to increase her activity level

Hello! Yes, cats that are overweight often get an infected rash in this area. Cats have trouble grooming this area when they are overweight. If the area is sore and infected looking, it is much better to take Carmen in to see her vet to have the area checked. Your vet can likely prescribe a cream to use topically. At the clinic, they will likely be able to shave and clean the area fully, and this will help things to heal up normally.

Poor guy. If he won't tolerate you trying to clean the area well with some cat shampoo and water, then he may just have to be sedated by your vet and have the area clipped and cleaned. Also if there is inflammation, then the vet can make sure there isn't also an infection on the skin that requires a short course of antibiotics to resolve. I'm sure Louis will feel much better once this is taken care of. Best of luck moving forward. Take care.

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!

I would recommend a prescription weight loss diet. Those are high in fiber and have a lot more fiber than anything you can get over the counter. This will help him lose weight and with the constipation. If he continues being this overweight you are risking him getting diabetes which is very common in obese cats. Diabetes can be a true nightmare to manage. The diet I would say is the best for this issue is either going to be Hill's prescription w/d or Hill's prescription r/d. You can get this from your vet or your vet can give you a prescription so you can order online. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

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!