It is not uncommon for long-haired cats to have a little poop covered in garbage on the back hair, but when my short-haired cat started to smell No. 2 Eau de Toilette, I was confused. There was no rubbish on her fur, but her back looked like a toddler who had just gone to the bathroom and couldn't wipe it well. Because she was over 3 years old at this time, I felt like something went wrong. About every four days I found her "not wiping well"; because of her short fur, I was very nervous that she was on the surface of our house Stool pellets are everywhere.

Since cats are very clean animals, I started to ask myself questions about Gray’s behavior: Is there a specific reason why she did not clean herself properly? Is she going through a period of laziness? Maybe one day she woke up and chose a long-term resentment? I wipe her-yes, I do it every time, it makes me very upset-will she become dependent on my help?

This behavior lasted for about two months before it stopped (hopefully good), but I decided to chat with Dr. Zay Satchu, the co-founder and chief veterinary officer of Bond Vet, to see if it is possible to explain this sudden increase in Gray’s Problems after the bathroom in case they reappear. (Which, Gray, if you are reading this article, let us not?)

"Cats are naturally clean small animals, so they tend to clean up after using the litter box," Dr. Zay told POPSUGAR. "But usually, their bathroom habits have almost no residue. If you start to notice feces on the bottom of kittens, you may need to investigate to see if their feces are looser than normal."

In Grey's case, we did not notice any abnormality in the box, but due to the agglomerated nature of trash, we cannot be completely sure when we look back, because we were not looking for anything specific. However, Dr. Zay shared that Grey's uncleanness may have some other reasons (spoiler: they don't seem to be suitable for Grey, so far, why this happens several times a week is still a mystery) for about eight weeks).

"Overweight cats may find it difficult to reach out to clean themselves, while older cats may experience discomfort from arthritis trying to manipulate the correct position," said Dr Zay. “Sometimes, mouth or tooth pain can prevent cats from wanting to groom their hair, because doing so may cause some discomfort. Finally, stress can lead to behavior changes that reduce grooming. If there is increased stress or changes in the family, the kitten may feel Not to yourself. If your cat is a natural beautician and stops suddenly, it’s best to contact your veterinarian."

Dr. Zay explained that another factor may be related to the actual length of the cat’s legs and how much space there is between their butt and the litter-if your cat is experiencing poop or litter (or both!) fur length , Please consider how tall the litter is in the bin and how tall your cat is.

My most pressing question to Dr. Zay is the above question, will I wipe her cause her to rely on my support? Fortunately, the short answer is no. "It's great to extend a helping hand. Your kitty won't rely on your help," she said, "but if this becomes a recurring problem, you should investigate why she soiled herself."

We did an investigation and we didn't reach it in the end, but we now regularly look for any weird trash can clues so that we can get more information when this happens again. For now, I attribute this protracted incident to malice-Gray doesn't like being picked up. After picking up an unclean tramp, I throw a lot of shirts in the trash can. Lesson *mostly* learned.

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