Expert: Brandy - 2/23/2007

Question
Hi, I only have one cat, she is going to be 5 yrs old next month.  I have just started to notice lately that she is not keeping her rear end clean. I have not changed her diet at all. she is approx 15 lbs, usually gets a few treats once a day. Do you know any reason why she has become lacking in her hygene, what would be a good product to use to clean her rather than a bath.  also, how often should I bathe her?
Thanks for any help you can give.
Sherry  

Answer
I'm not sure how big her bone structure is, but unless she looks like one of the larger breeds (like Maine Coons and Ragdolls), she might be a little bit on the 'full-figured' side and could be having a bit of a problem reaching her backside. Simply cutting down the treats (I know, that's hard; my cats can beg worse than our dogs), or switch to some 'lite' versions of treats if its something she likes. Switching her food to a 'lite' variety couldn't hurt, either.

As for bathing, if a cat's not really used to being bathed, then a bath could be a traumatic thing for both the bathee and the bather. My crew only gets baths now every 2-3 months, mostly because they're semi-longhairs, plus bathing eases up on the dander that they give off. In the interim, I use simple old-fashioned baby powder, either talc or the cornmeal that you can use for a human baby. Comb (not brush, since that merely slicks over the fur), down to the skin, and poof her with the powder, rub it in her fur, and most times, as you comb out the powder, other icky stuff absorbs the powder, and comes out with it. Plus it eases on the static.

Hope this helps.