Dirty Butt

[itsinmyhead]

Having a little issue with Ripley at the moment, picture attached. Her butt, though mostly the area around it, is brown and dirty. She had a bath on Saturday and this didn't start until Monday. We washed it a bit on Monday (as best I could while she squirmed like crazy, and trying not to irritate it too much), but it got back to the way it had been the next day. Washed a little yesterday and this morning it's back to how it was once again.

It doesn't seem to be on her anus, but the area around it. It also doesn't seem to bother her at all - she acts the same, doesn't have a problem sitting, cleans it normally, etc. So it's nothing that seems to be causing her pain or discomfort, if that helps at all.

Any ideas on what the cause of this may be and what the plan of action should be? I'm out of town for the next couple of weeks (brought her with me), so I'm not at home where our vet is, but I don't want to let this go on if something is seriously wrong.

Thanks!

 

[Graddydani]

If you say she doesn't seem to be reacting to it it may not be a problem BUT it does look worrisome to me. What is the dirt or dark area? Skin, litter? Anything you can identify. could it be caused by what is being used to clean it? Poor princess. A call to your vet could also help.

 

[itsinmyhead]

I don't think it's caused by anything I'm using to clean her because nothing there has changed at all. I'm not exactly sure what it is - at first I thought it was poop and she just had a dirty butt.

It doesn't come off easily with a baby wipe, though - the baby wipe gets a little dirty, but nothing really comes off of her. Bathing her and washing the area gently with soap and a wash cloth helps, and the stuff kind of flakes off. I'm also wary of over-washing, because I feel like that could heighten it or make it worse.

 

[Graddydani]

Maybe it's pigmentation? It's possible that her skin could be getting sensitive and pigmenting because of a change. you can try using some Olive Oil to the area then wipe, it could be less friction on her sensitive skin. Have you changed her litter?

 

[itsinmyhead]

I don't think it's just a pigmentation thing, since it does wash off eventually. I have tried using coconut oil on the area, but it doesn't seem to be doing much... maybe that's because when I put it there, she just licks it off immediately. She loves coconut oil, haha

I am visiting my girlfriend out of town, and she uses a different brand of litter than I use at home. Same KIND of litter, but a different brand. But, I've been here for about two weeks without a problem coming up. Only in the past few days has this been an issue.

 

[Graddydani]

I think you need to call your vet, they most likely have seen something like that before. Nothing comes to mind for me besides pigmentation. But you say it's dirt so there has to be a reason she is attracting the dirt to that area.

:Laugh: can't blame her for wanting to luck coconut oil off her butt.

Keep us updated. It's always nice to learn a few more things concerning this unique breed.

 

[Graddydani]

She doesn't have diarrhea does she?

 

[itsinmyhead]

Nope, I've checked the litter box in there and everything is solid - no messes. I'll give the vet a call and see what they think and report back. Thanks!

 

[Graddydani]

Your welcome. I hope someone with experience on this replies too. I'll check back on the vets advice. Hope there's a simple solution.

 

[kristininn]

Winston used to have this happen on occasion, especially when he was having poo issues or seemed stressed. For me/Winston, the brownish stuff seemed to have a mysterious origin, but then it was exacerbated by my cleaning it, then Winston over grooming it, me cleaning it again, etc, etc. I always have Animax ointment on hand (prescription antibiotic, antifungal, and anti a couple other things), but to be honest it didn't seem to do much. Generally, his similar rash would clear over a couple of days once we both started leaving it be. His vet also looked at it a couple times and wasn't concerned about it. She thought it was irritated skin with slight scabbing (although it didn't really look like a scab).

I'd say check with your vet via phone, and if he/she isn't concerned, leave it alone for a couple days and see what happens. Hopefully it will disappear as mysteriously as it appeared. That's what would happen with Winnie.

I will add, however, that you should keep an eye on it though as a staph infect can have a similar presentation... And remember, this is just my experience and I'm far from a vet

Good luck!

 

[werecatrising]

Looks like maybe a bit of a yeast infection.

 

[Inflamed]

It could also be a staph infection. I would have it checked out if it doesn't clear up in a day or two.

 

[itsinmyhead]

So, I spoke with the vet just now. They said that it's hard to tell what it is without seeing it in person, but to try wiping it with a warm washcloth to clean the area. They said that if it comes back or worsens, or begins to bother her, then I should bring her to the vet when we get home in a couple of weeks. As I mentioned before, I'm out of town and have been since the beginning of the month and won't be back until the beginning of November, so just taking her to our regular vet isn't an option.

It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all - she jumps around, plays often, eats like normal, etc. None of her habits or behaviors have changed, and the only time she shows displeasure with the area is when we try to clean it (and she was like that when it looked fine - who wouldn't be??).

I've cleaned it a little bit yesterday and the day before, so I think I'm going to give her a couple of days reprieve so I'm not torturing her. I'm going to monitor it and see how it looks without cleaning it and see if anything changes. If cleaning it does irritate it, then I could be doing it more harm than good.

I'll certainly keep this thread updated with what's going on with her over the next few days. Thanks again for the responses!

 

[Graddydani]

So, I spoke with the vet just now. They said that it's hard to tell what it is without seeing it in person, but to try wiping it with a warm washcloth to clean the area. They said that if it comes back or worsens, or begins to bother her, then I should bring her to the vet when we get home in a couple of weeks. As I mentioned before, I'm out of town and have been since the beginning of the month and won't be back until the beginning of November, so just taking her to our regular vet isn't an option.

It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all - she jumps around, plays often, eats like normal, etc. None of her habits or behaviors have changed, and the only time she shows displeasure with the area is when we try to clean it (and she was like that when it looked fine - who wouldn't be??).

I've cleaned it a little bit yesterday and the day before, so I think I'm going to give her a couple of days reprieve so I'm not torturing her. I'm going to monitor it and see how it looks without cleaning it and see if anything changes. If cleaning it does irritate it, then I could be doing it more harm than good.

I'll certainly keep this thread updated with what's going on with her over the next few days. Thanks again for the responses!

Thanks for the update. I hope it clears up within the next few days. Good luck!

 

[butterb33rs]

never seen anything like that before hope it clears up

 

[NakedNorasMom]

Looks like staph, but if its not bothering her then probably not.

 

[Taraforweb]

Our cat has regular poos but sometimes its a bit soft and it leaves poo on her butt. If we are home, we clean it with a wet paper towel. Sometimes ill come home from work and find her butt like your photo. I just clean it off. For our cat- its just dried poo that wasnt cleaned off right away.

 

[ozziecat]

Hi. We used to have this issue daily. Our female doesn't clean herself very well and hasn't since she was a baby. It's poop- just clean it with a warm soft wash cloth and it will be fine. We changed her food to more protein and it pretty much went away. Her waste is firmer because of it. Also, you can add fiber to her diet to also help firm it up. Every once in awhile she has some "soft serve" and we just wipe it away. A real drag if she jumps on the bed or couch.. Good luck.

 

[itsinmyhead]

ozziecat - it wasn't anything to do with the consistency of her stool at all, which has always been normal. It didn't just wipe off, it was more of something that needed to be washed and scrubbed at, not something that could just wipe off.

In any event, I left it alone for a couple of days after the first two days I tried cleaning it. I had to head out of town for work, but my girlfriend was watching her while I was gone. She got her normal Saturday bath and it was cleaned gently, but not with any more attention paid to it than normal. My rationale was that our targeted cleaning was causing more irritation than good - and I think I was right! It has since totally cleared up and she seems to be doing fine now. No mess back there at all.

The only thing I can think of that had changed, which dawned on me later, was that I had used coconut oil on the area previous to the issue occurring. She immediately licks wherever I put the oil (I use it to break up the gunk on her nails as well), and I'm wondering if she just cleaned her backside to the point of irritation the first time I used it?

Just something to keep my eye out for if I ever do feel the need to use it again, or if the problem occurs in the future.

 

[Graddydani]

In any event, I left it alone for a couple of days after the first two days I tried cleaning it. I had to head out of town for work, but my girlfriend was watching her while I was gone. She got her normal Saturday bath and it was cleaned gently, but not with any more attention paid to it than normal. My rationale was that our targeted cleaning was causing more irritation than good - and I think I was right! It has since totally cleared up and she seems to be doing fine now. No mess back there at all.

The only thing I can think of that had changed, which dawned on me later, was that I had used coconut oil on the area previous to the issue occurring. She immediately licks wherever I put the oil (I use it to break up the gunk on her nails as well), and I'm wondering if she just cleaned her backside to the point of irritation the first time I used it?

That's great news! I'm so happy for the both of you.

 

[Inflamed]

I'm very happy that it cleared up by itself, that over-cleaning sounds pretty reasonable. Lucifer once overdid it on his penis with the cleaning and it became a bit raw. We paid attention to it for a day or two (he was constantly licking at it, making it worse) and redirected his attention when he was going at it again. The irritation was gone in a few days.