Pet Wipes

[WantRice]

I'm going to be a first time cat owner very soon and I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried making homemade wipes for their pet. There are many recipes for homemade baby wipes, but I don't know if all the ingredients are safe for cats considering they will be liking themselves all over. Tea tree oil for example. Does anyone do this or have any insight on the topic?

[Chamomile Girl]

Why on earth would you need to use wipes on a cat? I have had cats my whole life and this is not something that I have ever, ever consitered. I think that most ingredients in wipes would prove to be very distasteful to cats...they hate things that smell strongly.

[Ann-Marita]

Cats come with their own pet wipes. It's called their tongue.

If a cat needs help with keeping themselves clean, there is something serious underlying this - obesity, intestinal infection, problems with their teeth are all possibilities - and the cat needs a trip to a good vet.

[WantRice]

This particular cat has long fur and when he pees his fur gets all wet down there. Sometimes he takes a long time before he decides to clean himself. He also frequently gets pee on his back foot (either by peeing on it or by stepping in his pee after using the litter box). The main problem is that he doesn't always clean himself right away so he'll walk around and sit around and get pee on the floor and couches. He seams perfectly capable of cleaning himself, but...procrastinates?

[2xy]

Tea Tree oil is highly toxic to cats.

For cat info, you should visit http://www.holisticat.com/

I might also mention that if the cat is stepping in a puddle of pee after using the litter box, then maybe the box should be filled to a greater depth. Trimming the hair near the hindquarters could also help.

[WantRice]

Originally Posted by 2xy

Tea Tree oil is highly toxic to cats.

For cat info, you should visit http://www.holisticat.com/

I might also mention that if the cat is stepping in a puddle of pee after using the litter box, then maybe the box should be filled to a greater depth. Trimming the hair near the hindquarters could also help.

Thanks for the helpful info 2xy and that site looks great. I had a feeling tea tree oil might be toxic. Like I said, I am new to having a cat and I want what's best for him so this is why I'm asking questions.

[lifeguard]

If I felt the need to wipe a cat I'd probably just use water.

[phatchristy]

How old is the cat, is he obese? I'm wondering why the cat doesn't groom right away.

What you could do is periodically shave or use a stripping tool to shorten the fur in the area. That's usually what we do with persians that are living as pets.

The majority of cats usually are not too happy with their nether regions being handled groomed, either. I can see wiping them after each litter pan use as setting up a conditioned response whereby they start to associate the pan with that and start eliminating elsewhere.

[WantRice]

Thanks phatchristy. He's a really furry 3 year old ragdoll and he's not obese at all (11 lbs). He's always been that way about grooming himself (I know because he was my ex roomate's cat and now he'll be living with me). I've always wondered if it was normal for him not to groom right away.

Good thinking about the conditioned response. I think shaving might be an option. Can you recommend a shaver? Also I'm not quite sure what a stripping tool is.

[Sol_y_Paz]

Originally Posted by Ann-Marita

Cats come with their own pet wipes. It's called their tongue.

If a cat needs help with keeping themselves clean, there is something serious underlying this - obesity, intestinal infection, problems with their teeth are all possibilities - and the cat needs a trip to a good vet.

this.

[WantRice]

So just to clarify, when a cat steps out of the litter box after doing their business they should immediately start to clean themselves?

[texasnurse3]

I've lived with cats my entire life, and not one of them has ever put up with having damp or messy fur for more than a few minutes. At least, not until they were very old (15+ years). It could just be a unique personality trait of this particular cat since, like you said, he's always been that way. But it seems odd to me.

[rhubarbarin]

I have a cat who doesn't groom her backside very well either. She was orphaned at a young age, I think that is why. Luckily she is short-haired. I clean her anus with a flushable wipe, and if she's ever messy anywhere else I rub her down with a wet cloth. She is super-finicky about her face and paws, say if she steps in water, but not her hind end.

In your case I would keep the fur there trimmed short and just rub him down with a cloth/water, and maybe try to get him used to shampooing his hind end semi-frequently. You probably don't want to use anything that leaves a residue.

I have never noticed my other cat grooming himself immediately after using the box. He is short-haired also, white and keeps every part of himself sparkling clean.

[Sailor]

My mom's vet is always surprised when my mom brings her cat in. The cat is VERY fluffy ... but, impeccably groomed. The vet says some cats, as they age, become lazy in their cleaning routine. So, at age 10, my mom's cat who licks herself if you even touch her, let alone after going to the bathroom, always surprises the vet.

However, you mentioned the cat was 3. I'd probably, as others have said, do a vet visit to rule out any mouth problems, and then shave. If you really need to wipe - I'd just use water.

[Olgala]

Hi, I have been looking for the same thing, I have 6 cats and 4 of them get very aggressive when I try to bathe them,  I have developed a bad allergy to dander, so although cats clean themselves, they do it with the their tongues,main ingredient dander, It turns out  tea tree oil is toxic for cats so I'm not going to use it as I planned, instead I'm going to mix  2 cups of water, and a teaspoon of cat shampoo  in a spray bottle, spray the washcloth with this mix, rub them down, careful with the face, then wipe them down with rinsed out washcloth. If you find something that works let me know, thanks.

Edited by Olgala - 5/3/12 at 8:30am