Cat Problem - Graphic (1 Viewer)

[JasenP]

Our cat Tinsel has been having this problem lately, I will warn you it is cat box related.

Whenever she is done doing her business in the litterbox she runs out (not burying anything) and proceeds to drag her rear end on the carpet.


We really can't afford another false alarm Vet visit, so I was hoping someone might know what is wrong and might have a solution.

 

[Julie K]

Tinsel might be having an irritation of the anal sacs. A vet can express these sacs or remove them if the problem persists. This problem, called "scooting", can also be a sign of any generalized irritation including worms, polyps, or irritation from diarrhea/constipation.

Sorry to say, but if Tinsel doesn't stop scooting a vet trip is probably in order.

(BTW, a cat can die from infected anal sacs.)

 

[JasenP]

Thanks Julie. Tinsel has an appointment for 6pm tonite and I will find out more then.

 

[LDfan]

Julie is right. It's most likely an anal sac problem.

Jeff

 

[brentl]

Julie K
... you are a drinking fountain of knowledge
Brent L

 

[Jack Briggs]

Whether she is or not, she is correct in this case. Please let us know how Tinsel is doing.

 

[Ike]

Does the inflammation persist after the sacs have been "expressed"? I know my dog had the same problem, and the vet forced out some kind of liquid with a paper towel. Is this something the vet will have to do regularly?

 

[Julie K]

My cat had an infected anal sac which had to be removed immediately. When the inflammation is due to some other factor the vet can just express them. However, the inflammation can return and it will be pretty much between you, your cat (or dog), and the vet whether or not to remove them.

 

[Ted Lee]

what about if the cat only does it very rarely? i've seen one of my cats do it probably a handful of times (that i'm aware of) in about two years. i definitely wouldn't say it's a chronic problem though.
i figured the cat was just being lazy or something (dingleberries? ) ..she pretty much always go in the kitty litter box.

 

[Jeff Pryor]

My cat occasionally does this as well. I've noticed that when we feed her soft food, some of her excrement will remain on her anus and that's when she will scoot on the rug and use it as toilet paper. But if we only feed her hard food the problem usually goes away.

 

[Ben Motley]

*Sigh - Okay, I've got an appoinment with my doctor tomorrow. Thanks for bringing this up. I thought I was completely normal. :p)
Seriously Jeff, I hope the vet fixes your lil' critter up. It seems like something easily remedied provided you act on it upon first noticing it. Let us know what the vet says.

 

[Frank Anderson]

Jasen,
With a little bit of training you too can be taught the proper way of expressing. However, I must point out the only up side to doing it yourself is that you might save some money. I don't know who it is more unpleasent for the expressor or the expressee? :frowning:

 

[JasenP]

Tinsel had her appointment last night and had to stay overnight for some blood tests and a urinalysis. She is now 14 years old so they decided to do a whole battery of blood tests to the tune of $215. They related her scooting issues as a matter of diet, here is the bizarre part.

Tinsel was eating canned soft food for the first 8 or so years of her life. The Vet recommended at that time that she be switched to hard food to keep her teeth clean and disease free. Since that time she has been eating hard food.

Last night the Vet recommended that we switch her to a low-carb diet which means back to canned food. Apparently new research has shown that because of the way cats chew hard food and lap soft food, there is no dental cleaning benefit to hard food. As a matter of fact it can get lodged in the back of their mouths and cause more serious tooth decay and gum disease.

I will be picking her up after they call with the test results this morning.

BTW: After seeing her get her temperature taken, I will not be personally expressing ANYTHING!!

 

[Joseph Howard]

Animals also sometimes resort to this when they

have a current infestation of worms. So a parasitic

infestation of the bowels might also be investigated.