Conference misery::feline_v1

    When a long haired cat's stool is soft, it will get into the fur.
    Very often the cat will drag it's butt (across the carpet) to clean
    most of the stool off before washing up (can't say that I blame
    them). A lot of long haired cat owner's keep the fur back there trimmed
    just for that reason. I also saw my short hair Panther do this once
    when he was afflicted with "the runs". 
    
    What can cause a soft stool? A lot of things; the food that the
    cat gets, a virus or worms.
    
    Deb

    Thank you, Deb.  As a matter of fact, the cat did immediately start
    licking himself after dragging his butt and when I looked under
    him, I saw some brown color in his fur (hence, the stool).  Currently,
    I am feeding him Friskies buffet (wet food) and Crave dry food.
    He LOVES the wet food and I must admit, I have been spoiling him
    rotten - 2 cans a day, because he cries so much for it and I am
    a sucker for crying kitties.  Should I change his diet?  Let up
    on the wet food?
    

      Occasionally one of my older long haired cats will get constipated
    and the do-do will be hard and stick to his fur. He gets really
    embarrassed about it, but he will drag his fanny on the floor until
    I grab him and clean him up. He's just trying to get the doodles
    off his fur that get stuck there once in a while. It seems to happen
    if he doesn't drink enough water, he eats 90% Fancy Feast which
    is a good part moisture, but I try to encourage the water intake
    too, to help keep things moving. It only happens maybe a few times
    a year, so it's no biggie. He's usually really good about drinking
    properly.
                            Denise
    

    Thanks for the info, Karen.  I will keep on experimenting until
    I find something that works.  It's hard, though, because he will
    not poop in his litter box - always has to go outside for that and
    I live on the third floor of an apartment building!  My new alarm
    clock is a big furry kitty who wakes me up at 5:30 every morning
    like clockwork!!
    
    Incidentally, what does BTW mean??
    

     BTW = By The Way
    
    		Geoff

    Tabbatha used to drag her but across the rug when she had the runs
    too.  She hasn't done it lately, though.  My cats get strictly the
    IAMS dry for now until I can find a wet cat food that has low ash.
    
    As for the name for the kitten, you said she is all white?  How
    about Marshmello or snowball?
    
    Holly

    Thanks, Holly, for the name suggestions.  Marshmello is cute (he
    really is a mellow cat).  I originally wanted to call him Chauncey,
    but my fiance HATES the name.
    
    He didn't drag his butt this morning.  I stopped by the vet last
    night and picked up the worm pill which he took (not willingly).
    This morning, he casually walked down the hall to the stairs instead
    of bolting for the door which he usually does after he eats.
    
    I'll never know if it was really worms or just a bout with the runs.
    He's going to the vet again on Saturday to start his Feline Leukemia
    vaccinations and I think I will have them trim the fur around his
    butt and see if that helps.
    
    It is so relieving to know this conference exists - everyone is
    so helpful and offers some really good and sound advice.
    
    Roberta

    I have a friend with an all white cat named Cotton.
    
    Bernice

    re: .7 and a low ash wet food,
    
    Hill's makes several versions of wet food that are low ash.  You
    can get Feline Maintenance at many pet stores, or C/D through
    many vets.  They make dry versions also, but I have just found
    that my cats prefer the IAMS dry to any of the several Hill's
    dry that I have been offering them.
    
    My cats didn't care much for some of the wet foods at first,
    but when they "figured out" that there was dry or THIS wet
    food, they started eating it.
    
    BTW, Hill's (aka Science Diet) also makes R/D, which is a reducing
    diet.  It has lots of filler (water and sawdust, I joke) so the
    cats get the satisfaction of chowing down fun quantities, but the
    total coloric and nutritional value is not overdone.  It works
    *beautifully* because at first, the cats wouldn't touch it:  probably
    lost half a pound right then!  And they now seem satisfied with
    it, even leave a bit over on occasion, so I guess they feel like
    they have eaten a proper meal. ;-)
    
    	Penelope

    Even though this story may sound gross, it really was terribly funny
    at the time and still makes me laugh to think about it!
    
    Sammy liked to eat rubber bands, even though I was careful to not leave
    them around.  However, when he did find one to eat, it sometimes had
    trouble exiting from his system at the other end.  After he pooped, he
    would scrape his rear end across the floor to dislodge the rubber band
    from whatever it was attached to inside.  What a funny sight!  And what
    a mess to clean up afterwards!  Just goes to show you, you can't
    trust a cat with rubber bands!! 

    Re: .11
    
    They can die from eating rubber bands, if things get tangled
    internally.  String, yarn, etc. can be equally as dangerous.  This
    is perhaps a good place to say:  if you ever notice part of one
    of these things protruding from your cat's behind DO NOT PULL IT
    OUT;  call the vet.