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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:	Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:	FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:	MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO

Created:	Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:	Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	5089
Total number of notes:	60366

189.0. "Long-hair and smell" by MANANA::DICKSON () Mon Dec 23 1985 12:17

Isembard is 5 months old.  He has very fine, soft fur, about an inch
long.  (He is not a longhair breed - just has plush fur)  His litter-box
habits are excellent, thanks to training by his mother.

But his fur is so long in back that the feces gets stuck on him, and
when he jumps out of the box it falls off and gets on the floor.  He
also walks around somewhat reeking until we notice and put him in the
sink to wash him.  With winter here and the windows closed, we notice
REAL SOON.

We have thought of two possible solutions:

  1)  Change his diet so his poops are not so soft.  He gets Science
      Diet moist and dry, both.  Maybe if we cut down on the moist?

  2)  Trim his hair in back.  Perhaps this will require a trip to
      a cat groomer.

How do owners of long-haired cats handle this?

T.R	Title	User	Date	Lines
189.1		VIRTUE::AITEL	`Mon Dec 23 1985 12:54`	6
	This happens sometimes to Chorniy. Usually the problem happens when the box is either in need of cleaning or when it's been filled too full (we have one of those covered boxes) and he can't stand up far enough. I think that the problem is made worse when we feed him fish type cat-food too often. Chorniy's fur is about 3 inches long, which makes the litter-box harder to use for him.
189.2		SPEEDY::SAVAGE	`Mon Dec 23 1985 13:16`	7
	We have two kittens (litter mates - 10 months old). The male has soft, long hair as reported in .0. The female is short-haired, and helps the male keep clean behind, where he can't reach very well [nice excuse to get another cat :-)]. Also, we feed only dry and semi-moist food, resist letting the kittens have milk. Their stools are seldom soft. Neil
189.3		ISHTAR::EMCDONALD	`Mon Dec 30 1985 10:13`	10
	We have 2 long haired cats(persians). We had this problem when we first got them. We solved it by not giving them milk. If they eat both dry and moist cat food and some meat scraps they will be fine. I think that milk is the major culprit. Also, they need an adjustment period for whatever diet you put them on so don't keep trying new diets or they will never finish adjusting. Trimming the fur in the back will help. All you need to do is put a comb through the fur and cut above the comb, this ensures that you wont cut their skin. EM
189.4		XANADU::DICKSON	`Tue Dec 31 1985 11:27`	7
	All this cat gets is cat food and water. No milk. We just got a pair of clippers and will see how that does. I have heard from someone else that trimming works, too. Oh, we think Izzy's father was a Maine Coon now. (Mother is a Japanese Bobtail) He matches all the characteristics of a Maine Coon in our cat book, except for the short tail.
189.5		TRIVIA::EPPES	`Fri Jan 10 1986 14:42`	16
	We have this problem when Jasper (a Persian) gets diarrhea, which just happened recently (I think possibly as a result of giving him some turkey). It is not fun...! His diet consists of canned food (9-Lives) in the morning and dry food (Tami-Ami) at night, and that seems to present no problems in general. I usually mix some "vitamin mix" in with the canned food in the AM. This mix consists of bran, brewer's yeast, lecithin, kelp, and a couple of other things (I can give the recipe if anyone's interested). Unfortunately, I ran out of it the other day and haven't gotten around to making some more. Supposedly bran is good for diarrhea. You might want to try adding about a teaspon of bran to your cat's food. We also take Jasper to be groomed every couple of months. -- Nina