[Sticky] Cat has pee and litter on her butt after peeing  

Hi,

Thank you for contacting us. I’m sorry to hear that you’re having this issue with your cat. It sounds like you’ve tried a few things already.

The litter that you’re currently using is a clumping absorbent litter so that shouldn’t be the issue but it might be worth trying a different absorbent litter to see if that makes a difference. We have some recommendations here which include an extra strength clumping litter;

https://cats.com/best-clumping-cat-litter

I would also make sure that the litter substrate is 2-3 inches deep and that the litter box is big enough for your cat to turn around and 1.5 times the length of your cat. The rule of thumb is one litter box per cat plus one if possible.

I wouldn’t rule out a medical issue yet, especially since this is a new problem.  Sometimes cats produce larger volumes of urine (polyuria) which would cause pooling of urine in the litter box. This could be due to an underlying illness or disease (diabetes, kidney disease or hyperthyroidism). With other conditions e.g. cystitis, incontinence etc. they might dribble urine which would also cause her bum area to be wet. If she’s an older cat, it’s possible that she might have arthritis which would make it difficult to squat into the position to pee.  I would recommend a check up with your veterinarian to rule out any underlying medical issues. They might do some blood and urine testing in order to do this.

I hope this helps and the problem improves, let us know how she does.

Aisling

@aisling just an add on. I specifically had this issue with worlds best and my cat after trying it out. Switched to other litters and never had the issue again. I don’t believe it dries fast enough for low squatters. 

@indy I have heard this from other people as well. Can I ask what litter you switched to?

@mizzlebus I’m currently using Pretty Litter. Contains the smell but tracks like hell. Also Okocat paper litter is awesome- low tracking just doesn’t absorb smell so still on the search. Will probably try another Okocat litter. But of like the 5/6 I’ve tried (even grass litter) only World’s best gave my bud a wet toosh lol 

@indy why’s it so hard to find a natural litter that works perfectly lol. Thanks for the suggestions! I considered grass litter but really didn’t want to deal with the tracking. I bought some tofu litter but it’s SO expensive, not sure it’ll work long term. Maybe I’ll give Okocat a try. Really wish my cat was ok with pine litter.

@indy thanks for that, it's good to know for future 

Hi mizzle bus, has the urine on bottom issue been resolved for you and your cat?  My cat has the same issue.  It's strange in that it suddenly started happening while my cat was an adult (about 3.5 years old).  Like you, I've observed and:
- my cat is also squatting low when peeing
- he doesn't dig a hole before peeing.  (It seems like it's about the odds, whether he pees where there's a natural hole from him walking around prior or peeing on an elevated area. Especially if peeing on an elevated area, his bottom is either touching or near touching the litter.
- changing the litter level hasn't made a difference
- changing from a medium sized closed box to a large, open box has not made a difference
- the issue started when he was using Ecolife Litter (made of wheat and corn), which he had been using for multiple months prior with no issues.  I since switched to grass seed litter and that made no difference.  For the last two weeks, I've been gradually shifting to bamboo pellet litter (about 75% bamboo pellets now); however, it also hasn't made a difference in terms of this issue.  

- I very much feel your struggle about having to do the extra caregiving task of (when I'm around) checking each time after my cats pee and often having to wipe his bottom.  And because it's not reasonably possible to watch him every minute of the day, discovering urine smells in miscellaneous places and sometimes having to army crawl all over my apartment to track where the scent is coming from.  

I e-mailed my cat's vet (a vet clinic just for cats) and she wrote: "As for the squatting close to the litter as he pees, this can be normal for some cats and as any of us age, gain weight, etc., we may change how we do things."  I'm also really hoping that there must be a solution!  

My default next wishful-thinking attempt is to switch from a corner-style litter box (his previous and current one) to a more conventional rectangular shaped one.  

@anomie so sorry to hear you’re having the same issue. Unfortunately I have not yet found a solution, all I can say is the problem definitely comes from the litter not absorbing quickly enough like Indigo mentioned - I’ve heard so many people say this about worlds best litter. I’m still trying out different litters to see if it helps. Tried tofu litter and she didn’t like the stick texture of it (plus it’s too expensive). Planning on trying Okocat next. I’ve also heard good things about Garfield litter.

@mizzlebus, thank you so much for replying!  At least for my cat, I'm not convinced it's due to the litter.  He didn't have the issue until he was about 3.5 years old and using a variety of different litters.  The problem only started about 6 months ago / when he was around 3.5 years old and using the same litter he'd been using for a while.  However, I do believe that certain litters can minimize or even stop this problem.  For the last 10 days I have been using 100% bamboo pellet litter (previously I was still doing a gradual transition and using up to 75% bamboo litter and 25% grass seed litter).  So far over the past 10 days of 100% bamboo pellet litter, there's been no (or at least minimal, from my hazy memory) wet bottom incidents.  With the pellets, it seems the urine sinks much quicker to the bottom of the litter box (less chance and time for my cat to sit in it) as opposed to pooling at the top of the box (much easier and more time for my cat to sit in it).  There was a period of time a month or two ago where it seemed like my cat was no longer having this issue, so I think it's possible it returns.  But I'm hoping pellet litter is a game changer for my cat.  If I find anything new, I'll let you know.  Please let me know too if you find any helpful discoveries!  

i thought i had the litter in the pan too high, and so my cat was squatting in it, so i kept lowering the level of litter and that did not help.  instead, i INCREASED the level of litter, and incidents of 'soggy bottom' were reduced right away.

i also have some safety shears to keep her rear trimmed.

i don't know if this would apply to your situations, but you could also look to how much litter you place in the box as well as what type, and see if that helps.