This always works for me. If you can give the cat a bath in the laundry tub place a strong window screen over the tub, and the cat on the screen. Once you start pouring water over the cat and it puts its claws into the screen it will (hopefully) be stuck. Unfortunately this does not save you from their teeth. When my daughter gave our 24 lb. siamese a bath like this he bit her in the shoulder. He had the same problem. He was so fat he couldn't reach his rear end for "daily maintenance" (as my son calls it). Good Luck with kitty.

23 pounds!!?? That's got to be a record. Have you contacted Guiness? I bought some wet knaps recently to try to help my kittys matting problem. Didn't help the matting, might help the smell. If you want them, I'll send them. Sandy

Take him to the groomers and let them worry about those claws!! Might be worth the $20 or whatever they charge.

All good suggestions, but you also might want to go straight to the source of the problem, or invest in a shark suit made of chain mail. :D

Maybe, instead of using the usual cat litter, you could try some of those natural pine chips. At least with those, if he does manage to flick them onto his bottom after doing his business, they will more than likely fall off after he walks a few steps.

Poor little stinker.

Brenda

You can a chainmail shirt for 100$ now. Cheap if you've ever messed with making it.

Adrea

That is a good price, Adrea.

Maybe you could get some chainmail gauntlets to protect you from Loyal's teeth.

:^)

Hmmm. I have never had to bathe my cats as they bathe themselves. I only gave one flea baths once, and had a claw imbedded in my elbow inside for the effort. I'm wondering if maybe the anal glands need expressing, or there's some other problem which causes your kitty to smell.

Is it a long haired cat?

When I had a long haired cat I always kept the hair on his bum trimmed so he didn't get so many dingle berries. :o)

adrea! have you made chainmail??? ever see the japanese chainmail? pretty cool.

i use pet wipes for my longhaired's bum and muddy feet. a groomer was telling me they have these mesh sacks to bathe cats it, but i can't find one on a search.

interesting idea, koijoy!

Too bad you don't live in Florida. I bet our buddy Scott would love to help out! :-)

Thanks for the response folks! Have some of you forgotten how tempermental cats are? They are also vindictive! Get a cat mad, and he'll get you back, and you know how! Pee pee in the corner. I had some bad cats in the past that did bad things in my family room, and when Fred got upset about 6 months ago HE let me know in a certain way how much he hated being treated like a cat. He pee peed in the same spot they did. Now though, he's not allowed in the family room at all, and has stopped doing this.
Fred is a short haired cat, and evidently he was taken away from his mommy too soon,( got him at Defenders for Animal Rights), and she didn't teach him how to groom himself properly.
Koijoy, I don't ahve a laundry tub, my washer is in the kitchen.
Sandy, thank you for your kind offer for the wet Knaps, it's a thought. :)

hnladu, cats aren't like dogs. If you upset their routine they hate you, and do you know what. My cats aren't allowed outside, so anything beyond the door is the twilight zone to them.

youreit,shark suit,( where do I get it?),:) Seriously, changing the litter is not a good idea, I 've done that before, and it caused problems, anyway I don't thin you can get any better than clumping scoop away.

Adrea, are you serious about the chainmail? And for my face? :)

Nora, I'm just wondering if this stinker is worth a 100$.

Micigoose,again, he is shorthaired, and he smells because he is a pig-cat. Don't get me wrong, he's absolutely adorable, but retarded. He is just not right all the way around, his legs splay out in the back,( he looks ridiculous when he's just standing there), and he has a big piece of bone that sticks our on one of his front legs. He is a feline reject. Isn't it weird how these very ones are usually oour favorites?

somethinsfishy,I hate doing that!!!!! But sometimes it's necessary,( to cut the dingleberries), especially when he sleeps on my bed, I don't like them falling off his butt. :)

ftm, are you following me? :)

Semper_Fi, now where is that Scott? I knonw he likes to add his two cents, and I just love the way he always signs of with G-Day! Oh, I know I'm going to be WISHING I lived in Flordia in just about two days, they say that it's going to snow here in MD. Guess the good days are gone for a while, no more ponding! Winter can be the pits! Dang Dang Dang!!! Thanks all, :) Arum

LMAO!!! Dingle berries!!! I haven't heard that in a LONG time. And it's such an appropriate phrase here. :D

I guess a visit to the vet is in order, Arum. Maybe they will have some good suggestions, or they might find he has a "bum" disorder. But I'm not C3D, nor do I play her on TV. :)

Brenda

Ugh, snow in MD! It's going to turn frigid here in NH soon, but we've had a mild fall so far, so I guess I can't complain.

Any possibility your kitty needs to go on a diet? It would surely be more pleasant for everyone, kitty included, if he could clean his own butt!

that's it! work needs to give me a day off so i can come over and tackle the mangy beast (spoken with fondness). i once had a cat that you oculdnt switch his litter on. after the first time, he became a habitual out of the box pee-er. he also went in the box. go figure. yep, i am following you, arum!

now, on the dingle berry notes...whatever you do don't make jam! sorry, couldn't resist. anyway, my old man (cat) at 19 yrs old has these issues. his, though, are due to constipation. sometimes the dingle berries are small dog turd sized and finally fall "out" half way to his bed. sometimes he feels the need to scoot, if he can get his arthritic joints in that position. on second thought, part could be due to loss of muscle tone at his age, but i ramble again (drinking coffee again, be forewarned!)

ever try the dry bath powders that you rub in and brush out. it won't take care of the sour butt smell, but it could help with the fur. jsut don't use the foam.

Arum, I have one of those mesh cat bags, I used to do dog and cat grooming. They work wonderful. If I can locate mine I'd be happy to send it to you. Will look for it this week end.

Bonz, sounds like a great idea, but will it make him be nasty to me, you know what I mean. Thanks for your help, and caring in general! :) arum

hmm, perhaps a catnip peace offering or his fave treat afterward?

Not kidding, Arum, I know one doesn't want to give medication when not needed, but would your vet be willing to prescribe a mild sedative? to reduce the stress of the cleaning event? A friend of mine has to give her cocker spaniel some sedation when it's time to go to the groomer.

:) Mary

Mary ,that's an idea, but I NEVER take my cats to the vet. That sounds weird, but my cats are healthy, and have the life of Rolly.(sp) Anyway, I don't go myself, why should I send them? :) Arum

Hi, I've got a 25lb solid white cat, she's a beautiful princess yes, but she has the same problem you are describing. She actually bathes herself all the time, but she is too fat to reach where she needs to bathe most. She's an indoor baby and never goes to the vet, so I get those Charmin wipes that are for people and use them on her. I figure if they're ok for people they won't hurt a cat. No, she doesn't enjoy it but I would never try and bathe her. Mine would just go in the floor if I changed their litter brand, and the hair is just too short to cut without maybe accidentally cutting her, so the wipes really are the best bet.

Arum,
I don't bath my 6 cats. They groom themselves all the time and smell so nice. But they are not huge cats so they can get to those places that would be hard for an over sized cat.
I found cat wipes at Petco that are deodorized and helps the cleaning process. I used them on my kittens when they punged into their food or their eyes may drained a little. The wipes have a nice fresh fragrant smell but also moist vera aloe/soft treatment to the cat's coat while cleaning their hair and other parts. I think you will be pleased with this product. Also the cat won't be all that upset with wiping him down. At least it is better then trying to bath him with his claws out. Most vets will be glad to trim cat's nails for around $7.00. I trim most of my cats except for 2 of them that are impossible for me to try.
Theresa

bamarose and Theresa, my cat isn't overweight, he's just a bum! He's just one of those guys that dosen't care how he looks or smells. Do you think it has anything to do with him being neutered? No, I don't think so either. :) The wipes might be a good idea, though I hate the thought of it! He always smells like ole sour cat dung, but he is SO wonderful! Guess you'd have'ft to know him to believe it. :) Arum

There's a groomer in my town that will groom my big cat, Tennessee. They call it a "poop chute" trim and they charge me $5 for it. Tennis has long hair and weighs about 25 lbs.

The idea that "it won't hurt people, so it won't hurt cats" is wrong, unfortunately. For instance..aspirin doesn't hurt people..but it will kill a cat.

I'll take my cats to the vet before I'd take myself to the doctor.

sorrym, arum, i got a chuckle...i also use the term sour. as in, get your sour butt outta my face! (to the cat)

Arum,
You will like the smell of your cat with those wipes so much, that you will wish you had done it sooner. They are so easy to use.
Theresa

ahughes, my cat is a short hair. He don't need a hair trim, he needs a "poop" trim. That's true about people medicine for animals,- not good! I haven't been to the doctor in years, but I think I would take myself first! Anyway, thanks for the comment. :)

Yeah, FTM, that sour smell is a real bad thing,oh my goodness, you still seem to smell it, even long after the cat has left the room!

Theresa, you are very likely right, and I intend to experiement with Fred, but I'm sure he won't appreciate it much. As I mentioned before, he's not into clean. :) Arum

Most likely the source of your cat smell is from blocked anal sacs. You can take it to the vet or a groomer and have them express the glands, or you can do it yourself. I recommend holding your cat in the tub so that you can rinse the liquid down immediately. Some cats and dogs are prone to this problem and need them emptied out regularly. Look online for directions, google anal sacs......

"google anal sacs......"

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that....

Brenda