Cat's Anus Is Red

by Michelle

Hi,


My cat Sadie is two years old. She is eating and drinking the same amount, sleeping the same amount.

The problem is her private area---anus. It is so red, and she keeps licking the area. It does have stool stuck on it too. Her stool looks just fine. Not a problem so I dont understand what is going on down there.

I hope you can help.

Thank you,

Michelle


Hi, Michelle,

Anytime stool is stuck on a cat's rear end, the skin is going to get irritated and inflammed and therefore red.

This happens often in medium or long-haired cats. It can, however, happen to any cat.

If a cat's stool is a bit on the soft side, this can happen. If there's too much hair ingested into her system, the hair can actually hold two or more pieces of stool together preventing all the stool from ending up in the litter box.

Anal sacs can be a problem in cats and she could be irritated if her anal sacs are impacted and she is licking excessively because of it.

Whatever the reason, the area must be kept clean by wiping it for her with a soft cloth moistened with warm water as needed. It is also safe to put human antibiotic ointment on the area after cleaning such as the type you get in the pharmacy for your own skin wounds (neosporin, etc).

If cleaning and applying ointment for a few days doesn't solve the problem, her rear end should be checked by a vet.

Thank you for writing,
Dr. Neely