A couple of weeks ago, my cat was padding, or “kneading” my boyfriend’s stomach (as many cats tend to do). Facing my boyfriend, with his ass sitting on the boyfriend’s leg, he padded for around 10 minutes - in which time he buried his head into the boyfriend’s armpit and purred loudly. When the cat stood up to go do whatever it is that cats do when they’re done with this activity - we noticed a large wet spot (around 4 inches in diameter) with a clump of what appeared to be hair, in the middle of it.
We recoiled in horror.
After regaining our composure, I had the presence of mind to sniff the suspect spot on the boyfriend’s jeans…it was not cat urine - but it smelled suspiciously of “butt”. We are not really sure what it is, but that was the first time it’s happened (at least that we’ve noticed), and I’ve been seeing it every time since when the cat comes to pad one of us. I haven’t been able to find anything on the pet websites. And I can’t really do a search on “suspect ass liquids”. The cat is around 3 years old (we got him as a stray), and he’s been “neutralized”.
mellon, was the hair dry, as if it might have just fallen off of the tail, or was it wet and yucky and appear to have been part of the ‘anal emission’?
If there is a godawful stench to the wet spot, the cat probably expressed his anal sacs. It could indicate that the anal sacs are too full for some reason and they need to be expressed, or it could just indicate excitement. (Your boyfriend must be a good petter!) I’ve had cats that got so ‘happy’ during a petting session that they drooled!
However, if the hair in the spot was wet, or the stain in any way looked as though it involved fecal matter, you should probably take your cat to the doctor. He could have a hairball problem or be on the verge of a major diarrhea outbreak for some other reason. A visit to the vet might prevent a more severe future problem, solve the problem you currently have, or at least ease your mind as to whether or not there IS a problem.
As a matter of fact, if it is just the anal sacs, I highly recommend that someone at your vet clinic take care of it for you - my clinic only charges $8.00 for doing it. It’s not as easy to do on a cat as it is a dog, and you’ll need two people. And holding on to a cat while trying to squeeze its asshole properly to express the sacs can be hazardous to your health.
Plus there is the possibility that you, your helper, your furniture, and the wall 4 feet away may end up spattered with the stinkiest and most persistent body fluid in the known universe.
You’ve got a point there, brother - and one of these days I’m going to figure out what it is. - Cecil Adams