Question
I've recently started letting my cat outside, which she really enjoys. However, one of her favorite things to do out there is to roll around in the dirt, which of course leaves her filthy. She's visibly brown and you can draw in the dirt on her with a finger. There's a cloud of dust when she shakes herself or you pet her.
It doesn't seem to bother her at all, and she is somehow clean again by the next day, but I wonder if licking all that dirt off herself every day is an issue. There are no pesticides or fertilizer or anything in the dirt, it's just dirt. (She only goes in my fenced backyard, so I know this for a fact.)
Like most cats, she doesn't like to be wet, and I imagine bathing her would be traumatic for everyone involved. I did try rubbing her with a damp paper towel, and she seemed to tolerate it, but it'd be a lot of effort to get her to even resemble being clean, so I don't know if I should bother. Should I take any action here or let her handle it?
And before someone comes in with a comment about how cats destroy ecosystems and shouldn't be let outside: she's older, doesn't jump or climb, and is horribly inept at hunting anything more sentient than a leaf. She stays in my yard and is not bothering anyone, I promise.
Answer
There are reasons you may want to consider bathing your cat if it gets covered in dirt. For one, of course it's going to track that dirt all over your house, and then there will be a lot more cleaning necessary. For two, dirt can contain things like germs or parasite eggs. Some parasites actively spread through ingesting soil that contains their eggs, such as the roundworm. However, at the same time, I wouldn't really expect bathing the cat to be good enough to completely prevent infection from ingesting soil, as there's a fairly high chance if you find the cat covered in dirt that it's already attempted to groom itself and has eaten some anyways. Therefore, since you know your cat is likely to eat dirt, you should keep particular watch for signs of parasites. Some of the possible symptoms include:
- potbellied appearance
- visible worms in stool or vomit
- diarrhea
- coughing
- weight loss
- dull hair
However, your cat may have no visible symptoms at all as well. It would be a good idea to tell your vet on your regular visits you know that your cat is eating dirt, and so you are concerned about parasites. Your vet may choose to test your cat for parasites or recommend some sort of treatment.
It may also be a good idea to inspect your cat's skin some just in case. Cats may roll around in dirt just because it feels good to them, but sometimes it may also be because their skin is itchy for some particular reason. If you notice other signs your cat is particularly itchy, it may be a good idea to ask your vet about that as well.
Answered By - Kai