Scooting or "Butt Dragging"

Scooting or “butt dragging” which is terminology to describe the behaviour of a pet who drags his furry backside across the floor.

This is typically associated with dogs rather than cats. However, while scooting is indeed much more common in dogs, occasionally a cat will also scoot.

There can be several causes for this behaviour, and it’s important to find out why. A one-time scoot is probably nothing to worry about, but if you notice your cat is doing it regularly, it would be a good idea to seek advice from your veterinarian.

Generally speaking, your cat is feeling some sort of discomfort or irritation in its reat that’s causing him to scoot. In particular long-haired cats, will sometimes scoot after leaving the litter tray. This will get rid of any poop or litter stuck to their fur. It could also be your cat has a skin condition that’s itchy or painful. The cat could even have parasites, allergies, or a problem with the anal glands.

Here are the common reasons for cat scooting:

• Itchy skin: In an effort to relieve the itch your cat will also over-groom by licking intensely. Be aware that butt dragging can inflame the skin and lead to hair loss.
• Intestinal parasites such as giardia, coccidium and worms. Seek advice from your veterinarian.
• Environmental allergies such as dust mites, fleas etc. could also be a possibility.
• Food allergy is also a possibility, so if you feed your cat a commercial diet containing grain such as corn, wheat, rice, soy etc. you should eliminate all grain from your cat’s diet straight away and see how this will improve. The other alternative, is to introduce a novel protein or a protein that your cat has never had before. A species-appropriate diet will help with any food sensitivities and poor stool consistency.
• Anal gland issues: This could be due to the fact that the diet you feed your cat is not appropriate and causes irritation and inflammation of the GI tract. It can also do the same to the anal glands.

Feeding your cat a species-appropriate diet will definitely improve both food allergies and poor stool consistency. Many health concerns, including anal gland problems and scooting, disappear once your cat is eating good quality raw food that nature intended them to eat.