So I have an elderly, arthritic, long haired cat who sometimes has digestive issues that leads to a dirty butt, plus just the usual long haired cat issues. While I would love to take her to a groomer and get a sanitary trim done on her; she is a hard NO on vets and groomers, she has to be sedated. I however can give her a bath. She likes it. From me. Only from me. So…the sanitary issue. Is there any health reason for cats that would stop me from washing her once a week at a minimum? With shampoo? I can’t dry her, that crosses a line. And I can’t groom her (I trim mats out on the fly). I definitely couldn’t trim back there even if I had the skills. But I can wash her. Which is just weird.
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That is weird 
But, if she lets you… 
I’ve seen wipes in pet stores that she might tolerate & you’d avoid having to to do full bath.
I would say a bath a little more often than is optimal is better than matted hair stuck with fecal matter, so give the bath if the cat allows it.
Sometimes you just have to choose the best option when none of the options are perfect.
You probably have tried it already but going to mention anyway… maybe worth getting a small set of cordless clippers and doing the same ‘on the fly’ thing to get rid of some of the hair around her backside. No, it will not look perfect, but it will make things easier for both of you if she lets you do a little here or there.
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A butt bath on a regular basis is fine, but I wouldn’t do a whole body bath just because “might as well”.
You say you can’t trim her back there - does that mean with clipper, or are scissors also off limits? If scissors haven’t been tried, try that, as even just reducing the length of hair around her anus can help a lot, and even better if you can shorten things all the way down her hamstrings. But if that’s not happening, then there’s nothing wrong with a weekly butt bath at her age 
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I had an ancient Maine Coon that I had to bathe periodically for the same reasons. He tolerated it with a lot of yowling protest. He did let me do the sanitary trim and cut out mats, thank goodness, because he only tolerated a small amount of brushing.
I say do whatever you need to do to keep him clean and happy.
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I use scissors and give them a rump cut. My long haired cat hates clippers. I think she remembers watching them clip cats at the spay/neuter surgery because it just terrifies her. She is fine with a bath though.
There’s a really fun YouTube channel called Girl With the Dogs that also features cat grooming. She says it’s necessary for cats who are not able to self-groom! So if it’s what the cat needs, I see no downside.
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Thanks everyone! To answer some questions, I can’t brush her at all and wipes fall into the brush category in her views. I don’t know all of her history, but for some reason brushes and wipes turn her into a hissing, biting, and clawing fury. And she won’t run away either. But, I am slowly inching backwards and down in the range for the scissors. I doubt I will ever get to the tail end though. I was awfully surprised by her willingness to be bathed by me (the first one was an act of sheer desperation after a vet visit and a car ride home that went poorly). So I am glad that a partial bath as often as is needed isn’t an issue. Some people seem so adamant that cats don’t need baths.
@Impractical_Horsewoman I’ve seen that channel, she has some funny videos.
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I think the baths are probably fine to keep her clean and hygienic.
As far as grooming, what about those mitt glove things where you pet them and it grooms them?
Or even put some pantyhose hose over your hand? I did that once with one of mine with long hair. It’s not perfect but it helps
Bathing it is! You can choose shampoos that have beneficial soothing/conditioning oils to help counter the frequency you might be having to bathe, making sure of course they’re safe for cats.
This works well on foals. It says natural oils. Maybe apply it right after she is bathed?
