Are you prepared to deal with a poop emergency? Here’s how to do it with as little mess as possible.

A poop emergency can happen out of nowhere… like today, for example.

Poor Misha wandered into the kitchen with a bit of a limp, and we immediately noticed a very pungent odor. Yep, sure enough, she had poop all over her leg.

After wrangling her long enough to deal with the poop emergency, we got just enough of the poop off so that she could clean herself. Needless to say, she’s getting quite the teeth cleaning tonight.

What To Do When Your Cat Has A Poop Emergency

Most owners will panic and chase after the cat. If you’ve ever experienced a poop emergency, you’ll know that this does absolutely no good. This only serves to scare your cat and cause them to scatter poop even more.

Misha is skittish on the best of days, so we had to carefully and calmly approach her. Thank goodness she decided to clean herself in the kitchen where there’s linoleum flooring. However, this was a poop emergency under the best circumstances when others were at home to help.

When You Have Help

If you have someone else to help you during your cat’s poop emergency (e.g. friend, relative, understanding spouse, etc.), have them gather cleanup supplies while you wrangle. Your cat will be more comfortable with you holding them than a stranger.

Cleaning supplies you’ll need include:

• Gloves
• Paper towels
• A plastic bag (for disposal of the dirty paper towels)
• An enzymatic stain/odor remover
• Bucket of cold water
• Rag or bath wipes (for your cat)

Try and keep your cat in the room you find them in by creating barriers (shutting the door, scooting furniture, etc.) that discourage your cat from running away without actually trapping them. Don’t try to chase/herd them into another room or throw something over them.

If your buddy isn’t too against it, have them wipe while you (gently) hold your cat. When we say “hold” your cat, we mean by the scruff. Unless your cat is extremely well-behaved and mild-mannered, they’re probably freaking out because they’ve got poop on themselves. Use a rag or bath wipe to clean your cat as best you can.

You might want to use warm water for your cat (it’s more comfortable for them) and save the cold water for any poop stains on the carpet. Depending on the severity of your cat’s predicament (i.e. how much poop they’re covered in), you may have to dig deep and give them a bath. If you’re lucky enough to have stocked up on bath wipes, use those.

Attend to your cat before any other messes. Trying to clean up carpet stains while your cat is trotting around making more is futile. Keep any other cats away from messes until you’ve cleaned them up.

When You’re Alone

Oh boy. We aren’t going to lie to you – it’s tough to do this alone. Luckily, there’s a trick that we’re going to share with you to make things easier.

Once you’ve got your kitty isolated to a particular room, go and get a cardboard box or a laundry basket. Bathing your cat in a tub or sink while you’re alone, especially when they’re already upset, simply won’t work. Once again, your cat would have to be extremely mild-mannered for a bath to work.

Place an old towel in the basket so that it drapes over the bottom and sides, like so:

Do your best to wipe off any excess poop before putting your cat in the basket/box. Once you’ve got kitty in the basket, use the towel and some warm water to “bathe” them. This way, you can create a loose “purrito” and keep them from jumping out while you wash them.

Don’t attempt to dry them off with the same towel. After all, you just wiped poop off of them with it. This technique is almost like creating your own kitty bathing station. Cats generally like cardboard boxes and baskets, so it helps them feel more comfortable and calm.

To freshen kitty up after bathing them, we recommend using Burt’s Bees Waterless Shampoo for cats. Wear gloves and put a few sprays on your hands. Spread the shampoo over both hands by rubbing them together, then gently massage the shampoo into kitty’s fur. Use a separate towel to pat your cat dry and get as much of the shampoo off as you can.

Don’t worry if you don’t get them completely dry. Burt’s Bees uses safe ingredients that won’t harm your cat when they groom themselves.

Cleaning Up Poop Stains

The aftermath of your cat’s poop emergency can be pretty awful. Once your kitty is cleaned up, it’s time to tackle the other mess – most likely your carpets. Cleaning poop off of laminate or linoleum floors is no problem, but carpet? It’s a headache!

Rather than go through the process step by step, we found this handy video that explains everything in just a couple of minutes.

Unfortunately, the products used in the video are NOT registered as pet-friendly. We advise using Nature’s Miracle or a similar enzymatic cleaner that doesn’t have harmful chemicals (like Puracy), repeating the same steps you see in the video.

For more pet-safe cleaning products, check out our complete list of favorite all-natural household cleaners.

Best of luck, pet parents! If you have any questions about what to do in a poop emergency, let us know in the comment section below.

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