cat feces stuck to skin on anus

Question
Hi, I have two cats, and one of them (Deedee) seems to have a problem with poop sticking to the skin on its anus. It's definitely not stuck to the hair, but to the skin. Sometimes there are quite large clumps attached, maybe as big as a pea. The cat in question also seems to dislike grooming herself, which I think is because she has a very dense coat, even compared to other cats of her breed (both my cats are Abyssinians) and sheds unbelievable amounts of hair. The other cat that we have (Lucy) also sometimes has poop stuck to the skin of her butt, but she is fastidious about grooming so it's rarer for her. Both cats are very young, only 2.5 and 1 years old. What I want to know is whether this is a behavioral, food, or health related problem. We are feeding them both Eagle Pack dry food (the expensive stuff) and alternating mid-end wet cat food brands like Whiskas and Snappy Cat. We are wary of changing their diet because we had them on a store-bought raw food diet for a short while and they both caught something nasty which resulted in diarrhea for many months plus many hundreds of dollars in vet bills (they never found the cause, and eventually the problem was solved with a probiotic meant for dogs.) Any insight you can offer would be very helpful. Thank you very much.

Answer
My cat has the same problem and she is short haired. I have
to groom her with a brush twice a day (short sessions) to
make sure the hair and dander don't get out of control. (thats on obsessive days lol but I try to do it once a day or every other day)
A short haired cat usually only needs once a week brushing, but I think it depends on the cat.

That said, since your cat has long hair..it is a MUST that
she is groomed once a day very thoroughly. Otherwise you are going to end up with hairballs all over your carpet and hair everywhere!

I would make sure she is on a high fiber diet which is usually found in indoor and hairball formulas. This will not only help keep hairballs at bay, but her bowel movements will be more normal and hopefully won't stick to her rear as often.

My vet told me it is also safe to give my cat 1/2 tsp of white petroleum jelly (Vaseline) orally 2x a week
as this helps with hairballs and lubricates the stool
(mineral oil is also an option but I have no idea what the dosage is for cats)

If you don't mind...put some gloves on and clean the anal
area gently with a mild cleanser to prevent infection.

You can also check with the vet's office on the phone to
see if this warrants an appointment.