Foul Smell Emitting from Cat's Rear

Soroxas

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My cat is overweight and old, not to mention too ornery for the vet to groom him. So often times I'm the one cleaning Sam's backend. Not that big a deal, but over the past few days, I've noticed a smell fouler than poop back there, and then noticed a 'wet' imprint on the floor that smelled similar. I'm thinking it might have something to do with the anal glands since he has been having soft stool lately. I haven't noticed any soft stool between yesterday and today and no 'wet' marks either. However, the smell is still there. Part of me thinks the smell is just stuck to the fur around his anus, but the other part wants to panic that something is wrong.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Also, I have Sam on a diet, but, to me, he just seems to be getting fatter. :(
 
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Soroxas

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Hello Sam and Soroxas Soroxas ! I do not have experience of this phenomenon, but strong, urge you to get a vet checkup for Sam, both for the specific problem and for advice about a possible weight-loss diet for him.
It sounds terrible, but I'm trying my best not take him to the vet. Over the last few months I've spent thousands at the vet with his surgery and then follow-up kidney issues. I'm still indebt to the vet, currently, and honestly can't afford to go at the moment. The place I go to charges a lot, but everywhere else won't treat him because of how mean he is. :( I'm kind of at a loss, and it's infinitely frustrating.
 

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I think the smell could be coming from a number of possible things including the ones you mentioned, but you might have a bit better luck asking the vet during a check up just to make sure everything is alright.

It could be the anal glands or unkempt fur. Sometimes as cats age they start lacking in the grooming department. For long haired cats this can really become a big problem. They do sell a number of products that can be helpful in that arena if your vet can't handle it, although I will say it seems a bit odd to me that they aren't able to groom him....it's pretty common for cats to act up and they usually have training and a protocol to tackle that.

Do you notice Sam licking or rubbing his bottom on the carpet? Po had to have his anal glands expressed, and while there was no smell, he would constantly lick his bottom. I have never heard a cat scream/cry/hiss the way he did in the vets office (I heard from the lobby- even the receptionist had to explain on the phone to concerned owners what was happening after they overheard lol), but anyway he came out just fine and it wasn't too expensive.

As for the weight gain, are you monitoring his weight? If you can't afford a pet/baby scale you can weigh yourself and then weigh yourself with Sam and subtract the difference. It's not a perfect method, but will give you a basic idea of which direction his weight is going. I would suggest addressing that with a vet as well, but first maybe find out exactly how many calories you are feeding him a day to see where he's at. Sometimes we think we're feeding a lot less but different foods have different caloric amounts. Po is also a fatty and has a really slow metabolism, so we feed him significantly less to maintain his weight than my other cats. Kinda like humans- to maintain some of us can eat 2500 and some can only eat 1500, it's all dependent on calories in vs calories out.
 

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It sounds terrible, but I'm trying my best not take him to the vet. Over the last few months I've spent thousands at the vet with his surgery and then follow-up kidney issues. I'm still indebt to the vet, currently, and honestly can't afford to go at the moment. The place I go to charges a lot, but everywhere else won't treat him because of how mean he is. :( I'm kind of at a loss, and it's infinitely frustrating.
Have you investigated CareCredit? It might be helpful for you.
 

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Try cleaning your cat's behind a few times a day to see if that helps. A damp paper towel will work. The anal glands may need to be expressed and it is something you can do at home with a extra pair of hands. There are videos and articles online of how to do this. If nothing comes out of the glands and the smell remains, the glands may be impacted or infected which unfortunately needs a trip to the vet for treatment.


There are threads here on TCS about weight loss. Here's some:

 
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Soroxas

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I think the smell could be coming from a number of possible things including the ones you mentioned, but you might have a bit better luck asking the vet during a check up just to make sure everything is alright.

It could be the anal glands or unkempt fur. Sometimes as cats age they start lacking in the grooming department. For long haired cats this can really become a big problem. They do sell a number of products that can be helpful in that arena if your vet can't handle it, although I will say it seems a bit odd to me that they aren't able to groom him....it's pretty common for cats to act up and they usually have training and a protocol to tackle that.

Do you notice Sam licking or rubbing his bottom on the carpet? Po had to have his anal glands expressed, and while there was no smell, he would constantly lick his bottom. I have never heard a cat scream/cry/hiss the way he did in the vets office (I heard from the lobby- even the receptionist had to explain on the phone to concerned owners what was happening after they overheard lol), but anyway he came out just fine and it wasn't too expensive.

As for the weight gain, are you monitoring his weight? If you can't afford a pet/baby scale you can weigh yourself and then weigh yourself with Sam and subtract the difference. It's not a perfect method, but will give you a basic idea of which direction his weight is going. I would suggest addressing that with a vet as well, but first maybe find out exactly how many calories you are feeding him a day to see where he's at. Sometimes we think we're feeding a lot less but different foods have different caloric amounts. Po is also a fatty and has a really slow metabolism, so we feed him significantly less to maintain his weight than my other cats. Kinda like humans- to maintain some of us can eat 2500 and some can only eat 1500, it's all dependent on calories in vs calories out.
Thank you for the info! He's not scooting around, and he doesn't appear to be in any kind of pain, which is saying something because he just had surgery for Cauda Equina back in September, and he was constantly in pain and didn't want anyone to touch around anywhere back there. With him being overweight, he definitely can't groom as good as either of us would like, but he does still groom.

Being that he has past kidney issues, they don't want to have to sedate him for grooming. And he really hasn't been acting all that different. He gets up a little less often, but he still plays whenever I get his favorite toy out. The vet also placed him on special food because of that, but had to take him off of it because it turned out that he was allergic to it. While eating that food, he gained a lot of weight. He has since put him on another that is gentle on the stomach, but I've been so afraid to switch him over with him having soft stool already.

I think I will attempt to clean him up tonight, and if the smell persists, I will just have to find a way to afford the vet.
 
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Soroxas

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Have you investigated CareCredit? It might be helpful for you.
Yes, it is currently maxed out, and the company won't extend my limit.
 

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I have successfully expressed my girls anal sacs at home. She was clearly in some discomfort, often licking her anus for extended periods of time.
I researched the anatomy of a cats back end and watched some YouTube videos on how to do it.
Then while my husband held her, I felt both of her anal sacs and found that her left side sac was full. When I expressed it it was sort of like squeezing a spot in that nothing happened at first then suddenly the fluid spat out.
She was not impressed that I did it and glared at me for the rest of that day, but it certainly relieved her discomfort and she is no longer extensively licking the area.
That saved her the stress and me the expense of a vet visit. Win win.
 
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Soroxas

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Just wanted to give everyone an update. I did end up having to take Sam to the vet, and yes, it ended up being an anal gland issue. Apparently I had accidentally expressed one while I was trying to clean him up a bit. So the tech expressed the other. He was not happy about it, but he was feeling so much better by the time I got him back home.

Thank you to everyone for the advice on this issue! <3
 

tarasgirl06

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Just wanted to give everyone an update. I did end up having to take Sam to the vet, and yes, it ended up being an anal gland issue. Apparently I had accidentally expressed one while I was trying to clean him up a bit. So the tech expressed the other. He was not happy about it, but he was feeling so much better by the time I got him back home.

Thank you to everyone for the advice on this issue! <3
VERY glad Sam is "clear" and feeling better! Some care can be done successfully at home, and I know there are tutorials about nearly every aspect of cat care; but it's often better to let the vet deal with health issues, though that can be difficult in these times.
 
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