My cats smell really bad and my mom is about to get rid of them

kara701

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Hi all, I have four cats. When they go to the bathroom, it smells horrible. They have all been to the vet and the vet hasn't found anything wrong with them, except for my 15 yr old who has hyperthyroidism, which she is on medication for. I'm at a loss here, as I've spent quite a bit on bloodwork and urinalysis with no answers.

I have seen no difference in smell with them eating dry food versus wet food, they still stink. Any ideas here? The smell is so bad your eyes water. Litterboxes are scooped three times a day and the smell doesn't even go away after cleaning the boxes..
 

vyger

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So this is just an off the wall crazy idea thing and likely others will disagree But ---

It is bacteria that causes the smell in poop, this is for everything including people. They have done a lot of research now into how important the "biome" in the gut is and it changes over time and causes changes in how well digestion works. This is why the medical world is changing how it thinks about antibiotics. Killing off everything in the gut and starting over is now known to be a bad idea.
But this leads me to wonder, if your cats have an ultra smelly batch of bacteria in their guts maybe the thing to do is give them antibiotics for just a few days to see if you can change the balance of their gut bacteria into something a little less potent in the methane department. A few doses of antibiotics should not harm them in any way and it may just help make a change in their gut bacteria that will make them a little more pleasant to be around.
To put it in a little different term, it's not the cats you have a problem with, it's the bacteria living in their guts. Change the bacteria and you change the smell they are producing. You should be able to find some Amoxicilian or something like it. It's possible even your vet would go along with trying it and provide you a few days dosages. At this point in time what have you got to loose?
 
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kara701

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Since you are conscientious about vet care I am assuming these cats have all been neutered.

How many litterboxes do you have and what type of litter are you using? Is this an ammonia smell or is it from feces?
Yes, all spayed/neutered. Four litter boxes, and I started using Cat Attract a few months ago. It honestly smells like both - it's a very, very strong smell, that smells like both pee and feces, and it even gives you a headache. It's not like the litter hasn't been cleaned in weeks, even tho it sure smells like it!
 
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kara701

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So this is just an off the wall crazy idea thing and likely others will disagree But ---

It is bacteria that causes the smell in poop, this is for everything including people. They have done a lot of research now into how important the "biome" in the gut is and it changes over time and causes changes in how well digestion works. This is why the medical world is changing how it thinks about antibiotics. Killing off everything in the gut and starting over is now known to be a bad idea.
But this leads me to wonder, if your cats have an ultra smelly batch of bacteria in their guts maybe the thing to do is give them antibiotics for just a few days to see if you can change the balance of their gut bacteria into something a little less potent in the methane department. A few doses of antibiotics should not harm them in any way and it may just help make a change in their gut bacteria that will make them a little more pleasant to be around.
To put it in a little different term, it's not the cats you have a problem with, it's the bacteria living in their guts. Change the bacteria and you change the smell they are producing. You should be able to find some Amoxicilian or something like it. It's possible even your vet would go along with trying it and provide you a few days dosages. At this point in time what have you got to loose?
I will be going back to the vet, I will ask them this! I asked here for ideas and to see if anyone has dealt with this before so thanks for the idea. I mean, of course something has to be wrong with them, even if the vet couldn't find it w/ bloodwork and such. Thanks for the suggestion!
 

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Wonderful thoughts in this thread and fascinating idea vyger vyger

I have four cats, two of them have poops that can sink a battleship and when they go I can smell it from 20 feet away. Vets have said they are fine - at least in that department. I have 5 litter boxes, yet, they all seem to like the one so it's cleaned out 4 times a day.

One thing I noticed with all of them using one 95% of the time is that it gets scratched up pretty good. So now I go get dollar store litter boxes for that one and every 6 -10 months I toss the box in recycling and start again. (Scratches in the boxes 1. make it harder to clean as it losses that kinda non-stick finish, plus is a great place for bacteria to go hide out in!

I also bleach the box out once a week. Now a word about bleaching - if you do that - rinse that box out REALLY REALLY well after using bleach water and soap to clean it. I cannot stress rinsing it well enough.

I also put some baking soda in twice a week.

These steps have helped a lot.
 

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It's been my experience that the less junk ingredients (gums, grains, and other plant based stuff like potato) in a Cat's food the less odor their poop will have. I always thought really stinky poop was normal but after I changed my Cats over from commercial food to a raw diet the smell almost completely went away. I had to move away from raw because of money issues, but what I'm feeding them now is mostly meat based instead of plant based and the smell is still nowhere near as bad as it was.

What about fortiflora probiotic for cats? To help with their gut
Acidophilus does a better job, Fortiflora has flavoring and other unnecessary ingredients. I've not had much luck with it actually doing anything for digestive issues, it's main use seems to be as a flavor enhancer to tempt Cats into switching to a food they wouldn't ordinarily want to eat.
 

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Hi all, I have four cats. When they go to the bathroom, it smells horrible. They have all been to the vet and the vet hasn't found anything wrong with them, except for my 15 yr old who has hyperthyroidism, which she is on medication for. I'm at a loss here, as I've spent quite a bit on bloodwork and urinalysis with no answers.

I have seen no difference in smell with them eating dry food versus wet food, they still stink. Any ideas here? The smell is so bad your eyes water. Litterboxes are scooped three times a day and the smell doesn't even go away after cleaning the boxes..
No covered litter boxes.my cat Peaches pees strait up on the sides so occasionally I spray an enzyme cleaner. There are also wipes you can buy at the pet store. Certain foods like fish can make smelly poops. Check the ingredients. Even if a food says chicken, sometimes fish oil is added
 

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Try a different litter. Sometimes a particular cat's body chemistry clashes with a particular litter. If they really need the Cat Attract, you can get an additive to use in any litter. Also make sure it's at least 3-4 inches deep.

Also, does the odor go away when the litterbox is freshly changed? If not, scour the house with a black light for possible potty areas.

Because, really, no matter how bad a cat's excretions smell, as long as they bury it and the litter is doing its job, the odor should be minimal.
 

Neko-chan's mama

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I agree with checking out the ingredients in their food. When I gave Neko-chan a food I got for free that had oats her poops were knock you out stinky. Once I switched her back to grain, oat and corn free the smell went away.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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Oh I forgot about the litter, switch to pine litter. Something natural; clay litters stink like hell when in contact with pee or poop.
 

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I second the black light. You may well have a cat going somewhere other then the litter box. If you find an area clean it well with either an enzyme or carbon dioxide cleaner. Soak the area well and let it dry naturally. It may take several applications. After it is cleaned put a litter box there as a temporary fix. There could be all kinds of things that cause that behavior.

I tried World's Best cat litter many years ago and had a real odor problem with it. I know it is a good litter, many people use it with no issues, but it didn't work for me. One of my cats apparently was different somehow and it was pretty bad. It actually smelled worse then just the odor from cats and boxes in need of cleaning.
 
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