My kitten smells

[las92]

Okay, so I got my kitten, Tali, about 2 weeks ago from my boyfriend's grandma. Her cat had a kitten, and her husband wouldn't let her keep it, so I got her! Unfortunately, they were both chain smokers, so Tali wreaked of cigarettes when I first got her. The smell has somewhat faded, but is still there. I've brushed her and used a waterless shampoo on her, but that only worked temporarily. Any suggestions on how to get the smell out for good? I reallyyy don't want to have to give her an actual bath if I can avoid it, but I will if necessary. Thanks!!

Here's a picture of her! She's a sweetie. (:

Snapchat-4712.jpg

• las92
• Oct 6, 2013

 

[vball91]

In this situation, I would give her a bath. I'm not sure anything else will work. It should be only the once though and it does offer the benefit of maybe getting her used to it in case it's ever needed again. Just be sure to dry her really well and keep her warm until fully dry. Oh, and you may want to trim her claws first in case she fights. Another good thing to get her used to while she is young.

She is an absolute cutie. How old is she?

 

[ondine]

She is beautiful.  Other than a "real" bath, the only thing I can think of is if you can get on of those grooming gloves (at PetSmart).  They remove fur and keep the shedded fur on one place.  Sooner or later, her entire coat will be replaced and the smell should go, too.

I would recommend doing this soon, though.  If she's grooming herself, she may be getting nicotine off her fur.  That can't be good for her.

Thank you for adopting her and welcome to TSC.

 

[las92]

I have one of those rubbery brushes that's supposed to remove the fur that has been shed, if that's what you're talking about.

And thank you! I got her when she was 7 weeks old (I wish she could've stayed with her mom longer, but it wasn't an option. He was going to "get rid of it," which are never good words to hear). She'll be two months old on Oct 10.

 

[las92]

Oh, and her claws are trimmed. The vet was nice enough to do it when I took her in. Doesn't seem to help much though...

 

[sivyaleah]

There is a spray pet "shampoo" by Pet Head which is pretty good that might be useful, but I'd check and make sure it's ok to use on kittens before going ahead with it.  It has a blueberry fragrance to it.  We used it recently on Cocoa, when she hid up in the attic for half a day and was fairly dirty and a bit stale smelling after she came out of hiding.  She's longhaired, and while we've bathed her before I didn't want to go through the whole trauma of doing that to her unless really necessary, like if she had had a bathroom accident or something.  The Pet Head was sprayed on, not too heavily, rubbed dry.  She smelled really nice afterwards and it lasted for nearly a week or so.  Not sure how she felt about it, but that was her problem not ours lol.  

Of course there are other brands out there also.  She just might need a freshen up and this might do for now.

Edit: BTW your kitten looks like what Cocoa probably looked like as a kitten.  She's darling!

 

[lilin]

 
She is beautiful.  Other than a "real" bath, the only thing I can think of is if you can get on of those grooming gloves (at PetSmart).  They remove fur and keep the shedded fur on one place.  Sooner or later, her entire coat will be replaced and the smell should go, too.

I would recommend doing this soon, though.  If she's grooming herself, she may be getting nicotine off her fur.  That can't be good for her.

Thank you for adopting her and welcome to TSC.

Fortunately for kitty, the nicotine is pretty much gone from exhaled smoke. It absorbs very quickly -- often while still in the mouth, before it's even in the lungs.

Of course, second hand smoke isn't any better for cats than for humans, but whatever is stuck to her fur should be harmless, apart from smelling bad.

But hairs do have a texture, so yeah, is entirely possible that the smell won't totally go away until her fur has all been replaced.

 

[catspaw66]

I would be more concerned about the tar and other things in second-hand smoke. I go to my friend's house (both he and his wife smoke) and when I leave even after 20 minutes, I reek of smoke. The smell stays in my hair until I take a shower and shampoo my hair. I like all the suggestions people have given you. I also think that until her fur grows out and is replaced, there will be some odor.

 

[Willowy]

I'd give her a bath, probably in Dawn because smoke residue is oily and I don't know if regular shampoo will get rid of it as easily.

Mouth cancer is common in cats who live in indoor-smoking homes, so there must be something nasty in what they lick off :dk:. I'd want it off her as soon as possible.