Stool covering

[fidola]

Hi all. My 6 mos old kitten doesn't cover her stool with the kitty litter and it stinks! Really bad! There's been no change in anything or behavior. Any one have suggestions to reduce stool odor?

 

[Kieka]

When you are feeding your cat the right diet their poop will stink. The problem you are having is more of the kitten not wanting to cover her poop. My boy is the same way when he knows a human I nearby to clean up after him. We scoop within minutes of him using the box if we are home. I have always figured that it means he is confident and feels safe because they cover it to hide the smell and their presence from danger. Him not covering it could be a sign he isn't afraid in our home..... or he is just lazy and enjoys having his humans cleaning for him. I will say that when we use larger boxes he covers better and he is covering better right now with him on crate confinement for a broken leg (probably because he is stuck in a crate with it).

You could try one of the automatic litter boxes that will clean up the mess for you.

 

[fidola]

Thanks for the feedback. Hope your guy heals quickly!!

 

[basscat]

 
When you are feeding your cat the right diet their poop will stink.

You sure about that?  I have one that eats kibble, buries his business completely, and cleaning out his box will bring you to tears.
Have another that eats raw chicken, won't bury at all, and NO smell.
And if ever there was a cat with the instinct to hide the smell....it would be the one that doesn't cover.

 

[Kieka]

 
You sure about that?  I have one that eats kibble, buries his business completely, and cleaning out his box will bring you to tears.
Have another that eats raw chicken, won't bury at all, and NO smell.
And if ever there was a cat with the instinct to hide the smell....it would be the one that doesn't cover.

What I have heard is that the higher the protein content the more the poop will smell. Essentially, the poop will mostly be the digested meat and smell like it. I could be wrong and it could vary from cat to cat and diet to diet. Your experience speaks to that idea. 

 

[basschick]

our cat doesn't bury his poop, either - he's 18 and got into the habit of not burying after watching our late other cat not bury his.  i just clean it out of the box and put it in a plastic bag when he goes.

 

[fidola]

Just wanted to update the foul smelling stool. Gracie's original fecal test was negative so I didn't give her the dewormer my vet gave me.

I figured I'd start there b4 switching her diet etc.... gave her the dose on Monday and by late Tues/Wed just normal smelling stool odor. The fecal test must've been a false negative or just didn't pick up whatever parasite was in there.

 

[basschick]

glad to hear the results were negative. 

btw, our cat has awful smelly poop sometimes, but apparently is sometimes a result of his food or laxative.