Some cats need regular baths. Her gentle stink may have just reached the tipping point and you're only now noticing it.
Do you have a bathtub with a sliding door, or a shower curtain? I've found getting in the tub with the cat and letting it either look forlorn or make pathetic attempts at getting through a glass door was a relatively low stress way of delivering a quick and necessary bath (a couple of inches of water, mild shampoo, and a small plastic container for rinsing). A shower curtain means that this has to be a two person job.
Smelly cat, smell-y cat ... what are they feeding you?!
It's not your fault!
We watch too much TV.
- Totally.
In all seriousness, check her ass and see if she's got anal glands that are weeping. Some cats have anal glands that need expressed, just like some breeds of dog.
Okay, I only have dogs, so I may be way off base here...but do cats have anal glands similar to dogs? Because, um, when my dogs are having anal gland problems, the smell always reminds me a bit of fish. It's repulsive and it wafts over every time they move...and it doesn't smell like, well, the way you'd expect a butt to smell 
If that's it, the cat might take care of it on its own, or else (I've heard) it can sometimes lead to a trip to the vet. Thank god my doggies seem to have mastered the anal problem themselves.
Yes, anal glands. If they are bothering her (and the smell is very skunk-like) and she licks them for relief and then bathes herself, you'll have a quite smelly cat.
Whew, I'm glad cats have them too so I don't look like a total idiot. Thanks Melissa!
check her ass and see if she's got anal glands that are weeping.
Weeping? Like, they're dripping liquid? I've heard of the anal gland thing for dogs, and that they have to go to the vet for that. If they're weeping, do I take her to the vet?
If they're weeping, do I take her to the vet?
Yeah. They need to be, well, lanced, basically. Sometimes they can get kinda cloggy.
So I've heard, anyway. I've never had a cat with this issue.
Vet or animal groomer.
You know what I found out when I returned home from work today?
My dog ATE MY BOX OF SAMOAS!!!
The Samoas I ordered three weeks ago and waited patiently for until they arrived yesterday! The Samoas I actually daydreamed about today! I ate only three last night before the beast devoured the remaining cookies in my absence!
So, so, so, so sad.
I take my kitty to the groomer for this situation. They are familiar with how to express them and kitty gets a bath while there. And it's cheaper.
Sorry I don't know anything about cats. Just had to vent.
Anal glands sound reasonable. That's why cats drag their bums across carpets sometimes. My vet just squeezed my cat's glands once, so I'm sure any professional can do that... but at least it seems reasonable that she's not in harm.
I have two girls: one femmy as all hell, and the other a raging dyke. Before they were fixed, my lesbo-cat would go into heat by yowling at her reflection in shiny objects and spraying various linens. Like a tom. Yes.
That came from anal glands too.
Sorry I don't know anything about cats. Just had to vent.
Understandable. Girl Scout cookies are an important part of my happiness and survival. Thin Mints especially.
I don't know. While Thin Mints are very good, it would be wrong to over look Caramel DeLites.
This is sick. I'VE never had this problem.
I am totally boycotting CinnaSpins though. GSCookies in 100 calorie packs is just wrong.
Anal glands are a definite possibility, one of my cats was having anal gland problems due to diet - too high in fat and low in fiber. (Or so my vet told me, but they've lied to me before, especially when it comes to diet.) When you go, wear long sleeves because chances are you'll be holding her while the vet expresses, and you may get scratched. If you do a quick google search about anal glands you'll find a wealth of information on the topic, and it's an not a pleasant one. If she has anal gland issues, I suggest you check around your house.. er, sniff around it actually, especially at the floor level, and make sure she hasn't expressed them on anything, or if they're weeping, it hasn't leaked. The smell is almost impossible to get out of cushions and carpeting, but at least bedding can be washed. In the meantime, a damp paper towel or baby wipes will minimize damage.
If it's not her anal glands your next check should be her diet, as that's the number one cause of foul odors in animals. Is it high-quality? Some good ones can be found here: http://cats.about.com/od/
dryfood...mdrycatfood.htm Chicken Soup and Felidae are more inexpensive than the rest, but still are much higher quality than what you would typically purchase at the pet store.
Hope I've helped!
Could also be an abcess that's broken or partially broken. Our cat got one near the chin and it was rank. We use a weak tea poltice to clean it off, rub a warm rag soaked in tea on it gently and help push the puss out. It helps as an aneseptic and then if it goes all the way down keep it clean with antibiotic cream. The vet should also be consulted.
This comment thread makes me gag.
Which is not to say that I don't appreciate your advice. I do!
Also, take a good look at your cat's teeth. A healthy cat should have an almost minty smell because they lick their fur and their saliva contains a natural deodorizing agent. If you cat has an abscessed tooth, it may be transferring pus or bacteria to it's coat when it grooms itself. Or, if there is a lot of pain, the cat may just stop grooming it's coat altogether allowing a bad smell to develop. It is a good idea to scrape the tartar from your cat's teeth at regular intervals with your fingernail, the cat won't like it but it is it's best interest and will go a long way to preventing tooth decay and also terrible breath.
Haha, after dealing with it all the time you become immune. Not to say that I hope you have to deal with it all the time. But good luck, she looks like a very happy cat!
teeth would create a smell and sometimes you cannot see the problem tooth as much more than a bit red at the gums. tooth can often be cut down to the gum rather than extracted.
vet only.
cat zits...sometimes a size that would be a quarter on a human face...and they have to come out by hand...hydrogen peroxide at the ready. always leaves a big hole, but, after you squeeze out the infecting piece, wipe with HyPer and it's suddenly good.
anal sac problems. you can express at home...hold towel behind so you don't get hit, squeeze gently. it is possible to do this, gross, but some cats need this more often than one can get to a vet.
and cats do get into stuff. they stop grooming, which could have an underlying illness cause, or depression, and, dirty cat, smelly cat.
thanks for loving your kitty so much that you ask for advice. one serious cat illness sent me to the internet and i found an old email address which still worked and found a person who gave great advice at a difficult time.
worried kitty mommy, that's me.
Anal glands??? I think we called them piles when I had a cat. (Perhaps cats were different in the pleistocene era?)
SarahMC:
Give your vet a call. Chocolate is toxic to dogs in high doses. In lower doses you might see some sort of gastrointestinal upset. A vet can help decide whether treatment is necessary. After hours, you can call the pet poison control center: (88
4ANIHELP (426-4435, but note: they do charge for the call.
Dogs
*sigh*
Pus-filled anal glands and girl scout cookies. This thread is endearingly bipolar.
This is sick. I'VE never had this problem.
You aren't a cat or a dog, are you?
(Ducks......)
the cat won't like it but it is it's best interest and will go a long way to preventing tooth decay and also terrible breath.
Ummmm, if you go to Tart's blog and read some of the prior posts you'll soon see that doing that with this particular cat is likely to send you to the Emergency Room of your nearest hospital in the hopes that they can reattach your fingertip.
Voting anal glands, too. (Sorry, Tart!)
In fact, that might not be a bad write-in candidate, now that I think of it.
One symptom I've seen in my kittehs (of the anal-glandish retentiveness type) is that if they groom their ass, they'll do this sort of multiple tongue flicking out "Aaack! Aaack! Aaack!" face, afterwards. Doesn't look like they like the smell (or taste -- OK, now I've grossed myself out completely) either.
You can usually look at her bum and see if the glands are clogged or swollen (but not always, says vet-tech GF).
If it's not that, I'd definitely check her diet.
My kitty has been stinky of late, it's mostly her teeth, tho.
A bath is a good start, as it'll get out whatever is in her fur and make her feel better.
I should bathe my kitty and schedule her a teeth cleaning. She's terribly miserable with this medication she's on, but it's the only thing keeping her from ripping her fur out.
Doesn't look like they like the smell (or taste -- OK, now I've grossed myself out completely)
- Grody. This is now officially the most heinous thread of all time!
But, on the other hand, being able to post "My cat stinks; what up with that?" and instantly get compassionate answers to that question is srsly awesome.
Shakesville: We're Revolting! (In all senses of the word.)
This is sick. I'VE never had this problem.
Look, can someone squeeze konagod's anal glands for him?
I have three tabbies, all female, and one needs to go to the vet every 18 months or so to have her anal glands 'expressed'. Uhm I wouldn't advise trying it yourself. The procedure was simple but the kitteh wasn't happy and tried to scratch and bite. The vet inserts a gloved finger inside cat's rectum, hooks it, and gently presses on the inside wall of the anus. The goo came out in a stream and she had a tissue strategically positioned to avoid a big mess. If you're gonna try it yourself you'll need a friend to tend to the cat while you're busy.
Look for a dental specialist in your area; as others have said, it could very well be an abcess. Dental problems can be fatal, affecting other organs (causing liver and kidney trouble up to and including organ failure) as they rot. Good luck.
I am a heartless non-pet owner, and this thread has me LMAO.
(OTOH, if the kids ever manage to get their way and we wind up with a pet, I am in deep s**t.)
... the most heinous thread of all time ...
Shakesville is effin' awwwsum ....no, really ..!!
I am so waiting for the trolls ...
But, on the other hand, being able to post "My cat stinks; what up with that?" and instantly get compassionate answers to that question is srsly awesome.
Word.
I once had to evacuate Sam's scent glands and he did not like it at all. I can imagine doing it to a cat would involve a haz-mat suit and hockey gloves just for the protection from the claws.
And February is "dental health month" for pets -- dental services at a discounted rate at a lot of vet's offices. My Charlie (a/k/a "Stinky") goes in tomorrow for teeth cleaning.
I do cat rescue and once took a cat with an abcessed face to the vet. Basically it looked like half his face was torn up. The smell was unholy -- you could smell where he'd been. Manuevered him into a carrier and drove him to the vet with 3 windows down in the middle of winter. Putting Melvin down: $138. Getting the smell of Melvin out of my car: priceless.
I can imagine doing it to a cat would involve a haz-mat suit and hockey gloves just for the protection from the claws.
And Tart's cat is inclined to suddenly use claws even under good circumstances!
Well SarahMC, after reading this entire thread, I'm guessing you're not really very hungry for those cookies huh?
btw - isn't chocolate toxic to dogs?
Look, can someone squeeze konagod's anal glands for him?
Phoenician in a time of Romans
You're somebody too, PiaToR. Go right ahead.
I've never had to deal with AN ANIMAL THAT had this problem, either.
Leave it to Tart to get a thread going about food and stinking weepy anal glands simultaneously.
If her breath is also really bad, she probably has an oral infection like gingivitis or a gum absess. She'll clean her fur, and the saliva makes it smell, too.
my vet actually has a full body leather apron and leather gloves. When we still would go in, it often looked like she was preparing to go to war. Unfortunately, my Leo has become so vet phobic now that even the leather apron and such don;t help anymore and we are trying to locate a vet who will come in house or let me give him his shots myself.
This probably doesn't apply to Maggie, but while we're on the topic of stinky kitties--
Sometimes my nineteen year old cat gets smelly because his arthritis makes it hard for him to bathe himself. There is a dry shampoo just for cats that I found at Target--it makes him 'it's okay if you sleep on my face' fresh, and he enjoys the combing. It's a wonderful alternative to a water bath, considering his huge, gnarly old-cat claws.
Chocolate is generally considered toxic to dogs, (and cats, too - it's the caffiene) but not all dogs actually get sedriously sick when they eat it. This seems most true in big dogs - we had a couple of Goldens who took a cooling chocolate cake off the counter once. All it did was give them the (smelly, oily) runs.
Never heard of anal issues in cats. Good to know for future reference. It is generally a sign that something is up, though, when a cat who is usually good at grooming starts smelling. Usually even if they roll in something, they clean up after.
There are cats who never were really good at grooming, and that seems to be a totally separate issue. Had that problem with a roommate's cat who had some sort of food allergy and thus regularly had *explosive* diarrhea. We never waited long enough to see if he would clean himself. (Wasn't fast enough in any case) He just got a bath daily until they figured out what it was.
Yes to all of the above. Check her rear, check her mouth. Make sure you're feeding her a good quality, natural food. Felidae is an excellent brand. My Empress Zoë gets a mix of dry Katz 'n' Flocken (Solid Gold brand, has no corn/by-products/gluten) and Avoderm canned food. I do not use Avoderm dry food because they use corn and gluten in their dry. We feed our lab Solid Gold's dry dog food as well. A really good quality food will cut down on the poo too.
Every few months she gets a funk to her and I use these cat bath wipes. She tolerates this fairly well. It's not her favorite thing but it's not a nightmare like sticking her in an actual bath would be.
Make sure you're feeding her a good quality, natural food.
I give her Science Diet.
I once cleaned house for a cat breeder (persian show cats) and she bathed her cats every day.
I expressed my amazement, and she said that if you do it from when they are tiny kitties, they don't mind at all. Doesn't help with older cats, tho.
You got mad skillz for photo-captioning.
While Science Diet is definitely better than some other brands out there, you might want to check out some of the other brands mentioned in the thread. The two main ingredients in SD (regular adult cat) are: "Poultry by-product meal, ground corn".
In general though, switching her to a food that doesn't use any corn and has meat as the main ingredients and no by-products may help with any body odor she has (along with litter box smell/amount of poop [since more actual food is digested, less filler--which is what corn is--comes out]).
May I just take this opportunity to express how grateful I am that I don't have anal glands?
Well... A comments thread with Anal glands and GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. NOW, I've seen it all!!!
I don't have a cat. My mom has a dog. My SO has a cat. But, I don't have a cat. Or Girl Scout Cookies. And yet, right after I ate my lunch, I sat at my desk and read this entire thread. Why? Why??????
Hope the kitty is less stinky now, Tart!
Sometimes, clogged anal glands becomes a chronic problem ... if so, it might help if you learn how to express them yourself. Another plus side of bathing ... is that ... if the problem is anal glands, the warm water might loosen them up.
The tooth abscess also seems a likely candidate. Actually, abscesses tend to smell more rotten/fishy ... whereas, anal gland issues smell like ... well ... ass (or skunk).
I just found out about those mysterious anal glands as well. We've always had cats but I never knew about it. Last week my little bitty got an infected anal gland that abscessed (seriously gross, like a worm hole). Vet gave her meds but never said anything about squeezing them out or anything... Anyone been told they should routinely do this or is this just for those few cats who tend to have problems?
..Hockey Gloves ...
When I arrived to reclaim Ripley after the operation , the Vet handed me a pair of welding gloves, heavy leather and they cover to your elbows; she said, "be careful, sometimes they bite through these!" ....Rip was one really pissed cat guy, but he was OK when he recognized my voice ...good chance the welding gloves might be less expensive than the hockey things....
Try giving her Silica 6C.
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