Cat Help, Please? (poopy smell)

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fumblesquid

fumblesquid

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
306
Location
Massachusetts.
Hello, shackers :)

I have recently taken in a kitty from a friend temporarily. When I met him, he had come from a 45 minute car ride in a carrier, and he pooped on himself during, yet I still had the heart to take him home, lol. When he arrived after the car ride, he was hosed down and we used baby wipes on him. I have been trying to rid him of the smell since. I got him Sunday (jun 22nd) and bathed him with cat shampoo the following tuesday, and have been using earthbath brand cat wipes (very similar to baby wipes that are unscented). Less smelly, but still makes my hand smell foul after petting him! His whole coat smells, not just his bum. I'm thinking that the poop smell is coming from his accident before, because according to my friend his usual smell is quite nice! So I'm kind of stuck here, wondering what the next step is. I've ordered a different type of kitty shampoo online, but it will take awhile to come here (the other stuff was old).

Should I continue baby wiping him, and bathe him more? He honestly does SUPER well with baths (super calm, dog-like cat). Or should I be doing other things? Could it be a medical problem (anal gland issue)? I'm kind of at a loss.

I understand this is a rat forum, and if ANYONE knows of a great cat forum I can sign up for, please tell me! I just figured I should try here because cats are so common, and I trust the information here.
 
Thats odd. I would think bathing him with kitty shampoo would do the trick. I'll assume he's fixed and its not boycat balls smell?

Any chance he's snoozing in his litter box? Our orphan kitten has been doing this and then wants to snuggle in bed with me with his poopy smelling self :sick2:
 
if bathing him hasn't helped, I would definitely have him checked for impacted anal glands.
also check his teeth and his breath- since cats groom themselves the same way rats do, if they have icky bad infected teeth, they can just spread that awful smell all over themselves when they lick themselves. Some cats can have breath that smells so bad, it smells like feces.
Also there are medical problems that can make their breath stink. :(

A groomer can check the anal glands, but you'd want a vet to check the teeth, etc.

how well do you know this friend? It's very doubtful that a problem this bad came on suddenly.

I had a cat who always pooped when she had to go anywhere in the car, and she never smelled like it after being cleaned up.
 
He is *not* neutered, which we are going to get done ASAP. We just took him to the vet first, for a full checkup to see his condition. He has some teeth missing so bad breath could very well be the cause!! I will have to sniff at his mouth region to see if that's the source. I've seen him groom himself, and you're right Petunia, that could spread the smell.

He does have FIV, and I'm not sure if that could cause something medical that could lead to odor.

I am worried about an anal gland issue. When he sees the vet again I will have him check for sure!

Oh, just sniffed his mouth. It smelled like cat food and his normal stinky odor. Nothing extra strong. Should I open his mouth to sniff it, to be sure?
 
oh so sorry to hear he's got FIV! that brings with it all sorts of potential problems.

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/cat-fiv-feline-immunodeficiency-virus

basically he has the cat version of AIDS, which in cats in usually spread by an infected cat biting a non infected cat. Intact males are at a very high risk for FIV because of the bite wounds they get when fighting other roaming intact males.

how wonderful of you to take this sick guy in and get him neutered.

if his mouth doesn't smell any more stinky than a normal cat's mouth, there's no reason to investigate that further.


hopefully the vet will give you more information about FIV and what other things to look for.

I've only known 2 FIV cats, one lived til he was about 10 yrs old and appeared healthy, although the owner did not take him to the vet for years, so who knows? he died suddenly without any outward signs of illness. Regular vet check ups probably would have found some disease that may or may not have been treatable.

The other FIV cat was a neighbor's cat, they didn't know that he had FIV. He suddenly started bleeding from his nose. Took him to the vet who diagnosed FIV and a nasal cancer & extreme anemia and he was immediately put to sleep, there was nothing else they could do.
He had been neutered but was still allowed outdoors and did get into some fights with other cats.



just to be clear, he has FIV and not FeLV? feline leukemia and feline "AIDS" are often confused. Feline leukemia virus is often much milder and most cats can live a long healthy life with that. Not usually the case for cats with FIV, sadly.
 
My cat has anal gland problems and can smell, so we have to take her to the vet and get her bum cleaned regularly :( I hope it's nothing more serious than that for you. Good luck !
 
This poor cat sure has the odds stacked against it! I'm glad your willing to help it out. I'm not a cat person and don't pretend to be even though the hubby has one, but I will keep this putty in my thoughts and prayers since I also do not wish bad things for any animals. ♥♥
 
Thank you all for the advice! He really doesn't act "sick" as you would think - he's very mellow and calm and loving. His issues don't seem to stop him from being him, at all.

Also, I'm not sure if it's FIV or FeLV? My mother got the info from the vet, and the vet still had to do more tests on the blood when she went there (we had to take our dog in, anyways, for a routine checkup). We need to call again, to find out more. I just remember my mom telling me that the vet said he should live a long, relatively healthy life (just that he's prone to infections).

As far as the smell, I will just have to take him to the vet to get his anal glands checked. The vet can also give a second opinion on his breath. I hope it's something that will go away with treatment!
 

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