Why Does My Cat Smell Like Poop?!

The smell came out of the blue. You were relaxing in your favorite chair one evening. The TV was on and you were leaned back. Then you smelt it, and you didn’t remember “delting” it.

You looked around the room baffled by the horrific smell. Then you saw your furry friend sitting at the bottom of your chair. He jumps up and snuggles up to your chest like usual.

Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue. You love the affection of your favorite furball. But tonight is different. There’s a nasty smell coming from your cat that smells an awful lot like poop.

You immediately move your cat off you and away from the chair. That smell was just unbearable. Why does your cat smell like poop? How did this horrible smell occur? A few days ago your furry friend smelled like roses. Now he smells like a freshly minted litter box.

My Cat Stinks Like Poop – What’s Wrong?

If your cat smells like poop, you know there’s something terribly wrong. Cats smell like roses by nature. They’re some of the cleanest animals around. They take hours each day grooming their fur and body.

As they take great care of their personal attention, it’s a bit baffling how a furball can smell so stinky. Luckily, we dug a little deeper and found a few reasons why a cat could smell like poop.

Why does your cat smell like poop? Here are a few probable causes:

Dirty Litter Box

If your cat smells like poop, then the first place to start looking for a solution is the litter box. Maintaining a clean litter box is just as important for your cat’s overall health as a balanced diet.

Without a clean litter box, your cat cannot stay healthy. This means cleaning the box 1-3 times a week and refilling litter on the regular. While this process may be the last thing you’d ever want to do after a long days work, it’s absolutely essential to ensure your furry friend stays healthy.

Plus, your whole house will start to smell like poop if you don’t attend to the litter box. You simply can’t keep a cat in the house without properly tending to the litter box each and every week.

Investing in the box and litter is also a good idea. Low-quality litter cannot absorb odors like a quality one can. With low-quality litter, many debris may get caught to your kitten’s paws and tracked throughout the house. This will also cause your furry friend to stink.

Invest in a good automatic self-cleaning litter box (click here to view our recommendations) and some quality litter. This will eliminate 90% of poop smells from your home, including any coming from your cat’s paws.

Dietary Changes

Just like us humans may have stomach issues and gas when we change our diets, your furry friend may, too. As your cat is a little creature, even a small change in his diet can mean big changes to the stomach.

This can lead to gas, diarrhea, and a lot of horrid smells coming from your cat. If you recently changed your cat’s diet, it’s important to be understanding of any newfound stink coming from the furball.

Make sure you feed your cat a high-quality cat food, preferably with some wet food. This offers well-being insurance for our furball, and it can go a long way towards avoiding awkward smells. Just don’t drastically change your cat’s diet all at once.

Dirty Cat Problems

Your cat may get dirty from time-to-time. If your cat has had diarrhea, they may smell like poop because they cannot clean the fur around their rear area well. Diarrhea could have gotten stuck in this area. You may find stains around here after stomach problems.

If you have an outdoor cat, you may notice he’s a bit dirty on occasion. Outdoor cats have a tendency to get dirtier than their indoor counterparts. This is feline nature and cannot be avoided.

For outdoor cats, you’ll want to use cat wipes each week. Check for ticks and fleas. Smell the fur to ensure nothing weird is going on. Every month or so, you’ll need to give your outdoor cat a bath to ensure he stays smelling good.

Anal Glands Infected

Last, but not least – you’ll need to pay attention to cat anal glands. This area of the cat’s body is found near their bottom and underneath the skin. It can get infected or start leaking. Both issues offer horrid smells.

These anal gland issues always produce a smell that is poop-like. You’ll know if your cat has one of these problems. The furball may scoot across the carpet to scratch his behind or may have trouble using the litter box.

These type of issues should be handled quickly and professionally. Take your cat to the vet if you sense anal gland issues. More than the poop-like smell – these issues can be heath hazards for your cat.

Get Rid of the Smell!

If your cat smells like poop, don’t panic. Go down the list down and try to come to the butt of the issue. Once you find what’s making your cat smell, work to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Clean the litter box. Pay attention to dietary changes. Give your cat a bath. Take your furry friend to the vet. You should have a good-smelling cat in no time by following these simple steps!