Smelly Cat Stools

The Problem: Smelly Cat Stools

We recently took in a cat that was very under fed and looked like she was near death. We have been feeding her, and now she is happy and healthy. However, when she uses the cat box she can clear out a room of people with the smell.

What can I do about this? Is it the food I am feeding her, or is it something internal? If you can help it would be great.

Thank you for your time~~ Amy

Expert Reply

Hi Amy,

First, let me commend you on taking in that poor little feline. That was a very kind and generous thing to do.

On to the problem at hand. When stools smell obnoxiously strong it is usually due to the type of food being fed. Some cat food brands are of higher quality and more easily digested than others. I don't know the current brand you are feeding, but it may be beneficial to upgrade your new friend to a better brand.

I tend to stay away from recommending brands by name, because after the massive cat food recall we've all learned that even some of the high end brands are not all they're cracked up to be. Let me just recommend that you check the ingredients labels to look for a real, named meat within the first two ingredients, such as "chicken" or "Salmon". A named meat meal, such as "chicken meal" is almost as good, but a "chicken by-product" is a low grade protein source.

Some formulas also use corn and/or wheat as the first main ingredients. These are cheap fillers that make the food less digestible, so avoid those wherever possible. Hopefully the change to a better grade food will help the smelly issue. You might also want to look into a different litter that will do a better job of controlling the smell. You can always add baking soda to your current litter.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful.

~~ Kelly