Cats really do save lives. Sometimes all you need is a little guy to follow you about and sit on your lap (or laptop) as soon as they have the chance, or if yours is anything like mine, to ignore you all day until it’s time to eat. Because of this, cat owners should always be on the lookout for any indications that something might be wrong with their feline companions. The scent of their excrement is one such indication that you should watch out for. It should be light and scarcely perceptible in a healthy cat. However, something is wrong if the odor is strong enough to make you wonder, “Why does my cat’s excrement smell so bad?” What it might indicate and what you should do are as follows:
Diet
Cats, like humans, can react negatively to particular diets or certain food elements. For instance, your cat can be intolerant to grains or meals high in vitamins. Some cat meals also have a lot of fillers, which makes them difficult to digest and may cause smelly cat excrement. Cats are innate hunters, so if you watch closely, you might see them pursuing and consuming, to name a few, insects, rodents, and small reptiles. Despite the fact that they are carnivores, these protein-rich diets could produce an unpleasant stench.
How Do You Know If the Smelly Poo Is Being Caused by Diet and What Should You Do?
Diet is to blame for your cat’s unpleasant-smelling feces if:
You Have Recently Introduced a New Food into Their Diet
Remove it from their diet and replace it with cat food devoid of grains and vitamins, or switch to higher-quality cat food, as a solution. Additionally, switching the cuisine progressively can help if you introduced it abruptly. For example, ten days, begin by providing it in tiny doses and then gradually increase them.
You Have Reason to Think They Were Out Hunting
The only option is to wait it out if they don’t eat as much as normal, come home covered in blood, or show any other indication of feeding in the wild prior to the foul poop.
Bacteria
Given their high prey drive and preference for the outdoors, cats frequently hunt rodents, birds, and other small animals for food. It is simple to dismiss this as a non-issue by claiming, “But my cat has been hunting and eating them for years and has never had a problem,” which would be the case in most cases. However, the issue is not with consuming the prey; rather, it is with what the prey is carrying. They may produce particularly pungent-smelling excrement if they consume unhealthy prey, like one that is infected with salmonella or E. coli bacteria.
How Do You Know If the Smelly Poo Is Being Caused by Bacterial Infection and What Should You Do?
There’s a good probability that you noticed additional symptoms if your cat had a bacterial infection. If you haven’t or they haven’t yet materialized, keep an eye out for the following warning signs and symptoms:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Runny nose and eyes
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
If your pet exhibits any of these symptoms, you need to get them checked out by a veterinarian right once. Bacterial infections that have advanced are fatal.
Parasites
All cat ages, from kittens to adults, might develop stinky stools as a result of intestinal parasites. The most common route for kittens to contract an intestinal parasite is through their mother, while fleas, other infected cats, or hunting and eating infected rodents are the main sources of infection for adults. Once inside the cat, worm eggs migrate to the intestines, where they begin to develop and reproduce. They can be lethal if untreated. Giardia, Coccidia, and Trichomonas are the three cat parasites that generate the most unpleasant-smelling cat feces.
How Do You Know If the Smelly Poo Is Being Caused by a Parasitic Infection, and What Should You Do?
Before the symptoms appear, which often take between five and sixteen days, it can be challenging to be certain that your cat has been affected with parasites. But as soon as the foul poop starts, you can determine they have parasite infections because:
- Loss of weight despite eating more than usual or eating the same.
- Poor hair coat.
- Anorexia.
- Dirty ears.
- Itchy, scratchy skin.
- Alopecia (hair loss)
- Scratching of the ears
- red, irritated skin.
Consult a veterinarian who will treat your friend and use antibiotics and other treatments to help them get healthy. The effectiveness of the treatment can take up to two weeks.
Medications and Supplements
Some cat medications may change your cat’s healthy gut flora or upset the hormonal balance that regulates your cat’s body’s natural chemical equilibrium. For instance, it is well known that medications can change intestinal microorganisms. The cat can have sour-smelling excrement while on the drug. Additionally, taking vitamin supplements could make your cat’s feces smell.
How Do You Know If the Smelly Poo Is Being Caused by Medication, and What Should You Do?
If your cat is on medication and the problems with smelly poop started around the time they started taking medication, that is probably to blame. The same is true for supplements: if the scent appeared around the time you began taking vitamins as a supplement, that was probably the cause. If you think the medication is to blame for the pungent feces, don’t ignore them under the assumption that “it’ll pass,” even though it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. “It’s in their best interest,”
Beyond making the poop smelly, you can’t be sure the medicine isn’t doing any other harm. It would be best if you spoke with your veterinarian, unless they specifically stated that it might result in pungent feces. They might replace the problematic drug with one that isn’t as problematic, or they might give you instructions. You need to cease providing them vitamins right away. The majority of premium cat feeds have well-balanced diets; therefore, nothing else needs to be added.
Anal gland infections
On the sidewalls of the anus’s interior, cats and dogs have anal glands that secrete a pungent liquid. The liquid may have a highly potent, unsavory odor if they become infected, making the cat excrement exceedingly pungent. Anal gland infections can result from a variety of causes. You may find signs of blood and pus in the foul excrement or on your cat’s behind if they clog and develop an abscess.
How Do You Know If the Smelly Poo Is Being Caused by an Anal Gland Infection, and What Should You Do?
You shouldn’t sit on this since every time a cat with an anal infection poops, they are in discomfort. If you detect any of the following symptoms, consult a veterinarian right away:
- Dragging or scooting the anal region along the surface
- excessive licking of the tail’s underside
- Pain in the area of the anus.
- A swollen area on either side of the anus.
- Bloody or sticky discharges on either side of the anus.
Your veterinarian will rinse and clean up the infected region, open and drain the abscess in the glands, and maybe place a drain to facilitate drainage from the lesion until it is cured.
Digestive Disorders
Some cats have extremely sensitive stomachs, even when they don’t have specific allergies or food intolerances. In cats, sensitivity can result in diarrhea or highly sticky feces. In addition to sensitivities, your cat may experience problems with food digestion or nutrient absorption due to medical diseases like mal-digestion and mal-absorption. These conditions may assault your cat due to its age or develop over time. Starches or fats may not be absorbed by their digestive system, which may cause them to pass rancid-smelling feces.
How Do You Know If the Smelly Poo Is Being Caused by Digestive Disorders, and What Should You Do?
Aside from having smelly poop, your cat may also exhibit the following symptoms, which indicate digestive issues:
- Diarrhea.
- Constipation.
- Weight loss.
- Dehydration.
- Vomiting.
- Decreased appetite or anorexia.
- Fever.
- Abdominal pain
It is time to take them to the veterinarian if they exhibit any of the aforementioned symptoms. To find the disorder’s true etiology, testing will be performed. Ask them to suggest the ideal foods for your pet buddy if they think a sensitive stomach is to blame. They will address any further causes effectively if they are discovered.
Litter Choice
Sometimes, odorous poop doesn’t indicate a health issue with your cat. It can be an indication of issues with their toilet. There are different kinds of litter, including clumping and non-clumping varieties, and some of them are better at absorbing odors than others. If you are certain that it is empty and it is not yet time to change your litter, its quality is the sole explanation.
How Do You Know If the Smelly Poo Is Being Caused by a Poor Litter Choice and What Should You Do?
Consider switching to a different brand of litter if the one your cat uses wasn’t specifically labeled as unscented or odor-controlling. If it was, you could try it out on your friend by purchasing a better-quality litter and seeing how it performed. Take into account any additional factors that may affect when to change cat litter, such as clumping vs. non-clumping cat litter. If the offensive smell disappears entirely, the issue is with the quality of the litter. It would be ideal if you only used this as a last resort, though. It takes time to test and can successfully cover up the odor rather than addressing its underlying cause.
