Cat Urine Smell

Hi,

My 2 kittens (boy and girl, spayed and neutered) are about 8 months old now. Just for the past 2 weeks the litter box has had a very strong odor, I gag when I walk by. The urine smells almost like a chemical it is very powerful. Is this normal?

Anytime you notice a significant difference in something about your cats, consider it not normal. For some cats, their pee just smells bad. But not yours. So, this new thing is significant.

Are they drinking the same amount of water as usual?
Are you cleaning the box every day?
Have you changed litter?

Most importantly, are either of them peeing not in the box, or acting like it may hurt to go, or straining when they pee? If so, take them to the vet immediately. Esp in male cats, urinary tract infections can be fatal.

I had just switched to a new type of food (Purina ProPlan)...perhaps this could be it? They haven't missed the litter box...yet..I'm gonna switch their food back and see if that targets the issue. It is also difficult to determine which cat it is coming from because they share the litterbox.

It might be the new food, certainly, especially if the mineral/nutrient contents are much different than the old food. What were they eating before?

They were eating Nutro...I had changed because I got these coupons at a pet show for these free huge bags of the Purina...but obviously not worht the hassle if thats the problem. I think I'll just move them to Science Diet or something from my vet. If the smell doesn't ease up within a couple days I'll take them to the vet asap.

Go back to the Nutro! It is a way better food than either Purina or Science Diet. Science Diet, IMHO, is garbage. It's all undigestible plant matter, which is a strange thing to feed a carnivore Anyway, if they were doing well on Nutro, stick with it. Remember that vets aren't feline nutritionists just like doctors aren't dietitians.

Ok I will then, thanks! I'll go to the store after work and get what they were on before