cat making everything stink

kmlong

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Our cat is really stinking everything up! He's got a real fowl smell coming from his rearend area. I'm assuming it's his anal gland. It's a slight discharge and holy crap does it stink!! He is 6 months old, just got fixed, had all his shots done at a clinic but doesn't have a vet yet. this stink problem has been happening for awhile and i guess it doesn't bother my wife but it really bugs me. He gets it on the furniture, carpet, us, etc. I had no say in the matter of even getting a cat. I came home one day and there it was!! He's a good cat but i can't take this smell anymore and i'm ready to get rid of the cat behind my wife's back just like she got him behind mine! I'm NOT an animal hater!! I've complained and complained about this smell to my wife and told her to find out what to do about it and she just procrastinates and puts it off. The cat has taken a very strong liking to me more than my wife because i work second shift and get home around 11pm just when he's getting his second wind. He loves to lay on my lap in the lazy boy when i'm watching tv and just purrs and purrs so loud i have to turn the tv up. I guess we're gonna have to find a vet and take him there to get looked at. we don't have the money for this thus the whole reason i didn't want a cat! I know that mostly the reason for his problem is because the anal sac isn't getting released when he makes a bowel movement mostly due to soft stools. I contribute his daily treats part of the reason towards his soft bowel movements. My wife insists on giving him treats everyday because we have a york terrier and he gets a bone when he comes in from outside and the cat knows this. so the cat gets a treat too! of course the cat gets a cat treat and the dog a dog treat. i don't think this stuff is healthy at all for pets!!!! but i can't convince her otherwise! he does not have visibly runny or soft stools and eats like a horse!! I'm just assuming maybe this is part of the problem, that is, giving him treats! Can someone please give me some advice. I don't want to fight about this with my wife, he's caused MANY fights since he's come into our lives!
 

jellybella

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It's not normal for a cat that young to have anal gland problems. He may be having soft stools due to very treatable (but admittedly gross) worms which are very common in kittens and as you mentioned, getting rid of the loose stools could fix the anal gland issue. Either way a vet trip is in order.
Please take him to a vet before you "get rid of him". It sounds like the little guy loves you and it may be very treatable.
 

gailuvscats

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See the VET, and take your wife, and ask the vet, while your wife is listening, on the proper diet for your cat. My cat had very soft stool due to food allergy. He had a course of steroie, and I switched to stomach sensitive food, and now he is fine. That is not necessarily your problem, and cats are the best. Maybe he is under stress because he senses your loathing. You really need to get his health, and the dispute between you an your wife resolved for everyone's sake.
 

pee-cleaner

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Oh, I know what you're talking about. We call it butt grease! A high fiber diet will help "massage" the area as he poos and will help the excess "grease" to be released on the stool and not leak out later.
 

sharky

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TIme for the VET...

What are you feeding him>>>??? brands and type.. ie wet or dry or both
 

sadie's mom

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I don't know anything about what age the anal glands can become a problem so I would bring him to the vet to ensure it isn't something else. If it does turn out to be his anal glands, it's not that big of a deal. My vet spent the time to teach me how to express the glands myself. I did this on a weekly basis and it was pretty easy to do (you just need patience).

But, I suggest you take him to a vet to find out what the problem is before assuming it's the glands.
 
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kmlong

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the cat is well loved, he don't seem stressed at all. he's a bit jumpy now after being fixed last week but he is coming around again. He gets plenty of water. we've fed him purina kitten chow since he was 6 weeks and he still gets that. het gets no wet food. he also gets a cat treat in the evening, those chewy ones or whatever they are. my wife is trying the "purina one" now slowly mixing it with his other food. we're just following the recommendations on the back of the bags about keep giving kitten formula till they're 1 year old. i question this but i'm not a vet.

dewormed him at 9 eeks and then again 2 weeks later per directions on bottle. it said not to do it anymore than twice a year unless instructed by a vet. only saw a few flat like worms in his stools. it really was bad but then again not sure how well pet store deworming formulas are. It's called "D-worm" from petsmart. He's by no means in my opinion a kitten anymore, he's almost the size of a full grown cat! he got so big so fast! He's 6 months now. but i guess by age he'd still be considered a kitten.

Butt Grease is a good way to put it. I completely cracked up when i read that! thank you for the laugh, i needed that. We've tried wiping his rear when we smell this stuff but man does he squirm around and we don't want to restrain him cause then he gets P'd off!! He is a very good tempered cat and we don't want to change him.

should he get a more adult like food? what would give him more fiber? i know too much would not be good, i'm sure it's the same for cats as it is humans! lol! thanks for your help.
 

sharky

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FIRST the vet should DEWORM him OTC wormers are often ineffective ...

ONE is a okay food but at petsmart comepare it to Royal canin, Nutro , Authority , Blue spa and By nature....

all of those are by product free and most are grd corn free .... all are artificial color , flavors and pres free
 

bab-ush-niik

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I've never found the over the counter meds to work. If you're still seeing worms, he's still got them. The prescription meds are very good though.

IME, most vets don't know a thing about proper nutrition. I've found this site to be extremely helpful though.

http://www.catinfo.org/

If there's any way you can get your wife "into" getting the proper foods for the cat, it would relieve a lot of stress on you. Read up about it a little yourself, and then see if you can find a way to encourage her to spend some time researching this. It is very interesting in some respects.

but i guess by age he'd still be considered a kitten.
BTW, since you don't seem to be a cat person, I thought you might like some warning. If he's like most cats, he'll still act like a kitten when he's 2.
1-2 is the worst because they're strong enough to cause trouble and crazy enough to get into it.
 
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kmlong

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please don't get me wrong, i don't dislike cats but niether one of us have ever owned a cat and the thing that upset me the most was now all the sudden we have one. I guess there's no better way to learn than to jump right in but I don't think it was really fair for "Otis", that's his name.

We feed our yorky Nutro, he won't eat anything else. Maybe we'll try it for Otis. The only time we saw worms when when we did the over the counter deworm. we've never seen them any other time. Yes, he is VERY brave and he is learning what "NO" means! He knows what he is allowed to do and what not, but he will do it the second we're not looking. It's funny but frustrating! this site has indeed been very helpful, thank you everyone so far for your help.
 

white cat lover

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I highly suggest a vet visit. Often, you cannot see worms when they have them. You can take in a stool sample to be tested, just to be safe. But, his bum smelling is not a normal, nor is it a good thing.
 

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Originally Posted by kmlong

the cat is well loved, he don't seem stressed at all. he's a bit jumpy now after being fixed last week but he is coming around again. He gets plenty of water. we've fed him purina kitten chow since he was 6 weeks and he still gets that. het gets no wet food. he also gets a cat treat in the evening, those chewy ones or whatever they are. my wife is trying the "purina one" now slowly mixing it with his other food. we're just following the recommendations on the back of the bags about keep giving kitten formula till they're 1 year old. i question this but i'm not a vet.

dewormed him at 9 eeks and then again 2 weeks later per directions on bottle. it said not to do it anymore than twice a year unless instructed by a vet. only saw a few flat like worms in his stools. it really was bad but then again not sure how well pet store deworming formulas are. It's called "D-worm" from petsmart. He's by no means in my opinion a kitten anymore, he's almost the size of a full grown cat! he got so big so fast! He's 6 months now. but i guess by age he'd still be considered a kitten.

Butt Grease is a good way to put it. I completely cracked up when i read that! thank you for the laugh, i needed that. We've tried wiping his rear when we smell this stuff but man does he squirm around and we don't want to restrain him cause then he gets P'd off!! He is a very good tempered cat and we don't want to change him.

should he get a more adult like food? what would give him more fiber? i know too much would not be good, i'm sure it's the same for cats as it is humans! lol! thanks for your help.
D-Worm is not an effective wormer. It has the wrong active ingredient then the one the vet will give you. D-Worm as Piprazine as an active ingredient, you need Pyrantal Pamoate as active ingredient. Just look for a dewomer with that as the active ingrtedient next time, it is available at pet stores. I would have him go through another round of dewormer either from the vet this time or else go to the pet store and buy the one with the correct active ingredient. If he ever had fleas though, he may also have tapeworms, tapes come from fleas and that is a little harder to find in the pet store but they do have it. Otherwise go to the vet for that.

I am guessing he needs his anal sacs expressed which a vet should do, they can also show you how to do it to save money the next time it happens.
 
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kmlong

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nope, not one flea ever! our yorky is on advantix he's the only one that's goes outside. Yes Jen, you are right, D-worm does have piprazine as the main ingredient, i looked at the bottle. we will try and find the right one but petsmart seems to have a limited supply of deworming meds. Do you really think worms would cause such a foul smell? it's just really wierd with him. My wife never smells it. But when he lays with me and he's all relaxed and falling asleep the smell is there. It's so foul i can't stand it and have to put him in his carrier and clean the Lazy boy where he was laying. It's almost like when he's totally completely relaxed and not aware of anything around him is when the smell comes about. Does this make any sense? Can cats control this smell, maybe like marking me or the chair? Maybe when he's sleepy he has less control over his scent and therefore that's why we're smelling it? I don't know, we're still learning all this cat stuff.

the thing that is the funniest though is that the cat has taken a VERY STRONG liking to me and now he's kind of like my bud!! I look forward to his companionship when i come home. My wife works crazy hours at work and is always sleeping before i get home from second shift. Otis always greets me at the door and i've taught him how to jump into my arms from the floor upon signaling him. I do love him but i'd love him even more if we could stop this darn awful odor that comes out of him. this site has been WONDERFUL!! Thankyou everyone so far for all your help.
 

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I feel for you, kmlong! I remember with my old cat, she would occasinally "express" her anal gland when she was relaxed and sleeping on my lap. It was gross. I too, thought it was because she was relaxed/sleeping and wasn't "holding it in," so to speak. She also seemed disconcerted by the event. It was only a handful of times in her long life. I now have 2 six-month-old kittens, and they haven't had any "butt grease" (great term!) yet.

I too, recommend taking Otis to the vet. I don't think the visit would be that costly. Not that much more than buying over-the-counter meds that aren't doing the trick. Plus, you wouldn't take cold medicine for allergies, right? So, Otis needs to be correctly diagnosed and treated, just like us humans.

One last thing, I want to also second the notion that you should look into an all-natural/low grain food. I am just learning about this, though. So, others should have more knowledge.

Also, please tell us how you've trained Otis to jump up into your arms! I want to do that with my kitties! Thanks!


Best of luck!
-LK
 

cococat

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Originally Posted by kmlong

He knows what he is allowed to do and what not, but he will do it the second we're not looking. It's funny but frustrating!
This is the nature of a cat. I am a dog person and had dogs before bringing in a cat, so I naturally compared them. It was pretty useless though. A cat is a cat.
My cat is healthy but she steps in litter daily, throws it around, and doesn't have fur. I give her a bath several times per month (breed is a Sphynx) and that helps her smell 100% fresh and clean. Cats also spend a lot of time attempting to clean themselves too.
I agree with the others get your kitty on better food (do some research on food choices and the difference they make) and de-worm kitty and have a vet visit.
Sounds cute how he jumps in your arms!
 
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kmlong

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went to petsmart today and can't find any deworming medicine that has anything other than piperazine as the main ingredient. We are going to check at one of the smaller private pet stores here in town and see if they have something. someone i work with suggested a product called "evict". can't find it anywhere as well. i know they make it for dogs but i'm not sure about cats.

my wife always says she can't smell this thing i'm talking about. she's rarely with the cat though when he is relaxed and sleeping like i am. and like i said i usually only smell it after you get him all googley eyed with loving and petting and kisses and sweet talking him to the point he falls asleep. He dreams and his little lips move and his paws jump, it is cute to watch. THEN, the smell comes and it's bye bye kitty into the cat carrier. I just cleaned both lazy boys with resolve today, man that stuff is great!! smells good too!

anyways, we looked at nutro for cats today as well. the kitten formula is more expensive of course. I guess it's got more protein in it for kitty's growth and other things in it. that stuff is not cheap but if it's better for Otis then i'd rather have that. He goes through a 4lb bag in about two weeks. he eats alot! I swear he grows more everyday!

Yes, it is very cute when he jumps up into my arms. He don't exactly quite make it to my arms but he gets to about my belly button and then relies on me to catch him under his arms and pull him up. It all started one night when i was feeding him and he was so impatient he jumped up at me. i knew i could go somewhere with him jumping up like that but had to get him to relate to that incident. so everytime i would give him food before i set it down i'd sweet talk him to jump up then catch him and reward him with some of his food and lots of kisses and praise!

Now every night when i come home from work he greets me at the door and waits for his que which is me patting my chest with both hands. He's purring before he even jumps. He does it now with no food at all, he does it just for pure loving now. My wife is jealous because Otis will not do it for her. It's our thing i guess! Cats are smart i believe, they just play you out and make you think they're dumb but they're not! Training them is much harder than a dog though. You talk to them and tell them things and i swear they act like you're talking another language.
 

londonkat

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Originally Posted by kmlong

Now every night when i come home from work he greets me at the door and waits for his que which is me patting my chest with both hands. He's purring before he even jumps. He does it now with no food at all, he does it just for pure loving now. My wife is jealous because Otis will not do it for her. It's our thing i guess! Cats are smart i believe, they just play you out and make you think they're dumb but they're not! Training them is much harder than a dog though. You talk to them and tell them things and i swear they act like you're talking another language.
That is too cute!

Congratulations, kmlong! You are officially a cat-person now!
-LK

p.s. Any luck finding a vet?
 
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kmlong

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my wife's girlfriend recommended her vet to us, it's about 10 minutes down the road from us. I guess it's going to be inevitable. all weekend Otis didn't have that smell, not once! now tonight i come home, i get on the computer, Otis jumps on my lap and WHAM the smell hits me like a brick! It's like he turns it on for me but when my wife's around he leaves it off. Can they control this?

we looked at another pet store for dewormer. the only thing we found that has pyrantal pamoate in it is dewormer for dogs. why can't we find any for cats? can you use dog dewormer on cats? If pyrantal pamoate is what i need and that is what dog dewormer is, couldn't you use it? Unless there are other things in it meant just for dogs.
 

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PLEASE stop buying and looking at all the dewormers at the pet stores. It's a waste of time and money. You can only trust your vet with that stuff.
 
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