Kitten smells bad some times -- possible diarrhea?

So my boyfriend and I have noticed that Iroh, my 3 month old kitten I adopted a couple of weeks ago, smells really bad some times. Not all the time, but just now and then we'll pick him up and there will be this gross smell for some reason. The only thing I can think of is that he possibly has diarrhea because I hear that that can make cats stink.

This is going to sound like a stupid question, but how do you tell if you cat has diarrhea or not? I check his litter pan when I scoop it each day but it's hard to distinguish clumped urine from feces -- there's the very regular poop-looking clumps that scoop easily, and then also clumps that are darker than others that fall apart when I try to scoop them.

I've check his rear end under his tail and most times it looks fine and clean, though occasionally it has a tiny dried pebble-sized ball of feces still caught in his fur which I just assumed he missed when grooming.

I'm feeding him 1/2 cup of Natural Balance dry food which he eats through out the day, and then every second day I feed him about a 1/3 of a can of Iams kitten wet food. He's acting normal, very hyper and playful like usual.

Any opinions? Suggestions? Can anything else cause a cat to randomly smell bad?

Trust me, Beans, if your kitty had diarrhea, you'd know it.

Sounds like it could be any number of things: anal glands issues, food allergies, a dental problem, an infection, etc.

Is your cat fixed? If not, you might want to set up an appointment for that fairly soon. A three month old kitten is kind of young to begin spraying, but it's not unheard of.

Where does the smell emanate from? His butt? His fur (where on his fur)? His mouth? His paws? His ears? Knowing that might help identify the source. Is his fur greasy at all?

On a side note - if your cat likes canned food, you would be doing him a favor by ditching the dry food and feeding him solely on grain-free canned products (or, better yet, start feeding raw). Dry foods are not good for cats and cause all kinds of problems. (Raw Feeding for Cats)

Yes, he's already been neutered.

I'm not sure where exactly the smell is coming from. I sniff him all over and some times it seems like it's coming just from his rear and other times it seems like it's just an overall fur smell. Next time it occurs I'll give him another thorough sniff of the paws and ears, etc.

It's so crazy all the different things I hear about dry vs. canned food. My vet tells me to feed dry food with only wet food as daily or a couple times a week treat. Some other people have told me to feed primarily wet food. Every where I go on the web everyone seems to say something different. =_=;

Let us know what you find after you do the sniff test, Beans.

As for the food, the amount of conflicting info is definitely frustrating. Vets, while they should be your first go-to point when it comes to your kitty's health, actually receive little nutritional training, and that is provided by the very same pet food companies that drop millions of dollars a year on pet food product advertising - hardly an unbiased instruction.

There are a lot of threads on this board about nutrition(it's a hot topic). Rather than take the chance your request for help on your cat's unusual odor is turned into yet another nutritional debate, I'll refrain from making any additional comments here.

Take a look around and if you come across any specific questions, by all means create a thread under either of the nutritional forums (nutrition or raw feeding) and ask them - there are many folks (including me), who would be very happy to answer them.

Originally Posted by beans_etc

Yes, he's already been neutered.

I'm not sure where exactly the smell is coming from. I sniff him all over and some times it seems like it's coming just from his rear and other times it seems like it's just an overall fur smell. Next time it occurs I'll give him another thorough sniff of the paws and ears, etc.

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Is he by chance passing gas?

It's so crazy all the different things I hear about dry vs. canned food. My vet tells me to feed dry food with only wet food as daily or a couple times a week treat. Some other people have told me to feed primarily wet food. Every where I go on the web everyone seems to say something different. =_=;

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You are absolutely correct. The fact that there are so many different views on nutrition, is about the ONLY thing most people can agree about.

The best thing you can do, is research. Ask questions, and if you don't understand the answers, ask for clarification. Arm yourself with your own knowledge of the subject and make your own educated decision on the matter. Just remember that no ONE person is right or wrong.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Is he by chance passing gas?

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that was my first thought too as it isn't all the time. Kitty farts are awful!!

Originally Posted by Catkiki

that was my first thought too as it isn't all the time. Kitty farts are awful!!

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Also my first thought, and awful is being kind. Kitties also like to fart right in your face so you can get the full benefit of the aromatic air about them.

Originally Posted by beans_etc

I'm not sure where exactly the smell is coming from. I sniff him all over and some times it seems like it's coming just from his rear and other times it seems like it's just an overall fur smell.

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If it seems like it's coming from his fur that could point to anal gland issues. Next time you're holding him, look at his butt - if you see a couple of dark spots back there they could be a bit full. When anal glads are the problem the smell will be much worse than actual feces even smells - it smells just plain bad. If this is what is going on you need to take him to the vet, and have the vet show you how to take care of them.
Then you need to get any stool issues under control.


If it's gas, it will be different. I'm sure you've been around people who have farted, it's the same in cats. The smell dissipates after a few minutes.

Other reasons could be the type of litter box you're using. Is it covered? or your litter not clumping and taking care of smells well enough. Of all possible causes for stinky fur, I hope it's something as benign as this. The reason litter box came to mind, btw, is because some kittens will play and lay in their boxes.

He smelled sort of bad last night and when I sniffed him this time it was very obviously coming from his rearend. Kitty farts? ^^; I've never heard him fart, but maybe it's just a silent thing he does... The smell usually lasts for a while. How often on average do kittens tend to pass gas, and does this ease up as they grow older?

I don't believe it would be his anal glands -- when we had a dog the same vet did his first check up and right away knew his anal glands needed to be emptied -- Iroh has gone in twice to the vet and they've never noticed anything.

He uses a covered litter box, just without the kitty flap on it, and I use Dr. Elseys Cat Attract litter. It actually does really well for the smell I've found -- the only time I actually smell the stink from it is as I'm scooping and stirring all the buried stuff up.

I've seen him running in and out and digging for fun in his litterbox, but I don't believe he ever lays around in it at all.

Also, thanks for any and all tips on nutritional info. I did a lot of research on foods before I brought him home, but I may dive back into it again.

Originally Posted by beans_etc

I don't believe it would be his anal glands -- when we had a dog the same vet did his first check up and right away knew his anal glands needed to be emptied -- Iroh has gone in twice to the vet and they've never noticed anything.

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I've never had a vet look, to be honest. I think it's something people think only happens in dogs when it's not.

Kittens can be stinkier, usually because they've just went from one home to another and/or are in the process of weaning and changing foods. But it shouldn't persist and it shouldn't be so bad your toes curl. And yes, cat farts are usually silent unless there's something else coming out with the gas...
But again, just like human farts, a cat fart will dissipates after 2-3 minutes. If the smell stays longer it's something else.
A good food that your kitten can handle + some probiotics could clear up gassiness.

You could try popping the lid off his box for a bit and see what that does if his fur is smelling - it won't hurt to try.

... this has turned into one of the weirder posts I've made.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I've never had a vet look, to be honest.

I think it's something people think only happens in dogs when it's not.

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Anal glands or *cough* otherwise, you're improving his diet and that should have a positive impact on the odor. If it does not, you might want to take him in just in case (impacted anal glands are no fun for the kitty).

I have one cat with anal gland issues ... diet fixed them but I do have the vet always check her glands ...

I would suggest discussing this issue with the vet ...

what food are you feeding> ? foods heavy in corn and soy often cause smell issues

Originally Posted by sharky

what food are you feeding> ? foods heavy in corn and soy often cause smell issues

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Iroh is fed 1/2 cup of Natural Balance Premium to eat through out the day, and every second day or so gets some Iams wet kitten food (though I'm going to be changing the wet food brand and increasing the amount of wet I'm feeding him soon.)

Originally Posted by beans_etc

Iroh is fed 1/2 cup of Natural Balance Premium to eat through out the day, and every second day or so gets some Iams wet kitten food (though I'm going to be changing the wet food brand and increasing the amount of wet I'm feeding him soon.)

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good idea..

the food he is on could be too rich for him

I haven't used Iams kitten canned - but I have tried a couple of cans of Iams in the past. I remember it making Tomas smell terrible, but that was before chicken was narrowed down as an issue.