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That smell...

post #1 of 12
3/26/10 at 8:00am
Thread Starter 
Abbey came home from the vet yesterday and now she smells awful. They rinsed her off a bit before they brought her to me wrapped in a warm towel, said she had decided to sleep in her litterbox after using it (she was at the vet for constipation). I guess the litterbox was a safe comforting place.

She smells like kitty pee. Its horrible. I gave her another half bath yesterday when we came in the door, but I don't have any cat shampoo here at home. Figured what the heck since she was already wet.

Is it worth it to stress her out more and bathe her again, and completely, with a nice shampoo and risk her wet and licking and mad all over again, or just let her smell bad for a little while and see if I can just wash everything she lays on every day?
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post #2 of 12
3/26/10 at 8:33am
Most cats at the vet or shelter sleep in their litterbox - ewww

I would probably give her another bath if she lets you
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post #3 of 12
3/31/10 at 9:06pm
I would say bath again. Try to find a detergent free shampoo so it doesn't dry her skin out. Good luck!
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post #4 of 12
3/31/10 at 9:10pm
This thread title always gets Lynyrd Skynyrd stuck in my head, surely your intention.

Have you managed to freshen her up by now? If she has to stay at the vet again, why not ask them if they can fit a small box in her cage with her? (probably bring the box yourself). That way she has something cleaner to hide in.

When I took Blasa in for her spay they found her buried in her litter box the next morning hiding. I should have thought about this and asked if she could have had a box. She was feral born and is still very skittish. Her spay incision did get infected, maybe from that litter box incident.
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post #5 of 12
4/1/10 at 10:13am
Thread Starter 
I am happy to report that she smells like her fluffy kitty self again. I went to the store and found some non-detergent soap that had ingredients listed that looked a lot like the bar and liquid soaps I make myself. (Shoulda just used my own but I havent verified that the ingredients are all cat-safe yet) Upset poor Abbey and bathed her again. Then I proceeded to wash twice everything she'd sat upon since coming home from the vet the day before, with detergent, liquid bleach and the longest wash setting my washer would do.

Also - part of the additional smell was a UTI. My poor kitty was trying to urinate and couldnt. I found a urine scented pinkish red tinge on the towel she'd been drying herself on in my chair after the bath. Antibiotic course is almost finished now and she's back to her normal self nearly!

What an emotional week last week was!
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post #6 of 12
4/1/10 at 12:55pm
Good to hear she is doing better and smelling better.
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post #7 of 12
4/2/10 at 6:31pm
Awww, poor gal! As a vet assistant, I HATE seeing cats do this, breaks my heart! I usually take a clean litter box, or cut down a cardboard box, put a blanket in it, and put it in the cage as well. I'll usually stick a blanket/towel up over the cage door to block their view of the "chaos" around them, with a little bit pulled back for them to peek out if they wish.

But sometimes...it's unavoidable, and they still do it! I always freshen them up before they go, most often with a quick bath and a pet wipe to take away the box odour. If she's not cool with getting another bath (most aren't!), you could try a foaming waterless pet shampoo on her, comb it through, and towel dry her well. The ones we carry are non toxic, and don't leave the fur greasy or oily (DermaScent, I believe)
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post #8 of 12
4/2/10 at 6:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
This thread title always gets Lynyrd Skynyrd stuck in my head, surely your intention.

Have you managed to freshen her up by now? If she has to stay at the vet again, why not ask them if they can fit a small box in her cage with her? (probably bring the box yourself). That way she has something cleaner to hide in.

When I took Blasa in for her spay they found her buried in her litter box the next morning hiding. I should have thought about this and asked if she could have had a box. She was feral born and is still very skittish. Her spay incision did get infected, maybe from that litter box incident.
Providing an extra box when kitty has to stay at the vet is a terrific idea! I have filed that away for the next time I have to leave a kitty, which may come sooner than I'd like.

A box that smells like home, cardboard if they'll allow it......

What do you think about using even one of kitty's litter boxes, emptied out and washed, left without litter, for her/him to curl up in? Or would that be too confusing? Line it with a shirt that belongs to the human?

Hmmm...

thanks for the idea!

(PS I think the same thing about the song, too. )
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post #9 of 12
4/2/10 at 6:44pm
I don't think a litter box, even cleaned, would be allowed. Mostly because if it's plastic, even bleach won't completely sterilize it. But a cardboard box shouldn't be too much risk for bacteria - provided it wasn't anywhere dirty.

I'm going to call them next week and ask if they'll allow it for Tanna and how small it needs to be for the cage. And tell them if they want they can stuff it back in the carrier - kitten and all. Ask about the shirt, too. The worst out come of asking - you'll be told no.
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post #10 of 12
4/2/10 at 7:06pm
Oh yes, good point about the plastic.

Cardboard if it's allowed, would be best anyway. What cat doesn't love to curl up in a small cardboard box?

Let us know what answer you get when you ask for Tanna!
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post #11 of 12
4/3/10 at 11:33am
I had a vet ask me to bring something from home that EG liked when he got spayed. He was to be staying overnight because at the time we lived 45mins away, they closed at 5 and mom got off work at 5 so it was impossible to pick him up the same day. (Felt horrible)

I brought a small towel and a cut out cereal box. Of course they thought I was crazy. I told them it was his favorite... and if he was really doing bad to wash the towel and only partly dry it so it is damp not soaking wet but damp. Thankfully enough this vet was indeed worth the long drive because they told me he was doing really bad until they washed the towel and put it damp in the cardboard box. After that he ate about half of his food drank all his water, used the box 3 times and slept. The vet tech told she'd never seen a kitten so fond of a damp towel in a cereal box before.
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post #12 of 12
4/8/10 at 11:33am
Update for anyone that read this thread and were curious. My vet had no problem with Tanna having a box brought from home to have in her cage. Others should ask as it's always better than a cat napping in the litter box.
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