filthy smelly cat, help!

I have had two calico cats (sisters about 2 and a half years old) for about nine months now. One is the very picture of cleanliness but the other one is filthy and reeks. She does not seem to bathe herself at all, her fur is greasy and she has dandruff and matted clumps of who knows what on her legs and feet. In addition she stinks, it's not just her breath (that is retty bad too), but rather an overall stink. She has not always been like this, it has been mostly in the last two or three months. Any ideas why she is not cleaning herself?

I would set up an appointment at the vet for a through going over, then if everything is ok, I would set up a grooming appointment or brave it and bathe her myself.

Definitely get her to the vet pronto. Maybe something is wrong with her. I had a sick kitty, and didn't realize it, partly because her sister (Festus) was keeping her clean. Once she was segregated away from Festus, she got very ratty looking. (She had other symptoms, too!)

"Body odor indicates putrefaction and germs present. There are several possible causes. Dirty teeth mean dirty saliva; a cat who needs her teeth cleaned will spread germs and odor everywhere she licks. Another cause of odor can be germs breeding on dirty skin. If food (especially low-quality food)is left available at all times, the metabolism slows down every time a hint of food odor reaches the cat's brain through the nose. Slow metabolism causes wastes to back up; the body handles the problem by shoving excess wastes out through the pores as oil and dandruff. This looks and smells terrible. If pores become clogged and/or infected, the smell will be even worse....Since a smelly cat is always an unhappy cat and inevitably becomes a lonely cat, stress-triggered diseases often follow." - from "The New Natural Cat" by Anitra Frazier.

Two or three months is a long time for your poor kitty to be in this state. Please take her to the vet ASAP.

Originally Posted by KTLynn

"If food (especially low-quality food)is left available at all times, the metabolism slows down every time a hint of food odor reaches the cat's brain through the nose." - from "The New Natural Cat" by Anitra Frazier.

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I have never heard of food odors slowing metabolism before. I always thought cats were stimulated by smells?? How did she come up with this? I would be interested to read any research that proves this statement.
Kim & Dax

btw - I agree it sounds very abnormal for a cat to be so smelly like that and she sounds like she needs a vet checkup as soon as possible.
Goodluck!

Hi Kim- Anitra Frazier, the author of "The New Natural Cat" gives a more detailed explanation about food odors slowing metabolism under the heading: "The Primary Feeding Rule: Remove Food Between Meals":

"It is the *smell* of food (not the taste) that triggers the brain to prepare the body for digestion. When food is smelled, the olfactory center in the brain sends out the message to slow down the whole metabolism so the body can concentrate on digesting the food. Saliva and digestive juices begin to flow while blood flow and waste disposal slow down. All the organs, except the stomach, are undersupplied with blood during the process. While all this is a perfect set-up for digesting food efficiently, is is not a state of affairs we would want to continue 24 hours a day. Even the odor from a dirty food bowl can cause that trigger mechanism to keep the cat's body in constant preparation for digesting food. Because of the resultant undersupply of blood to all organs (except the stomach) such cats age faster than those whose food area is kept scrupulously clean."