Very Stinky New Cat, Help =/

Recently I adopted a 5 month old kitten. I have another cat, and previously had 2 but my SO and I split up and he kept the other, so I wanted a friend for my cat as she's very sensitive and doesn't like to be alone.

Here is my problem. This new kitten REEKS to high heaven. I have 4 litter boxes for the 2 of them all with crystal litter, not the blend. I've invested in enough Oust for each one of the outlets in my home, upstairs and down. I've always fed my cats Nutro Natural Choice Indoor (Kitten formula for the new arrival, which I exchanged out gradually with the food she'd been eating with the rescue organization) dry in the morning, and a pouch for each in the evening. I scoop the litter every day. I've scoured all the floors with a blacklight to find accidents and was prepared to soak any in a gallon of enzymatic cleaner. But, there were none.

I had 2 cats previously and NEVER had this problem, occasionally you might be able to smell them in the litter box if you were nearby but the scent would be gone within minutes. The only thing that is different is this new kitten, and I even got an extra litter box in addition to the 3 I already had for them hoping to get rid of the smell.

I believe my olfactory senses are about average, so it's not a matter of me being a perfectionist blowing it way out of proportion. When you walk into my home you can detect it, though it's not as pungent. But, when you walk up the stairs it's very strong, I think it would knock out a horse . It blankets the entire upstairs, which is where the boxes are located.

I'd really hate to have to find the kitten a new home, but I can't even have guests in my home because it smells terrible, and it is embarassing. I never had this problem before while my other cat was here and with only 3 boxes and not an Oust in every outlet.

Any suggestions? I really want to keep this cat, she is a doll, just stinky .

It is urine or feces you are smelling? If it's feces, you might want to have the vet run a fecal test. Things like Giardia, caccidia, worms, can cause a terrible odor. Also, switching the food can sometimes cause this. If this cat has only been typical food, a food like Nutro being "natural" can cause some real issues.

How long has the new kitten been on the Nutro? Maybe its just taking a little while to get the old stuff totally out of its system and get used to the new, better food. I started Marlee on Nutro this past week, as well as starting to use Swheat Scoop litter, and one or the other (or both) has helped a lot with her litter box smell! Like the other poster said, some type of worms or parasites could be making her stinky too. Is she having any diarrhea or constipation, anything like that? If so, I'd definately talk to the vet!

Abby had this problem when I got her. As she adjusted to different food and was treated for worms, it slowly went away.

If it is her poo that is stinky, maybe she had distemper in the past. My Garfield had distemper as a kitten, and it took many months for his poo to stop stinking so bad. I mean all poo smells bad, but his would knock you over. As he healed, eventually the smell went away. Maybe you can ask the previous owner about more details of her health history?

What do you mean by the smell - is it urine or feces?

A visit to the vet is in order. Most likely there is a treatable medical cause.

Also try switching the litter. Some cats don't like crystal litter. Clumping clay tends to be well accepted. Also, try changing the litterboxes more frequently. I find that crystals are good for handling the odor of feces but the box becomes fully saturated and reeks of urine much faster than the package would lead you to believe. Dig to the bottom of the litterbox. If it's all yellow and damp looking under there, you can guarantee that you will have ammonia odor strong enough to knock out an elephant.

I would suggest deworming again, with a dewormer that also treats tapeworms. Drontal is ideal.

Does she cover her poop? Sometimes a cat who is taken from his mother too early does not learn how to do this. Not surprisingly, uncovered poop stinks much worse than covered poop.

In terms of rehoming her, keep in mind that if you do not want her because of the way she smells, it is not realistic to expect anyone else to be more tolerant of the odor.

When we first got our first kitten he had round worms....and until we knew it his poop stunk terrible, and he was covering it in the litter box. Once we took him to the vet and got him treated the smell started going away.
I think I`d take him to the vet and have him checked out.
There is`nt a chance that he is spraying yet, is there????

It sounds like you've gotten some sound advice. This doesn't sound like a grooming issue but something a vet needs to look into. Hope kitty gets all better soon!

ok this sounds strange... smell that kitten's breath. My mother's cat stinks terribly (not as bad as yours apparantly but noticibly when you are near her or she has lain on something nearby.) My mom's cats smell is coming from her breath! of course then she licks herself and it gets all over her.... Try that and if you think that may be it, deal with the bad breath, with treats, or whatever the Vet reccommends. That may not be the problem. but it's worth a shot, it took us a long time to figure ours out because that cat is antisocial.

Any news about your kitty? I've been thinking about her!