Dogs have a reputation for being smelly, but cats can be just as bad. Even though they may not cause smells as often, they can still stink the place up pretty bad. The litter tray creates a lot of odors too. Many new cat owners are completely unprepared for this because they’ve just heard about how clean cats are. If you are struggling with a stinky cat, here are a few ways to keep on top of the problem.

Clean The Litter Tray Properly 

The first thing to do is make sure you’re cleaning the litter tray properly. The whole area should be cleaned at least once a day and you can clean it more often if needed. If your cat has diarrhea or vomiting, then the litter tray needs to be cleaned even more thoroughly because of bacteria being in the waste. Using a litter genie is a great way to keep everything clean and tidy, and you just need to empty the waste and put a litter genie refill in. The litter tray will start to smell as soon as your cat has used it, so don’t neglect cleaning. 

Change Their Diet

If your cat starts to have smelly stools you might want to change their diet. They may be intolerant to something in their food or have an allergy that makes them react when they eat certain things. An immediate solution is to feed a high-quality canned food because it has a much smaller concentration of the substances that could be causing a reaction. If the diet is normal and they’re still getting smelly stools then check with your vet because there might be a problem that needs to be looked at.

When looking for food, always check the ingredients and don’t buy the cheapest stuff. Ideally, the food should only have a small number of ingredients and those should be things like chicken or beef. If the first ingredient is rice and there are loads of different ingredients, then it’s best to avoid that food and shop around for something better. 

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Check For Health Conditions

If your cat smells, it could be down to a health condition. Often, cats get bad breath and give off a fishy smell if they have tooth decay. This is more common in senior cats. You will have to speak to your vet about ways to manage this condition.

Bad smells can also be caused by problems with the sac glands. These glands give off a small amount of a smelly substance when your cat goes to the toilet, so it can mark its territory. However, if they become too full or inflamed, it can create a bad smell.

Finally, the litter box may be smelling of urine because your cat is using it constantly. This is a sign of a urinary tract infection, which is very common in cats.

It’s important that you seek advice from your vet right away because bad smells can be a sign of an ongoing health problem that needs to be addressed before it gets worse.