My cat stinks ..........

[J Miller]

Seriously, in the last couple days our long haired cat:

Joes camera 247.jpg

Fiona, has developed a horrid smell.
She smells like an active mouse colony. She smells so bad it gives me a screaming headache.
I have an allergy to mice odor.

Now, with a multiple cat house we do not have a mouse problem unless the cats are letting them in.
None of the other cats smell like this, only her.
So far we have found one thing with that odor and cleaned it, it was the carrying bag for my wife's Singer serger. But Fiona is still coming up from the basement stinking. So we've got more looking to do.

So, is there a cat ailment that smells like mice or a form or mold or mildew maybe? Our basement has flooded bad twice recently. March of 2013 and August of 2014. We still occasionally find something that was flooded and still wet. But even that doesn't smell like Fiona.

Anybody got any constructive ideas? Please no cat hating remarks. If we do find mice we'll have to quit feeding the cats for a while.

Joe

[retmech]

She has evidently found a nest somewhere. I just pulled the battery out of my John Deere B and the mice had built a nest on top of it. As soon as I lifted the seat the smell hit me and the mice took off. I hate that smell! Had one build a nest on top of my Camry air filter, got hit with the smell after returning from a cruise and turning on the defroster. Good luck cleaning a cat!

[J Miller]

retmech,

This cat goes postal when we try to put flea drops on her, so wet bathing is out. My wife is going to try to get some dry brush in cat shampoo. Guess we'll have to search that basement better.

Joe

[Sixgun]

Joe,
I just got done talking to the animal experts....my wife and my daughter. My daughter is a vet tech with a masters degree in these things.

One of two explanations. #1...They claim your cat has found an area where the mice empty out their bladders and the cat rolls around in it.....possible, but unlikely as you claim she really smells.

#2.....she has an infection somewhere on her body....possibly a tooth infection.....My daughter says an infection really stinks.

Check her out really well and poke around....if she squirms where you poke her....you have found it. Open her mouth and look inside...poke your finger in there. Is she eating OK? (Especially hard cat food)

Hope you find it as I rather see people in pain than an animal. Animals can't speak for themselves-------6

[J Miller]

6,

Thanks, for checking. She was outside a couple days ago, so since she is the only one who smells like this, she could have found a mice spot.

She's currently showing no signs of ailment, she's eating fine especially hard food as that's all she'll eat. She loves to cuddle and I don't push her away but oh man I can't stand that smell.

As for the infection smell, sadly I'm quite familiar with that odor. We've had two other kitties develop abscesses earlier this year. Oh gawd that was putrid. One ruptured, then sealed up before we could get her to the vet, then ruptured again. We took some close up macro pics with a digital camera and went to the vet with that since he was too busy for us to get an appointment. Told him about the odor of infection then showed him the pics. He about gagged and gave us antibiotics for her.
The other kitty developed a golf ball sized swelling that had to be lanced. That was horrible. More antibiotics. Those two are OK now.

Anyway, we'll check her out thoroughly tonight as well as continue looking for the source.

Joe

[AJMD429]

Good luck cleaning a cat!

Well, I know many of you have seen this, perhaps including Joe himself, but I just felt obliged to post it for those who haven't yet read it:

• How to Bathe a Cat
  
  1. Thoroughly clean the toilet.
  
  2. Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water, and have both lids lifted.
  
  3. Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
  
  4. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape). CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for any purchase they can find. The cat will self-agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from your toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
  
  5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "powerwash" and "rinse" which I have found to be quite effective.
  
  6. Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.
  
  7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
  
  8. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet, and run outside where he will dry himself.

Seriously, hope you find the answer, but since I didn't have anything intelligent/useful to say, I figured I'd add a little humor. Even though I like Cat Jokes, I've actually never been cruel to a cat, or any other animal; I even prefer to catch spiders and relocate them outside the house, vs. squish them. (Now mosquitos and horseflies I consider exempt species, and savor extinguishing them...)

[Rusty]

When looking for the mice in the basement the first thing to do is try "tracking powder" to see if they really are there. A light dusting of corn starch should reveal tracks if they're there.

[Sixgun]

Doc,
That was good.

As for washing cats, it's not that hard to do. You fill up a small tub with enough warm water to completely submerge the cat. Fill it with your favorite soap.

Put on a pair of leather welding gloves.....or a pair of leather gloves of some sort along with a heavy long sleeve pelosi.

Grab the cat by the scruff of their back and dunk up and down a few times using one hand to rub in the soap.

Hey, cats weigh 5-10 lbs. and how much do we weigh?-----6

[Griff]

Doc,
That was good.

As for washing cats, it's not that hard to do. You fill up a small tub with enough warm water to completely submerge the cat. Fill it with your favorite soap.

Put on a pair of leather welding gloves.....or a pair of leather gloves of some sort along with a heavy long sleeve pelosi.

Grab the cat by the scruff of their back and dunk up and down a few times using one hand to rub in the soap.

Hey, cats weigh 5-10 lbs. and how much do we weigh?-----6

+1.

[Thunder50]

My daughter gives her cat a bath each week, has since he was a kitten, he doesn't mind it too much.

Hope you get your problem solved

[J Miller]

After examining Fiona we have pretty much decided that she found the mouse toilet outside a couple days ago when she went out.
We've looked her over good, no wounds or signs of infection.

Bathing some cats is a breeze. Bathing others can be the precursor to a visit to the ER. Cats do not weight much, but when they panic they can twist and squirm way beyond that which would dislocate our bones.
Fiona is one of those cats that do this. Welding gloves or no, I would not attempt to water bathe her unless she was sedated ... heavily.

We've been looking and sniffing in the basement and so far no evidence of mice there. Another reason to believe / hope she got the odor outside.

Joe

[Old Ironsights]

... I even prefer to catch spiders and relocate them outside the house, vs. squish them. (Now mosquitos and horseflies I consider exempt species, and savor extinguishing them...)

Wait until you encounter multiple black widows with fingernail sized abdomens...

[Old Ironsights]

After examining Fiona we have pretty much decided that she found the mouse toilet outside a couple days ago when she went out.
We've looked her over good, no wounds or signs of infection.

Bathing some cats is a breeze. Bathing others can be the precursor to a visit to the ER. Cats do not weight much, but when they panic they can twist and squirm way beyond that which would dislocate our bones.
Fiona is one of those cats that do this. Welding gloves or no, I would not attempt to water bathe her unless she was sedated ... heavily.

We've been looking and sniffing in the basement and so far no evidence of mice there. Another reason to believe / hope she got the odor outside.

Joe

Have you tried a Baking Soda dry brush?

I don't remember whether or not mice are acid or base, but a thorough "deep massage" and brush out with cheap Baking Soda should help.

[J Miller]

OI,

Black Widow spiders were a daily thing back in Arizona, as they are where you're at. But since I've been in IL I've not seen one single Black Widow spider. And that's good cos I despise those things.
I really doubt that AJMD has ever seen a live one in IN either. Probably just in medial manuals.

The baking soda is the same thing I've been saying so now we gotta find a soft brush to use. She hates the regular cat brushes. She's beyond weird.

Joe

[piller]

Another thing that can help you find if there are mice around in your house, a blacklight flashlight or bulb of any kind will cause mouse pee to glow in the dark.

[41 Redhawk]

Joe, though it doesn't sound like the same smell when one of our cats started stinking badly it was diabetes. We actually ended up having to put the cat down as it was so severe.

[J Miller]

Terry,

Sorry to hear about your kitty. I guess different things smell different from different kitties. I lost my Boopie cat to diabetes several years ago. As best I can remember she didn't stink near this bad. I still miss her.

Fiona has ceased to stink. We've kept her inside but let her do her thing and the odor went away.
So, I'm pretty sure she found a mouse potty somewhere.

Now I gotta sooth her hurt feelings for pushing her away while she was stinking.

Joe

[J Miller]

Piller,

With as many cats as we've had while living here, this house would glow in the dark. I've heard that cat pee glows under a black light too. And we've had quite a few elderly cats in the last 12 years. Down to two now. One about 18 or so and the other about 15.

Joe