# Smelly kitten? Sorry, bit gross!



## Nahatalie (Jun 15, 2009)

Hiya,

Bit random and embarassing problem for Max, our ten week old kitten. There's no other way to phrase it except to say he has a stinky bum! You know how cat turn around and present thier bottoms to you, when Max does this you really get an unpleasant whiff. To be really gross, it's a kind of sweaty-poo smell, not a sickly smell. He is passing normal poos at regular intervals and is fine in himself. We did take a damp cloth to his bum this afternoon but it made no difference!

We also have Mochi, Max's brother who seems to have no smell whatsoever, so we know by comparison Max does smell more than normal!

Any help would be appreciated, we've only had them a week! Does it make their poo smell more if they are passin worms at all? They've had worming paste and a liquid wormer given by the vet on the back of the neck recently, so wondered if any dead worms were coming out causing the smell? I just can't think what it is otherwise. Is he maybe just naturally smellier than his brother?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Well, several things could be going on. Certainly, an infestation of parasites could be causing gas and stinkiness. How he (digestive system) accepts his diet, could be another factor. In addition, he *is* only 10 weeks old and he could be having difficulty keeping himself clean 'back there' like many young kids without Mom around to do it for them. Finally, it could just be an anal gland problem. I don't know what would remedy the anal gland problem, I only know that when the problem is bad a vet or groomer needs to express the excess fluid from the glands for the kitten/cat. I also know that sometimes just having a small amount of fiber can help that, too. What I do not know...is what degree of problem requires whichever 'fix'.
heidi


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

All the above.
It's very common for kittens have excessively stinky bottoms. 
If you haven't already had him in for a wellness exam, nows the the time. They will check to see if he has any parasites or worms (most kittens do) and check out his anal glands. Just a warning though, even if all that checks out, you may still have to deal with kitten stinky butt for a while longer. 8O He'll grow out of it.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I'll just add that if it's just poor grooming, it may take till he's about 4 months old before he's really good about it. Maybe longer if he's long haired.


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## Nahatalie (Jun 15, 2009)

Ah ok thanks. Nothing to worry about then. They have been in for a wellness exam at the same time as thier 1st shots. They checked out fine, Max had a tiny bit of flea dirt on him, but he had fleas from when he was born as he's a rescue cat and they've been treated for it and no actual live fleas were found so it was probably just residue from when he had them before, and Mochi had none and we've not been bitten by any. As for worms, like I've said, they've been wormed just incase and we'll obviously keep that up. I think Max just needs to grow up a bit and clean his bum bum! Mochi definitely appears to be a bit more mentally developed, he's got better coordination and he just seems more mature in his actions and he definitely grooms himself more than Max. I'm sure Max will catch up, maybe he's just a slow developer!


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