Smelly Cat

"Don't make me get off my heating pad, woman!"

Why is Rocco’s fur NOT redolent of April mornings after a rain shower, sweetgrass, baby powder and/or sunshine? He’s got some kind of a funky whiff about him—always has. Last winter, as I lay on our ice covered porch, (this being eight months before he decided to give up the great outdoors), patting, cosseting and otherwise lovin‘ the boy up mad, I noticed that he had a....well...earthy tang about him.

I thought, maybe this was a Call of the Wild type thing. He’s been indoors for seven months now though and he still has that feral-ish bouquet.

Naturally, I googled this.“Why is my cat smelly?”

Doctor Eric Barchas DVM at Catster says that it could be a yeast infection, or some bacteria thingie. Maybe it's due to poor grooming, dental disease, kidney disease or diabetes.

EEK! And then he adds:

However, be aware that over the course of my career I have seen several instances where an owner's perception that his or her cat smelled bad was, in fact, just that. People with heightened senses of smell sometimes begin to think their pets have developed an odor, when in fact nothing is wrong.

Maybe it’s just me and The Amazing Bob and our oversensitive beezers—Phew!

 Doctor Arnold Plotnick MS, DVM, ACVIM, ABVP has a comprehensive post up and, in addition to diseases and such, he notes:

(Intact tomcats) sometimes have a rather pungent aroma. Another notable (and common) exam-room scenario is the complaint that a foul odor appears “every now and then”.  Usually clients will describe a funky, musky, “fishy” odor occasionally emanating from their cat.  Often, when I examine the cat, the smell in question is gone.  In this situation, anal sac expression is the most likely culprit.  Cats (and dogs) have two small sac-like glands just inside the anus that produce a sharp-smelling secretion.  Occasionally, this secretion will accumulate until the sacs become full.  The sacs may then empty their contents onto the fur or into the immediate environment, especially if the cat becomes frightened or excited.

OK, so it could be that Rocco’s still got a pair on him or maybe it’s this sac thing or both.

Also, both Coco and Rocco are prodigious air biscuit emitters. You’d think they were vegetarians, like *cough* me...or something. Yes, feel bad for TAB. Very bad. Poor man.

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat
It's not your fault

Smelly Cat by Phoebe Buffay