Smelly cat!
My Katniss Everdeen-no-longer-a-kitten has a terrible tendency to make massive stinks in the litter box. The stinks had been going on for months, but with four cats and five litter boxes, we didn't know which cat was responsible. Monster and I were able to figure out that she was the one responsible only after we left her in the porch while we ran an errand. We were gone for only about 20 minutes, and Katniss was the only one in the porch (with a litter box) while the other cats were in the house. As soon as we opened the front door, we were confronted with the unmistakable odour of cat poop. Very smelly cat poop. Since Katniss was the only kitty in the porch, she had to be the one making the stink.
Monster, who is more brave than I am, investigated the litter box deposit. He declared that it appeared that it consisted of mostly undigested food, and that perhaps Katniss had the kitty equivalent of celiac disease and couldn't digest what I was feeding her. He suggested I switch her to a grain-free wet food.
I started with Whiskas wet food. The ingredients list on the package lists no wheat or gluten, and it doesn't require a trip to the pet store to buy it. Alas, Inky threw up almost as soon as she ate it, and Katniss made another stinky not long after. I did wonder whether I should have mixed it with the Friskies they're used to eating instead of abruptly switching them.
After that I continued with the Friskies, and I noticed that Katniss is not consistent with when she makes stinks. Sometimes she eats Friskies with no stink, and sometimes she makes a stink. I made a trip to the pet food store yesterday and bought a few cans of a brand that advertises "grain free" right on the package, but except for Katniss, the cats don't seem all that crazy about it, and I am fairly certain I smelled yet another stinky after Katniss ate it for her supper and bedtime snack last night and her breakfast and supper today.
The vet recommended a hypoallergenic food, and while Katniss and Jubilee are happy to eat the crunchy food, they turn their noses up at the hypoallergenic canned food. They like their Friskies. I like their Friskies, mainly because I can stock on it at Canadian Tire for 58 cents a can. Katniss doesn't seem distressed by her stinky poop; she doesn't seem to have an upset tummy. However, Monster and I are distressed by the stinky poop.
There are still a couple more brands of grain-free food to try, but it may not be the grain she's reacting to. The vet said we could try a different brand of hypoallergenic food, but I hate the idea of having to make a special trip to the vet to get the wet food. The cats go through three cans of wet food a day. That's 21 cans in a week. I'd have to buy a case of it every week, which means making a trip to the vet's office, which is out of my way, in order to buy it. (I don't think I could carry more than one case of cans in one trip.) It would also be a heck of lot more expensive than 58 cents a can, and there's no guarantee the cats would even like it.
Then there's the possibility that it's not wet food that's making her stink; it could be the hypoallergenic dry food. If she stinks no matter which wet food she eats, then perhaps it's not the wet food at all. The difficulty will be in somehow preventing her from eating her daily serving of crunchies while her mama, Jubilee, eats them, to see if she stops making stinkies when she doesn't eat it. Jubilee is the one the hypoallergenic food was prescribed for, in hopes of settling down her inflamed gums.
Monster, who is more brave than I am, investigated the litter box deposit. He declared that it appeared that it consisted of mostly undigested food, and that perhaps Katniss had the kitty equivalent of celiac disease and couldn't digest what I was feeding her. He suggested I switch her to a grain-free wet food.
I started with Whiskas wet food. The ingredients list on the package lists no wheat or gluten, and it doesn't require a trip to the pet store to buy it. Alas, Inky threw up almost as soon as she ate it, and Katniss made another stinky not long after. I did wonder whether I should have mixed it with the Friskies they're used to eating instead of abruptly switching them.
After that I continued with the Friskies, and I noticed that Katniss is not consistent with when she makes stinks. Sometimes she eats Friskies with no stink, and sometimes she makes a stink. I made a trip to the pet food store yesterday and bought a few cans of a brand that advertises "grain free" right on the package, but except for Katniss, the cats don't seem all that crazy about it, and I am fairly certain I smelled yet another stinky after Katniss ate it for her supper and bedtime snack last night and her breakfast and supper today.
The vet recommended a hypoallergenic food, and while Katniss and Jubilee are happy to eat the crunchy food, they turn their noses up at the hypoallergenic canned food. They like their Friskies. I like their Friskies, mainly because I can stock on it at Canadian Tire for 58 cents a can. Katniss doesn't seem distressed by her stinky poop; she doesn't seem to have an upset tummy. However, Monster and I are distressed by the stinky poop.
There are still a couple more brands of grain-free food to try, but it may not be the grain she's reacting to. The vet said we could try a different brand of hypoallergenic food, but I hate the idea of having to make a special trip to the vet to get the wet food. The cats go through three cans of wet food a day. That's 21 cans in a week. I'd have to buy a case of it every week, which means making a trip to the vet's office, which is out of my way, in order to buy it. (I don't think I could carry more than one case of cans in one trip.) It would also be a heck of lot more expensive than 58 cents a can, and there's no guarantee the cats would even like it.
Then there's the possibility that it's not wet food that's making her stink; it could be the hypoallergenic dry food. If she stinks no matter which wet food she eats, then perhaps it's not the wet food at all. The difficulty will be in somehow preventing her from eating her daily serving of crunchies while her mama, Jubilee, eats them, to see if she stops making stinkies when she doesn't eat it. Jubilee is the one the hypoallergenic food was prescribed for, in hopes of settling down her inflamed gums.