My cat’s breath smells like feces. And I am at my wit’s end to explain it, or deal with it.
To answer the inevitable questions: Yes she has adequate food. Yes she has adequate water. Yes she has a clean potty to relieve herself in. She lives in my semi-finished basement, a veritable feline paradise. And she cries for attention constantly. And since she is a very sweet cat, I oblige and give her attention constantly, just as she wishes.
That being said, what could be causing it? I don’t know if it’s related. But she has a problem coughing up hairballs too.
Yep, a vet visit is in order. Some metabolic issues can cause nasty breath, as well as a bad tooth or a sinus infection.
It may only be a by-product of the kind of food she eats, you might try just switching brands and see if that helps. Some of the low-end cat foods have so much processed crap in them they really do a number on a cat’s internal functions.
I think though that I’d at least give my vet a call.
Cat breath, to me, has always smelled awful, no matter how young or old the cat. Why are you making it a practice to subject yourself to your cat’s breath so often?
Cat breath at its best doesn’t smell good, but there’s a difference between normal healthy cat breath and the way my 15-year-old cat’s breath currently smells. It smells a little like poop and a little like death. The last time it smelled like this he had 2 rotten teeth and a minor infection. He has a vet appointment tomorrow.
All of these things make kitty breath smell like poop/death/disgusting. Time for a vet visit, pronto. Will want to do bloodwork first - this will tell if kitty is healthy enough for general anesthesia for the best-case scenario of dental disease, and it will tell if kitty has either of the others.
How common is dental disease in kittens? We got adopted our kitty a couple of months ago from a shelter and she has always had really awful breath. Her teeth look fine, other than new ones erupting, she seems otherwise healthy and she eats Nature’s Recipe, dry only.
We haven’t taken her to the vet yet, as we lost hours at work unexpectedly just after adopting her, but she came fixed with all her shots, we were told. I believe she’s about 4 months old.
Is her breath any worse than it was, say, last year?
My 2 y/o cat is really healthy, gets good checkups and yet his breath smells like rotten Kotex on a hot day. I clean his teeth once a week with a soft cloth to remove the gunk and his gums and teeth look like theyre in good shape, so I think its just HIM!. And yes, I smell his breath - every time I kiss him.
Maybe it’s brand related? there are a few cat food brands I try to avoid for both bad breath and gas reasons. One of them is Kroger brand Natural. I should probably know better than to buy a knock-off but it’s usually just a supplement to food I make myself. I do have a cat with eosinophilic granuloma and her breath smells like something evil. Not just shit. More like skunk. It’s funky.
