Expert: Marcia Owen - 10/20/2009

Question
Hi,

I recently bought a 5 yrs old persian male for breeding purposes. I noticed that his urine/poop smells very very bad!! he never sprays and does all of his business in the litter box, but the smell is overwhelming LOL!! Is this normal? I clean the litter box every day but with no use. What can I do eliminate this awful smell?

My second question is that my persian female is in heat I think. She has been crying all the time for the past 2 days especially when she is held; she would lay down with her hind area up! Does this mean she is ready to mate and get pregnant? How long with this last if she is not bred? once it goes, when would it come back again?

Thanks alot

Answer
Dear Mo

I am sorry to have to tell you, but male cat urine does tend to smell quite strong.  I have found that even neutered male urine smells much stronger than a female.  It might though be adviseable to get a sample and ask your vet to test it to ensure that there is no underlying infection.  If there is no infection found then you may have to consider outdoor accommodation for your boy where the smell won't be such a problem or clean the litter box 2/3 times a day.

Re your girl yes it certainly does sound like she is having a heat.  This could last between 5-10 days depending on the individual cat and could occur every 3 weeks, though if she is a Persian it may be longer intervals.  

Hope this helps.

Marcia.