Expert: Jessica - 5/17/2011

Question
Hi, my cat is a four year old neutered male domestic short-hair.  He eats Natural Balance Duck & Green pea wet food, one can a day spread out over 3 feedings.  He gets a little extra water with each feeding, and a small (1/8 tsp) amount of canned pumpkin with dinner.  He has free access to a water bowl, but I never see him drinking.  In the past he has been diagnosed with feline lower urinary tract disorder.  I hate the veterinary diets, so he is under my vet's supervision with regular urine tests.

Last night I changed the litter boxes out for much larger, open topped ones.  I use World's Best Cat Litter, multicat formula with some baking soda mixed in.  I thought my cats would appreciate more space, and the open top should help the litter dry quicker.  I scoop their boxes at least once a day, trying to get into the habit of doing it twice a day.  I trimmed his nails (with a Dremel) and gave him a Zuke's Natural Purrz salmon treat afterwards.  This morning, his head smells like poop.  Not salmon, not pumpkin, not litter, and not their food.  If it persists I will definitely take him to our vet, but I'd like to know how serious a problem this could be, and if he should go today.  He has had a problem expressing his anal glands in the past, and needs the vet to do them manually every few months, but the smell is entirely different from the way his head smells today.

We also have a 40 lb. dog, another cat, and two rabbits, but I really do not see him rubbing on the dog's butt (he barely tolerates her), and rabbit poop does not smell like this.  He is normally a very clean cat.

Answer
Hi Heather,

It wouldn't be my first instinct that this is an emergency. I would suspect that he came into contact with feces somehow, no matter how improbable. Maybe in the litter box digging too closely. Maybe he stepped in feces and then scratched his head. Maybe he had a dirty bottom and then was grooming himself in that area. I would recommend washing the area with some hand dishwashing soap to see if that helps.

If you discover a wound underlying the area, then get him to the vet early tomorrow. Abscesses often have a very bad smell, but you should notice a bump, very red, tender skin, hair loss and pus leaking from the skin if one is present as soon as you begin to wash the area.

If the smell still hasn't disappeared in a couple of days or your kitty's eating habits change, or he starts vomiting, drooling or is lethargic, get him to the vet ASAP.

Good luck!

Jessica