Bad smelling fur

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Mrs Kane
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Bad smelling fur

Post by Mrs Kane »

Hey guys,

I haven't been on here in a while, I apologise for that. I blame work. I love the fact that I'm working so much (Money! Me like!) but it means I don't really get a lot of off time to chat with you all.

So it's really really hot over here right now. Averaging around 31ºc every day. Today it peaked at 35ºc and everyone was miserable and sweat smelling. So upon coming home and switching on the ceiling fan I felt abated to the deluge of scent.
Then Sofi pops up on the desk for a little chill out time. She's maybe... 30 cm away from me and I start to smell something rancid. At first, I think it's the outside wafting in so I close the window. Then I think perhaps Sofi had an accident so I go and check her living room spots and around her litter box. Finally, I pick her up to check if she has an unclean bottom and the stench of her fur rolls off in waves. It's the kind of smell that hitches in your throat because it's so acidic. And it's all over her. Her little head, her back, even her tail stinks of it.
Now Sofi is a very clean cat. Sometimes I think she has a little bit of kitty OCD. She's always cleaning, she even cleans her paws in her sleep, or at least tries to. Even as I type she's cleaning herself. (sounds like a cliche, it's not, she really is cleaning herself as I type)
Now she's always had a musky smell but never a bad smell to her. I was wondering if I should take her to be examined by the vet or if this is a cause of overheating or some such.

Some background:
She's a short haired mix.
She's 5 and a half years old. We've had her for 3 years.
She's spayed.
She doesn't have any problems in terms of her health except being slightly overweight (house cat. We limit her food and try and play as much as she's interested in but we're still out 8 hours a day)
She's never had a scent problem like this before (And believe me, our summers can get pretty hot)
Her teeth are good according to her last check-up (March)
She's never had a bath from me because the vet said her breed didn't require it. (And because I'd need a kevlar body suit to bathe her)
She's always had the same food from us (Ultima spayed adult dry food and Gourmet gold pate)
She's never had hairballs but is allergic to hairball medication and treats pertaining.

Am I being overreactive or should I take her to the vet?
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fjm
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Re: Bad smelling fur

Post by fjm »

I would always check with the vet if there is any unexplainable change in body or behaviour - if she washes so thoroughly it could be a mouth problem that she is spreading - have you smelt her breath? Is there any way she could have got into something smelly, or eaten something rancid from the bin perhaps? Mine are indoor/outdoor, and can get very whiffy when they roam through the fields after muck spreading - I find pet safe pet wipes help, or as a final resort a brush through with bicarbonate of soda.
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Ruth B
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Re: Bad smelling fur

Post by Ruth B »

I would certainly advise a vet check to be on the safe side, as I've mentioned before, when Blue kidneys started to fail i pick that up by a change in his scent well before there was any other sign of it.

If she is allowed outside then it could be she has rolled in something in which case a damp cloth to wipe her over might help and save her ingesting anything she shouldn't trying to clean it off. The vets did tell me I could use standard washing up liquid on time when one of my cats got oil or something on a paw, but that was just washing one paw, I wouldn't want to wash a full cat, but again maybe you could use a little to wipe her down.

As has been mentioned you can get proper cat wipes, I used them when our Ragdoll got old and couldn't groom himself properly. Make sure you get unscented ones though.

Hope it is nothing serious.

Temperature here is in the mid to high 20s and that is plenty hot enough for me and my lot.
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Mrs Kane
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Re: Bad smelling fur

Post by Mrs Kane »

Okay so update: Because I was worried I took her to the vet but apparently our vet is on vacation (it's Spain, what can you do) so the nurse checked her over and gave her a little sponge bath which she hated with a passion but was still a very good kitty.
Took her vitals and did a throat swab. No signs of infection. The nurse said she'd probably rolled in something (nope, she can't go outside) or managed to rub against our shoes that had and I quote "bad dirt" on them. Again no, when we come home the shoes go in a closet and slippers/sandals go on. Sofi is not allowed in the closet because we also stow DIY stuff in there such as paint, glue, etc. But as much as I tried to convince the nurse of that, she wasn't buying it. Sometimes language barriers really suck. (I speak Spanish but I have an accent and that seems to translate to "you're stupid" in the eyes of many people. Yes, I learnt a second language because I'm super dumb. Yay me.)
The vet is due back next week so if her smelly fur problem hasn't abated I'll go then. If it worsens or she shows other symptoms I'll take her to my friends vet in Gracia who is super expensive but actually takes me seriously. (and has a pretty good level of English to boot!)

EDIT. PS: the practice I go to isn't a bad practice. They're actually very good but there still is this whole language barrier thing going on that makes them wary of me even though I'm on the client list for Sof. No offence taken, I just wish they'd treat my cat the same as any other. Okay, rant over.
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