Why does a cat’s urine stink, it smells strongly of ammonia even in a neutered cat, why does a cat smell of urine?

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06/01/2021 owner reviews 2,

Our cats' urine smells like ammonia. The ammonia in cat urine has a disgusting, unpleasant odor and lasts for quite a long time. As an indoor cat parent, you're probably worried about how strong the smell of her urine is. This is fine? Or should you be worried? Let's find out.

• Composition of cat urine
• What Can Cause Strong Urine Odor?
• What to do to remove strong urine odor

Causes of pungent odor

Normally, cat urine is transparent, straw-yellow in color with a specific odor. Ammonia derivatives, which are part of urine, cause the characteristic ammonia odor, and the secretion of the sex glands gives it an odor. However, owners often notice that their beloved pet’s stool has begun to smell foul. The appearance of a sharp unpleasant odor of urine in a cat is associated with several factors:

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Why does there be an unpleasant odor?

The oral cavity is the beginning of the digestive tract. It contains many bacteria; saliva contains enzymes that can break down carbohydrates. Therefore, after waking up, all people have bad breath. But this condition is not considered a pathology; it is enough to brush your teeth for the smell to disappear.

A persistent unpleasant aroma appears after eating dishes with garlic, onions, and some spices. When alcohol is abused, the sour stench persists for a day or more, which is associated with the metabolism of ethyl alcohol in the liver and the release of its vapors through the lungs.

A large number of unpleasant aromas accompany diseases that affect metabolism. In patients with diabetes who do not follow a diet or use insulin incorrectly, when ketone bodies accumulate in the blood, the smell of acetone appears on their breath. People suffering from kidney failure will repel those around them with the unpleasant aroma of urea, which the kidneys cannot remove from the body.

Common causes in adults are pathologies of the digestive tract. Halitosis is caused by:

• gastritis with high acidity;
• stomach ulcer, duodenal ulcer;
• cardiac sphincter insufficiency;
• esophageal diverticula;
• malignant tumors of the stomach or esophagus.

Respiratory diseases can also cause an unpleasant odor. Air from the lungs passes through the oropharynx, so it can partially leave the body through the mouth. It smells unpleasant with purulent diseases of the sinuses, chronic runny nose or tonsillitis.

Actions to take if a symptom is detected

If the reason that a cat's urine smells strongly is due to sexual behavior, the owner should consider castrating the pet. This operation is advisable for animals that do not represent breed value. It should be taken into account that if castration is carried out before signs of puberty appear, at 6 - 8 months, then such negative consequences as marks and a specific smell of urine can be avoided. Castration of a cat in adulthood does not always save the owner of the negative behavior of the pet.

We recommend reading the article about what to do if your cat can’t pee. From it you will learn about the possible causes of this pathology, first aid for a pet with urinary retention, catheterization, conservative and surgical treatment.

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Treatment method and prognosis

Treatment is always prescribed by a veterinarian after receiving a diagnosis, since there are many reasons for changes in odor. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the factor that “triggered” the changes in odor. If it is stressful, the cat needs to be provided with peace and allowed to adapt, treat him kindly and calmly.

If you have problems with nutrition, you need to balance your diet and switch to foods recommended by your doctor. If odor changes are caused by dehydration, your cat should have constant access to clean, fresh water. To do this, you can use special drinking bowls.

To avoid strong odors, male cats are spayed and female cats are neutered. If sexual desire is lost for several months, the release of hormones stops and the smell of urine becomes normal.

Any disease can only be treated by an experienced veterinarian after an accurate diagnosis has been made. Treatment depends on the type of disease and can be surgical or conservative (medication).

Visit to the doctor

Having discovered that a cat smells of urine, the owner should observe the behavior of the animal. If, in addition to this sign, other urological symptoms are observed (restlessness when visiting the toilet, small amounts of urine, difficulty urinating, etc.

), the animal should be shown to a veterinarian. It is also necessary to pay attention to the general condition of the pet: decreased appetite, lethargy, weakness, and apathetic state are also reasons to seek qualified help.

To reduce the time for making a diagnosis, you should also take your pet’s urine for analysis on your first visit to the veterinary clinic. In addition to laboratory testing, a specialist may also prescribe a general and biochemical blood test and additional methods of examining the animal (x-ray, ultrasound diagnostics, etc.).

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Diet adjustments

If the reason why the cat's urine has a strong smell is nutrition, the owner should reconsider the diet. When choosing concentrated feeds, you should give preference to premium and super-premium feeds from well-known manufacturers:

Premium cat food It should be remembered that such food is not recommended to be mixed with natural food.

If the animal eats natural food, then to normalize protein metabolism, the consumption of foods such as chicken, raw meat, offal, and fish should be reduced. Feeding only proteins has a negative impact on liver and kidney function. Your pet's diet should include vegetables (carrots, cabbage, zucchini) and cereals (buckwheat, rice, rolled oats).

It is useful to give the animal fermented milk products: kefir, cottage cheese, low-fat cream, yogurt. This improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys. Under no circumstances should you feed your cat food from the table (sausages, canned food, pasta, soups, etc.).

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How to improve your oral health

Good hygiene helps get rid of bad breath. If the cause is dense tartar, you need to visit the dentist and remove it mechanically. The toothbrush is powerless in this case.

Any dental defects must be treated. Carious cavities are cleaned and filled, and rotting tooth roots are removed. If necessary, prostheses are installed.

To get rid of the smell, you need to change your toothbrush and choose the right toothpaste. The brush should have medium hardness in order to clean the teeth well and not injure the gums. For better oral hygiene, you can buy a special tongue brush. Toothpaste is chosen based on gum sensitivity and related problems. The dentist will help you choose the product.

To thoroughly clean the spaces between teeth, it is not recommended to use wooden toothpicks. A special thread or brush will do the job better. Some threads contain mint fibers that add a pleasant aroma to your breath. And silver ions will stop the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria.

Teeth should be brushed morning and evening. Before going to bed, after hygiene procedures, you do not need to eat. Leftover food at night will become a breeding ground for the proliferation of microorganisms that damage tooth enamel.

How to get rid of odor

Identifying the cause of a sharp and irritating odor of urine in a pet is not an immediate matter. The nuisance in the living area should be removed immediately. Among the available means, the following substances have a good effect:

• Table vinegar. In a 1:3 dilution, this simple product, available in any housewife’s kitchen, does an excellent job of neutralizing odors.

• Lemon juice or citric acid. It works the same way as vinegar, reducing unpleasant odors.

• Belizna clothing bleaching product is excellent for disinfecting and eliminating cat litter odors.

Remedies for the smell of cat urine that are always at hand. Of the special products designed to neutralize pungent odors, the following have proven themselves well:

• Domestic products: odor eliminators “True Friend”, “Lina”, “Flat”, biospray “Himola” and others help not only to clean and disinfect the cat litter, but also eliminate odors.

• Imported products: Beaphar “Odor Killer”, Nature’s Miracle “Urine Destroyer”, Biodor Animal, Arrow, Hartz Mountain and others perfectly eliminate both urine odors and urea deposits in the cat’s litter box.

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If the cat just marks and walks past the litter box

The owner should understand that just like that, for no reason, a well-mannered and litter-trained pet does not start crapping in undesignated places. Animals do not harm their owners due to their harmful nature. Therefore, if your pet begins to do its business past the tray, you should understand the reason for this behavior.

Most often this occurs due to stress and diseases of the genitourinary system. Sexually mature cats often mark things, walls, shoes, furniture and urinate past the litter box, thus marking their territory. If there is a stress factor, on the recommendation of a doctor, you can give the animal plant-based sedatives - “Fitex”, “Cat-bayun”.

To correct your pet’s behavior, you can use special products that stop you from shitting anywhere: Himola spray, Antigadin, Nature’s Miracle and others.

An attentive and responsible owner, if a pet has a strong smell of urine or a change in behavior (the animal urinates past the tray), will take the necessary measures to determine the causes of this phenomenon. A timely visit to a veterinarian will help to exclude the disease or confirm the diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment if the cause of the bad smell from the litter box is the pet’s illness.

If a cat goes to the toilet in an apartment, the owner can easily notice a change in the smell of the pet’s urine. When a cat’s urine smells strongly, it is worth determining why this phenomenon occurs, since it almost always indicates problems in the animal’s health and the need for proper and comprehensive therapy.

Only a veterinarian can accurately determine the reason why a cat’s urine stinks, who, after conducting a full examination of the cat, will identify any health problems he has and prescribe therapy. It is important to remember that it is unacceptable to postpone a visit to a specialist, since if a cat has particularly smelly urine, it can be caused by a serious pathology; without providing the cat with the necessary help, you can lose your pet.

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Causes

Normally, the smell of cat urine is quite pungent and at the same time specific. Its peculiarity is due to the presence of secretions from the sex glands and ammonia compounds, which provide the physiological fluid with an ammonia smell with special additions. If the animal’s condition changes, then the urine smells unusual. There are many main reasons for changes in the smell of urine in cats .

1. Dehydration . If the animal’s body does not receive enough water, then the concentration of ammonia in the urine increases, causing its smell to become very pungent, and the cat stinks of urine. The same phenomenon is observed when feeding a pet dry food, which causes persistent chronic dehydration. The problem is eliminated by providing the animal with a sufficient volume of fluid. If necessary, in severe cases, when the urine has a strong smell and after the cause of dehydration and the cat has constant access to water, infusions of saline are carried out. After fluid balance is restored, urine smells normal;
2. The period of puberty and the period of heat is one existing non-pathological factor that increases the harshness of the cat's odor. For this reason, both cats and cats change the smell of urine. The smell of cat urine begins to become pronounced due to increased activity of the sex glands. During such periods, urine is a means by which the animal can mark the territory with a strong and persistent odor and declare its readiness to mate, and this signal spreads over a considerable distance. If you castrate or neuter a cat, the urine loses its odor to a significant extent.
3. Wrong diet . If a cat is not fed correctly, then it has a protein metabolism disorder, which causes the level of ammonia in the urine to jump sharply. For this reason, urine can have a strong odor, and even high-quality litters cannot completely cover it up. To eliminate the problem, the animal's diet is changed. Also, if the veterinarian deems it necessary, a course of treatment of the liver and kidneys is indicated to restore their normal functioning, which may be impaired due to an excess of protein in the feed.
4. Diseases of the urinary system . All diseases of the kidneys, bladder and urethra are accompanied by the development of an inflammatory process in them. In such a situation, there is a violation of urine flow, due to which it constantly accumulates and stagnates in the animal’s body. In addition to the concentration of urea in the urine, stagnation also causes the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. As a result, the urine smells not only particularly foul, but also unusual. To eliminate the problem, urgent and high-quality treatment is required, which includes a course of antibiotics.
5. Hormonal diseases and cancer pathologies . In such a situation, the cat’s urine smells especially unpleasant due to the pathological processes occurring in the animal’s body. In some cases, the urine begins to smell not just strongly, but also putrid, which should especially alert the owner. Sometimes such changes in the smell of urine are the only signs of disorders occurring in the animal’s body.
6. Severe stress . If an animal is going through serious changes, such as moving, for example, its urine smells much stronger at this time due to a sharp disruption in metabolic processes. In such a situation, as soon as the cat calms down, the problem will go away on its own. A visit to the veterinarian is only necessary if after 2 weeks your cat's urine still stinks.

In order not to miss the appearance of problems in the health of the animal, it is important to promptly identify the causes of changes in the smell of urine. You should not refuse a visit, assuming that the alarm may be false. It’s better to visit the veterinarian and hear that the cat is healthy than to find out that your furry pet has a disease, but it’s dangerous to miss it.

When, in the absence of diseases in the pet, an ammonia smell is felt in the apartment, first of all, you need to start cleaning the cat litter more often, then try to choose a litter that better absorbs odors, and, finally, consider the issue of possible castration of the cat. Usually the problem is successfully resolved within a month.

If your cat's urine smells like ammonia, this may be a sign of a serious inflammatory disease or hormonal imbalance. You should not ignore this problem and try to fix it yourself. To make an accurate diagnosis, it is enough to take blood and urine tests of the kitten. Therapy for disorders includes medication and a balanced therapeutic diet.

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Reasons not related to the cat's health

In this case, it is easiest to eliminate the unpleasant phenomenon. The urine will stop staining the pet and the smell will disappear.

If a cat is healthy, but smells of urine, the reason for this is usually mistakes made by the owners.

1. Wrong litter box - if a cat has outgrown its litter box, then when it settles in it, it is often positioned so that the cat ends up on the floor. Because of this, when he goes to the toilet, his paws come into contact with a puddle, and the urine is absorbed into the fur, which begins to smell strongly. Due to their natural disgust, cats do not want to wash their paws, and therefore the smell becomes stronger each time. The solution to the problem is simple: to make the cat’s urine smell disappear, just wash your pet’s paws and buy a tray that fits the size.
2. Poor quality litter – if the litter in the tray slowly absorbs urine, it stains the cat’s paws and the cat develops a strong unpleasant odor. To eliminate it, the owner should definitely get rid of the bad litter, replacing it with a high-quality one, or use a tray with a mesh bottom for the pet. In this case, urine will not get on the paws.
3. Insufficient hygiene of the litter box - when the owner is inattentive to the cat's litter box and stops cleaning it on time, it is not at all surprising that the cat stinks of urine. Settling down in a dirty tray, the pet rummages through the litter, which no longer retains the smell of waste, which is why the animal becomes saturated with it. In this case, the only remedy that will help is regular cleaning of the cat litter box.
4. The toilet is in the wrong place - if a cat, in addition to the litter box, leaves puddles in the house and in other places, often using shoes for this, she steps on her own urine, which creates an odor from herself. In addition, we must take into account that in this case the cats’ urine also smells in the rooms where they are. After weaning your pet from improper toileting, urine is removed from things with a special composition.

The listed causes of cat urine odor can be eliminated quickly and effectively. The animal does not require treatment and there is no threat to its life.

Reasons for appearance

Under normal conditions, cat urine has a strong odor. This specific aroma is caused by a mixture of ammonia and secretion from the gonads. But sometimes you can feel that the smell has changed from normal to ammonia.

A common cause is considered to be dehydration. This happens in animals that eat only dry food and do not have access to water. Another popular reason why a cat’s urine stinks is considered to be the onset of sexual heat.

Veterinarians say that in domestic cats, the ammonia smell in urine appears due to an inactive lifestyle. This happens due to the fact that with a lack of activity, metabolism deteriorates, and this leads to the sedimentation of sand in the kidneys, and affects the condition of the pet’s biological fluid.

Sometimes the smell of an animal's urine changes due to stress.

A castrated cat's urine smells due to inflammatory processes in the urethra. This occurs because fluid accumulates, forming a urethral plug. Then microorganisms begin to develop in it, which cause such a stench.

If, in addition to ammonia, the smell of rot is clearly heard, then the reason lies in hormonal imbalances or cancer. The aroma also changes under the influence of stress, but this is not a serious disorder, and the problem goes away on its own.

Smelly urine in a cat appears due to reasons such as:

• diabetes;
• hypothyroidism;
• hypothermia;
• infection of the oral cavity;
• poor nutrition.

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Smell due to illness

When a cat suffers from kidney and bladder diseases, they are often the cause of foul-smelling urine . It usually appears due to mild incontinence and inflammatory processes in the organs. In such a situation, in addition to the spoiled smell of urine, the animal is restless and experiences rapid weight loss. The cat looks sick and needs urgent treatment.

The owner must know exactly why his cat began to smell unpleasantly, and take all measures to eliminate the problem.

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Associated symptoms

The main sign of the disorder is cloudy urine in the cat. This is a symptom of a malfunction in the urinary system. Sometimes the liquid smells fishy or rotten.

The pet often goes to the litter box to no avail. His behavior changes: he becomes restless, loses his appetite, although some cats, on the contrary, become sleepy and passive. If the changes were caused by dehydration, then the pet quickly loses weight and does not gain weight, although the diet does not change.

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Diagnostic methods

The reason for this odor in urine can be determined using standard biochemical studies.

In most cases, it is enough to do biochemical tests of urine and blood to determine the disease in a cat. To identify malignant formations or inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system, ultrasound or contrast radiography is performed. Blood pressure measurements or biopsies are rarely ordered.

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What to do?

When choosing therapy, it is worth considering the age, sex of the animal and stage of the disease. Often, with diseases of the urinary system, it is impossible to completely cure a cat. This is due to the fact that symptoms often appear late and pet owners seek advice from a veterinarian when the disease has passed the first stage of development. But if you follow all the doctor’s instructions and start the selected therapy in a timely manner, long-term remission can be achieved.

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Medications

If a cat is diagnosed with dehydration, then intravenous use of saline solutions is prescribed. For inflammatory diseases, the doctor prescribes antibiotics. To improve the removal of stagnant fluid in the body, diuretics are used. But such drugs should be selected individually for each pet. To maintain the general condition of the body, vitamin therapy is used. If the source of why a cat stinks of urine is severe stress, then veterinarians will prescribe herbal-based sedatives. Such drugs include Fitex and Kot Bayun. In severe cases, surgery is used. If the cat's urine begins to smell unpleasant due to sexual heat, then doctors recommend resorting to castration.

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What to feed your pet?

Sometimes, to solve the problem, it is enough to switch the animal to a higher quality diet.

If the cat’s urine begins to smell strongly, but the diagnosis did not reveal any pathological changes in the body, then the cause of the unpleasant smell of ammonia in the urine lies in poor diet. In addition, a balanced diet is important for regaining health after drug treatment. Doctors advise using special high-quality feed.

It is advisable not to mix them with fresh products. The following brands are recommended:

• Royal Canin;
• Hills;
• Acana;
• Purina Proplan;
• Eukanuba.

If your pet eats natural foods, you should remember that the diet should be varied. The pungent odor of urine disappears after the balance between carbohydrates and proteins in food is restored. In addition to meat and fish, food includes cereals (buckwheat or rice porridge), vegetables (carrots, zucchini).

To improve the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, dairy products are included in the diet: cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt. It is not recommended to give your cat canned, smoked or pickled foods. An adult animal or kitten must have constant access to clean water.

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What do different types of smell mean?

Unpleasant odors are caused by several types of volatile compounds produced by anaerobic bacteria. They use food debris on the tongue, between teeth and in carious cavities as a nutrient medium. Depending on the predominant compound, the character of the odor changes. Some of them suggest the pathology that caused halitosis:

• sour aroma – stomach diseases, gastritis or ulcers;
• feces, rotten cabbage - oral pathology, caries;
• smell of urine - kidney failure;
• the smell of ammonia or rotting apples – diabetes;
• rot, rotten meat - esophageal diverticulum.

You can find additional symptoms that will accurately indicate the cause of halitosis. If you have stomach pathology, you will experience pain between snacks. Diabetes mellitus is accompanied by excessive urination, dry mouth and thirst. Caries may not appear for a long time, but in advanced forms toothache appears.

Given the variety of causes, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of halitosis can be performed by doctors of different specialties. You need to see a dentist to get rid of dental diseases, but in other cases you will need to consult an endocrinologist, therapist or nephrologist.

How to remove the smell?

An unpleasant aroma on furniture can be easily removed with a prepared vinegar solution.

To remove the smell of cat urine from furniture, use a vinegar solution. It is diluted in a ratio of 1 to 3 and applied to objects. If your clothes stink, use Belizna bleach.

This product is also used to clean cat litter. To reduce the smell, use lemon juice or citric acid. To combat the pungent odor of urine from kittens or adult cats, sprays are applied to objects: “Himola”, “True Friend” or “Laina”.

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How to save shoes damaged by a cat?

Often, pets show increased love for their owner's shoes. Dogs chew on it, and cats mark it. Washing shoes with the addition of washing powder, laundry soap, or liquid laundry detergent is effective if you need to wash off the urine of an immature healthy animal.

It can be very difficult to remove the “fragrant” marks of an unneutered adult cat or a pregnant cat from shoes.

The following methods will help:

1. Comprehensive professional dry shoe cleaning. This service is expensive, but often allows you to save shoes when it is not possible to treat them at home without the risk of damage.
2. Machine washable. This method is suitable for sports shoes. Before washing, it is advisable to soak white sneakers or sneakers in a solution of a chlorine-containing detergent (this can cause colored ones to fade). When rinsing, you can add essential oil to the conditioner compartment.
3. Iodine solution. They need to treat shoes or boots after chemical or home manual cleaning. Not suitable for light colored items due to the possibility of staining.
4. Manganese solution. Manganese is included in the list of precursors, so it is difficult to buy dry matter. But you can order a ready-made solution in the prescription departments of pharmacies. Damaged shoes are soaked in it before washing or washing with powder or soap.
5. Vinegar. Treating with 3% vinegar before and after cleaning eliminates nuisance odors. Shoes should be kept outdoors until completely dry. Suitable for most products.

Prevention

To maintain health, it is important to follow the correct diet: protein foods should be combined with carbohydrates. The cat should always have access to water, especially in the hot season. It is advisable to monitor the cat’s behavior and notice the slightest changes in its character.

This will help to detect the development of the disease in time. It is also worth protecting the animal from stress: do not leave your pet alone or with strangers for a long time, carefully transport it from place to place. If your cat's urine smells strongly, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.

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What does it mean if your cat's urine starts to smell strong?

Cats come from desert regions where access to water is often limited, so their bodies have adapted to make do with a small amount of it and save every drop. As a result, their urine is very concentrated and, as a result, has a distinct, characteristic odor.

This is a property of all domestic cats, so owners need to be prepared for such manifestations and clean up after their pets more often. But a sudden and significant change in the usual smell indicates the appearance of serious disorders in the cat’s body, indicating the presence of pathologies or diseases.