Stinky cats?

Question

My sweet son wants a kitten. I can hardly stand his dirty laundry, how could I stand the smell of an animal? Do cats stink? How do you keep them from smelling up a place. Litter boxes?

Patryk, you don't have to be a jerk! I am asking for help because I love my son unconditionally and want him to know it. Do you mind if there is one less thing in my life I need to worry about? I just want to make sure he can handle it. Do I offend because I am curious about foul oders?

Thank-you Leftovers, that is very considerate of you to suggest that tiny detail. That would be dire to me! Wow. I forgot about allergies. And, as for the other 'qweston', I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. ;)

Answer 1

Keep the litter box clean daily and prolly don't want a male cat. You may want to make sure your son is well exposed to cats for a while before getting him on though. Mild allergies can build up over time(a couple of weeks) and you sure don't want to have to get rid of the cat after your son has grown attached. You'll also want to make sure you and your husband(if you have one???) don't have allergies.

Answer 2

We have three cats in a two bedroom and some of our visitors are surprised to see them because "they don't smell".
Healthy cats do not smell at all. Cats are extremely clean animals. What can smell is a dirty litterbox which you or your son will have to clean it once a day. You might also see some hair shedding if you have a longhair breed.

I don't know how old your son is but another thing to consider is that kittens are not the ideal pet for children under 8 (and then only with supervision). Also be aware that you will have to find ways to take care of your cat while you are on vaccation. You might want to visit with your son the local shelters or visit friends with cats to find out how confortable you are with them.

Answer 3

A couple of suggestions:

1. Visit others who have cats and sniff around. You may be more sensitive to odors than other people.

2. Volunteer for the Humane Society or a local cat rescue and have cats temporarily in your home. You take care of them before they get adopted by someone else. Its called foster care. This would give you the chance to see if having a cat around would be a good thing or a bad thing for you. This also gives your son a chance to learn that having a pet is work as well as fun. You will also be helping out your community.

Answer 4

Most cats are not stinky at all, as long as you keep up on thier littler boxes. Cant take the smell of cat poo or urine. It'll be more expensive but go with a litter maid litter box. It's self cleaning and puts the poo and urine in the little container then you span a lid on and toss. if you're cat is still a little smelly try bathing once a week or less. I have 7 cats and none of them smell bad at all.

Answer 5

male cats spray and you can't get that smell out of anything.some Male cats can still do it even after being fixed!! female cats don't spray But they go in to heat every month!And drive you crazy. your best bet would to be get a female have her fixed young. as far as the litter box goes if you scoop it out everyday and use some good cat litter its not so bad if you want to take the time to learn how and teach the cat they can be literally toilet trained but they don't flush. cats clean themselves constantly. if only some people could be so clean LOL and if you start with a little kitten you can give them baths but you have to get them before the learn to hate water. try it I think you will like it the are so loving and so much fun.

Answer 6

Get a high-quality cat food (Science Diet) along with a covered litter box and you should be fine. I have 2 indoor cats and keep their box in my closet, and it never stinks with regular changing. I use Scoop Away. Trust me, I've tried them all!

You can always put a cat door in the door to your garage and keep the box out there. (That's what my parents did.) If you let the cat ouside it'll go out there half the time - and bury it, so no poop scooping for you!

Remember cats bathe themselves (spend 6 - 8 hours per day grooming!) and are generally very clean and smell-free.

Answer 7

cats are very very clean. The do not smell and constantly clean themselves. With regard to the litterbox scoopable litter is advisable, if you clean it everyday it won't stink if you don't it will. Get females and have them fixed right away. If you plan on having 12 cats you may not avoid the house stinking if you have one or two there should be no problem

Answer 8

Cats are very clean. Just clean out the litterbox daily and feed it a good quality food like Science Diet. Cheap foods sometimes create odors. Also, keep your cat indoors and free of parasites.

Cats have habits that you may not like, some dig in the plants, or climb/scratch on the furniture. Whatever happens, don't declaw...use things like SoftPaws.

If you feel your home is too pristine to share it with a pet, I suggest getting him a contained animal, like a pet rat. My son had a pet rat for four years and they are trainable and stay in the cage and are very sweet pets. :) They are not jumpy like hamsters or gerbils. Our pet rat never bit us. Goldfish would be another option.

Answer 9

I am recommending few simple rules :
1). Neuter the kitten, so that he will not spray around
2). Use odourless litter sand
3). Change the litter sand frequently

Anyway, cat is not smelly... trust me.. ;-)

Answer 10

Cats are relatively clean,cleaner than most teens.A short haired breed would minimize hair,and cats can be taught to use the toilet or go outside