Kitten Smells Like Poop : Why Does My Kitten Smell Like Poop? 7 Clear Facts

It can be extremely off-putting to realize that your otherwise lovely kitten is smelling like poop. The moment you make this realization, you will probably want to know the reason for the kitten smelling like poop and what (if anything) can be done about it. Read on, to find out.

If a kitten smells like poop, it may be because there is some poop actually sticking on its fur. This may be due to poor grooming or due to your inability to keep the kitten’s litter box clean. There could also be an illness that is making the kitten smell like poop.

Thus if my kitten stinks like poop, I would start by checking its fur. If there is poop sticking on the kitten’s fur, the kitten is bound to smell like poop.

Another place to check would be around the kitten’s butt. If there is some poop residue sticking around there, the kitten is likely to smell like poop.

But what if the cat smells like poop, but no visible residue on its fur or butt area? This may necessitate thinking of other possibilities: like those of it having an illness that makes it smell like poop.

The illnesses in question there may include things like anal sac infections, as well oral or gastrointestinal diseases that make its breath smell.

So in some cases, you may find that kitten breath smells like poop, due to gastrointestinal or (rarely) oral problems.

Before going further though, we need to first find out how the kitten should smell, ideally.

What Should A Kitten Smell Like?

Ideally, a kitten shouldn’t have any discernible smell. This is to say that its smell should be neutral.

Cats – including the kittens in question here – are among those animals with which no special scent is associated.

Therefore under ideal conditions, a kitten’s smell should be neutral.

Why Does My Kitten Smell Like Poop?

Earlier, we said that a kitten’s smell should ideally be neutral. The kitten should have no discernible smell. Yet there are situations in which you find that the cat’s smell is anything but neutral.

In some cases, you find that the kitten clearly smells like poop.

Naturally, this will lead to questions like, why does my cat stink of poo? Or generally, why does my kitten smell so bad?

As it turns out, there are several things that may be playing out, if your kitten smells like poop.

Firstly, the kitten may be having poop on its fur or in its butt region. And this may in turn be due to lack of proper grooming skills or due to poor litter box hygiene.

Secondly, the kitten may be having an illness that makes its breath smell like poop. So in this case, you find absolutely no poop on the kitten’s fur or butt region. Yet the kitten still clearly smells like poop.

Naturally, that gets you wondering, why does my kitty smell like poop, in spite of there being none on its fur or butt region? Then closer investigation reveals that it is due to bad breath that the kitten smells like poop.

Thus if you were wondering, why does my kitten smell like poop, those are the possible reasons. They boil down to poor grooming, poor litter box hygiene and illness. Let’s look at each of those possible reasons for kitten smelling like poop in turn.

By the end of this exercise, we will have the information necessary to answer the question on why does my kitten smell like poop properly.

Poor Grooming As A Reason For Kitten Smelling Like Poop

Cats are known to be very thorough when it comes to grooming their bodies. But the grooming skills in cats are acquired with time. Very young kittens may not know how to do grooming properly.

Consequently, if poop happens to find its way onto the kittens’ fur, the kittens may be unable to remove it. This would leave the kitten always smelling like poop.

Sometimes, you may also encounter a kitten with a very very smelly butt, due to lack of proper self-grooming skills.

This problem, in which kittens smell bad due to lack of proper grooming skills is quite common. So common is it that you often find people asking, do kittens normally smell worse than adults?

So the problem is in the kitten’s lack of proper self-grooming skills yet. Due to that, they are unable to clean themselves properly after defecating. They are also unable to remove any poop that sticks to their furs.

The kittens therefore become stinky.

Here, it is not that the kittens’ poop smells any worse than that of adult cats. That clarification is important, because we often find people asking questions like, is kitten poop supposed to smell worse than adult cats poop.

So the true position is that kitten poop doesn’t smell any worse. But lack of proper grooming skills often means that the kittens ends up smelling like poop most of the time.

Alternatively, due to lack of self-grooming skills, you find the kittens smelling like pee. And that too can get you wondering, why does my kitten smell like pee? Then investigation reveals that it is due to lack of proper grooming.

All in all, lack of proper grooming skills may be the reason for the kitten smelling like poop.

Poor Litter Box Hygiene As A Reason For Kitten Smelling Like Poop

In some cases, the kitten may smell like poop because you are not keeping its litter box clean.

If you are not keeping the litter box clean, the kitten will keep on getting into contact with old poop whenever it goes to relieve itself. The old poop then gets onto the kitten’s body, causing the kitten to smell like poop.

If my kitten fur smells like poop, this (poor litter box hygiene) is a reason I would consider for it.

Ideally, the poop in the kitten litter box should be scooped daily. Then the litter box itself should be thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis.

A kitten using a dirty litter box may not even need to get into direct contact with the poop therein to start smelling like poop.

Often, the smell of the poop in the litter box may just permeate the kitten’s fur. Then the kitten starts smelling like poop, in spite of there being none directly on its body.

That then gets you wondering, why does my kitten smell terrible, in spite of there being no poop on its fur?

Poor litter hygiene can be a particularly troublesome issue for kittens. That is due to two reasons. Firstly, kittens may have a tendency to frolic around the litter box.

And if the litter box is not cleaned (meaning there are feces around it), those feces end up on the kitten’s fur. They then cause the kitten to start smelling like poop.

That naturally will leave you asking, why does my cat smells like poop? And that turns out to be due to poor litter box hygiene.

As noted earlier, the kittens also lack proper self-grooming skills. This too makes a dirty litter box very troublesome for them.

Illness As A Reason For Kitten Smelling Like Poop

In some cases, a kitten’s smelling like poop may be due to illness.

Thus if you were wondering, why does my kitten smell like poop, you also need to consider this possible angle.

The illness in question may be one that leaves the kitten’s breath smelling like poop. It may be in the kitten’s mouth or further down the kitten’s gastrointestinal tract.

Either way, it is bound to leave you wondering, why does my kittens breath smell like poop?

The problem is in the fact that the smelly breath will tend to make the entire kitten smell like poop. And this is often a chronic problem, leaving the cat owner wondering, why does my cat always smell like poop?

So deeper investigation reveals that it is actually the kitten’s breath that smells like poop. And that in turn makes the entire kitten smell like poop.

In other cases, an illness may make the kitten produce very smelly feces or flatulence. Thus due to the illness, you find yourself wondering, why does my kitten’s poop smell like death?

The illness under scrutiny here is typically one that affects the kittens’ digestion. So the end result becomes smelly poop and flatulence.

Some parasites such as coccidia may also make kittens’ poops very smelly. And when the kitten is relieving itself, such smells may permeate its fur – making it smell like poop throughout.

Even anal sac infections can make kittens smell like poop.

Often, if the kitten in question is female, you find yourself asking, why does my female kitten smell like poop? But proper investigation reveals that the whole thing has nothing to do with the kitten’s gender.

So you find that the poop smell is on account of some illness afflicting the kitten.

How Do I Get My Kitten To Stop Smelling Like Poop?

Right after the question on why does my kitten smell like poop is likely to come up this one: on how to get the kitten to stop smelling like poop.

Now in answering that question (on how do I get my cat to stop smelling like poop), we need to focus on resolving the issues that cause kittens to smell like poop.

As we have seen, those include poor grooming, poor litter box hygiene and illness.

Consequently, in resolving the problem, focus should be on grooming the kitten yourself, keeping the litter box clean and having any underlying illnesses treated.

Let us look at each of those solutions in turn.

Grooming The Kitten To Get It To Stop Smelling Like Poop

As we said, sometimes, a kitten smells like poop because it is unable to groom itself properly. So you find any bits of poop it came into contact with sticking on its fur. And those make it smell like poop.

In this case, what to do is take to grooming the kitten yourself. Do this until it is able to properly groom itself.

You can use a wet washcloth to wipe the kitten, especially wiping off any feces that may be on its fur. You can also use baby wipes to clean the kitten’s butt area off any poop residue present there.

Keeping The Litter Box Clean To Get The Kitten To Stop Smelling Like Poop

The key thing here is to ensure that you scoop any poop in the litter box on a daily basis.

You also need to change the litter material regularly. And you need to be cleaning the entire litter box regularly too.

Try especially to ensure that there are no old feces hanging around in the litter box. If you leave such, they are likely to end up on the kitten’s body – making the kitten smell like poop.

Having Underlying Illnesses Treated To Get The Kitten To Stop Smelling Like Poop

If it is a disease that is making the kitten’s breath smell like poop, you can have a vet diagnose and treat it. Whether it is a digestive tract or oral health issue, once it is resolved, the problem should go away.

The same applies, if it is an illness that is making the kitten produce very smelly feces. Once a vet manages to diagnose it, and you adhere to the treatment instructions, it should resolve.

Consequently, the kitten may stop producing smelly poop – contact with which was in turn making the kitten smell like poop.

Final Verdict – Kitten Smells Like Poop

Sometimes, a kitten will smell like poop because some poop has indeed gotten on its fur. Due to lack of proper grooming skills, the kitten doesn’t manage to remove such poop from its fur. So it starts smelling like poop.

In other cases, a kitten will smell like poop because it is using a litter box that is dirty. So the poop smell from the litter box may permeate the kitten’s fur, making the kitten smell like poop.

Or the kitten may frolic around the dirty litter box. Then the poop from the box ends up on the kitten’s fur – making it smell like poop.

At yet another level, illness may be the reason for the kitten smelling like poop. This may be a gastrointestinal tract or oral illness that makes the kitten’s breath smell like poop. And the kitten ends up smelling like poop due to that.

It could also be an illness or parasitic infection that causes the kitten to deliver very bad-smelling poop. The smell then permeates the kitten’s fur, making the whole kitten smell like poop.

So those are the main reasons for kittens smelling like poop.

Grooming the kitten yourself (like using a wet washcloth) and maintaining proper litter box hygiene may be good. So can treating any underlying illnesses help here: in making the kitten to stop smelling like poop.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet cat a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️