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I recently adopted a cat from the SPCA. She's a wonderful cat but every time she uses her box for a BM, it smells really bad. I use plenty of Lysol spray and immediately remove the stinky stuff from the box. I've tried a few different brands of cat food. Tried different flavors. I'm slowly getting a feel for what she likes. But no matter what she eats, it can get nasty afterward.
Oh... yes, I took her to the vet and he said she is in good health but didn't offer much about the food question.
and/or canned with minimum ingredients (avoid fillers like gluten other grains and carrageenan)
give her a probiotic to help her digest her food probiotic
Of those three options the only one I would say is optional is the raw diet (though you will get the most desired results, poop doesn't smell at all, on raw, because they have very little waste)
I've been trying to write my reply for awhile now, and it keeps getting more convoluted and difficult to follow ... maybe a sign I should get some sleep. But I'm going to post what I've already written ... and congrats on your new kitty.
First thing, very important, Lysol is toxic to cats. Pinesol, Lysol etc = phenols Phenols are toxic to cats. Spraying it is especially dangerous because have NO control over it.
"Some disinfectants, including quaternary
ammonium compounds, phenols, and pine
oils, are known to cause severe toxicity if cats
are directly exposed to them. The toxicity that
can be induced by phenols (e.g. Lysol) and
pine oils (e.g. Pine-Sol) is so severe that their
use must be avoided in areas where cats are
housed. These compounds should be kept
out of the shelter as they can cause serious
neurologic effects and liver damage."
Since she has been been to the vet and is in 'good health' ... I have to have a little rant [sorry] I wonder why a cat with horrendous smelling poop is considered in 'good health' There is obviously a problem. Olivia had the same problem, 2 different vets basically ignored my concerns about her obvious digestion/stomach problems.
The vet I have now is not the standard, OVER VACCINATION, push the teeth cleaning, push the wellness exam twice a year vet.
He can actually diagnose AND form a cohesive narrative to formulate a treatment PLAN, not just treat each illness/symptom separately as if the cat's body had sections instead of being intact, interconnected.
Olivia has PEI, pancreatic enzyme insufficiency. So he prescribed RX enzyme formula mixed with food. The same day I got an e-mail newsletter from Wysong discussing enzymes and live raw food and how processed [canned, kibble] "food" isn't [food]
From Wysong's website Healthy Dog / Cat Food | How To Choose Healthy Pet Foods "Everyone reading this will think I am going to lead them to A particular food, made by A particular company, which they can feed at EVERY meal with confidence. No I am not. That would simply perpetuate what is the most dangerous pet feeding practice of all.
Most people have the intuitive wherewithal to not exclusively eat or feed to their children some fortified food trinket from a bag or can for every meal, even if an expert says they should. No such sense exists in pet feeding because people have been told by the pet food industry, nutritionists, veterinarians, and Internet pet food reviewers that pet foods are 100% complete. (See The Myth of "100% Complete and Balanced" Processed Pet Foods.)
So, if you seek health for your pet, don't make your objective finding the ONE right food to feed at EVERY meal. Rather, seek the best products from the best companies using rational and scientific criteria (not the same as lore and myth), and learn how to feed in rotation and variety.
A final word about dos and don'ts, goods and bads. Although it is natural to hope that decisions in life can be made based upon black and white, such is not our reality. Particularly is this so with a complex subject such as nutrition. Nevertheless, people want an easily identified enemy (such as an ingredient) and a ready made savior (such as A particular food)."
Anyway, a raw diet should fix the smell and hopefully make her stomach feel better. I'm sure she is in pain. Think about how you feel when you get "food poisoning". I had Olivia on pain medication for a month while she transitioned from the kibble and canned food to raw.
I'm using Primal frozen raw, Wysong Archetype, and trying SmallBatch. At first glance it looks like 'raw' is way more expensive, but I've found that knowing what brands I will buy, each month, and just rotating the proteins, actually saves me money because I'm not throwing away cans they didn't eat or running to the pet food store, frantic to find something that might not make them gassy and lethargic.
Cats aren't biologically equipped to process and utilize the food we have been programmed to feed them.
One of my cats started having incredibly stinky poops this winter. I mean, you're-down-the-hall-in-another-room-and-say-omg-what's-that, stinky. The poops were also larger and softer than before. I looked online and saw it could be a symptom of a health problem, I think colitis? But I thought, before I take him to the vet, let me give another shot at changing them to all wet food. They were eating half wet and half dry at the time. I got them to make the switch this time, and his poops were back to normal almost immediately. About 6 months later, they're still normal.
One of my cats started having incredibly stinky poops this winter. I mean, you're-down-the-hall-in-another-room-and-say-omg-what's-that, stinky. The poops were also larger and softer than before. I looked online and saw it could be a symptom of a health problem, I think colitis? But I thought, before I take him to the vet, let me give another shot at changing them to all wet food. They were eating half wet and half dry at the time. I got them to make the switch this time, and his poops were back to normal almost immediately. About 6 months later, they're still normal.
Thank you, this makes sense to me. When I found Wendy at the SPCA, they got a combination of wet and dry food so I thought she was probably used to that and continued it when I got her home.
But with the wet food, I have tried several brands and flavors, some she will eat a lot of, some not so much. I've been a little worried about my girl, she does a lot of meowing but I know that can be the nature of the cat.
Would you be kind enough to share what kind your kitty is eating? Brand, flavors?
I'm a little crazy with the foods so they don't get bored. That helped a few years ago when switching them to one wet meal instead of all dry, and when switching them to all wet now. I rotate all the Nutro natural choice flavors (those are all meat), two Natural Balance flavors, two Halo Spots flavors, one Halo Vigor and one Halo Impulse, 3 Merrick flavors and just recently added one Under the Sun, which is made by Canidae! Phew. I get them all at Petco. Everything is either various kinds of poultry, or fish- mainly salmon. I worked it out by trial and error. There are some flavors of those brands one or more of them won't eat. They are happier when I rotate them so they don't get the same thing too often. They only eat pate, but I know other cats are the exact opposite. I hope you can find a feeding plan that she likes, and it helps her!
I'm a little crazy with the foods so they don't get bored. That helped a few years ago when switching them to one wet meal instead of all dry, and when switching them to all wet now. I rotate all the Nutro natural choice flavors (those are all meat), two Natural Balance flavors, two Halo Spots flavors, one Halo Vigor and one Halo Impulse, 3 Merrick flavors and just recently added one Under the Sun, which is made by Canidae! Phew. I get them all at Petco. Everything is either various kinds of poultry, or fish- mainly salmon. I worked it out by trial and error. There are some flavors of those brands one or more of them won't eat. They are happier when I rotate them so they don't get the same thing too often. They only eat pate, but I know other cats are the exact opposite. I hope you can find a feeding plan that she likes, and it helps her!
Thank you. I'm going to make a copy of what you listed and Petco is my pet store of choice, too. She primarily likes pate, too, but my former kitty liked shredded..... tried that because I had some left over and she did not like it.
Yes, variety is a good thing. For us and for them. I totally agree with you.
She is such a good cat and want to make sure I keep her happy.
My cats stink the place up after a meal of dry food even the expensive ones. They really like it though, especially the younger one so I give them 1 tablespoon or 2 a day each (big boys both of them). The rest of the time it's Fancy Feast - half classic half not. They are picky about that they don't seem to like seafood flavors. It's more expensive at Petco so I usually buy at Winco or Walmart where it's quite a bit cheaper. I tried Merricks and Wellness and the food just sits and dries out, same with any raw, so I figured at least the Fancy Feast Classic is okay for them
My cats stink the place up after a meal of dry food even the expensive ones. They really like it though, especially the younger one so I give them 1 tablespoon or 2 a day each (big boys both of them). The rest of the time it's Fancy Feast - half classic half not. They are picky about that they don't seem to like seafood flavors. It's more expensive at Petco so I usually buy at Winco or Walmart where it's quite a bit cheaper. I tried Merricks and Wellness and the food just sits and dries out, same with any raw, so I figured at least the Fancy Feast Classic is okay for them
I think it's a case of trial and error, especially when the cat is new to us. I saw what she ate at the SPCA but never saw (or smelled!) what her "output" was like. My cat (Wendy) doesn't care a lot for most of the flavors which is kind of hard. I need to start writing down what she does seem to like. Beef is out, she really does not like that. I am glad you said you give yours at least a taste of kibble.... from what I've learned, kibble is good for their teeth. Scrapes the plaque off them as well as the wet food that sticks to them. I am in central NY and there is no Wilco here but there is Walmart. I like Petco but you are right about the prices. I'm pretty low on money myself and can't afford to buy pricey stuff only to have it sit in bowl and dry up.
Thank you, I really appreciate what you wrote.
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I have to have a little rant [sorry] I wonder why a cat with horrendous smelling poop is considered in 'good health' There is obviously a problem. Olivia had the same problem, 2 different vets basically ignored my concerns about her obvious digestion/stomach problems. 
