Smelly cat, smelly cat
July 19, 2017 2:01 PM   Subscribe

My three year old desperately wants a pet, specifically a kitten. Before we moved to our new house, we had talked about getting a pet. Now, my husband says he doesn't want a cat because he is concerned that our house will smell like cat.

(He is a dog person anyway, but I see no way for us to support being dog owners with our schedules.) so, my question is: is it possible for us to have a cat without our house smelling like we have a cat? I reviewed some older questions on the topic, and it looks like there are some newfangled litter boxes that might do the trick, but I need to know if these really work and if there is anything else we could be thinking of. Do people ever keep a litter box in the garage and make a cat door or something? We live in the suburbs but this would pretty much need to be an indoor cat I guess.
posted by chela to Pets & Animals (29 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I have three indoor cats and no new-fangled litter boxes and my house doesn't smell like cat. I know for sure it doesn't because people go out of their way to comment, in surprised fashion, about how it doesn't smell like cat. We clean the litter boxes twice a day.

I wouldn't keep the litter in the garage unless your garage is air conditioned - a hot litter box is going to be a lot smellier than one in a temperature controlled environment you keep as clean as you can.
posted by something something at 2:05 PM on July 19, 2017 [6 favorites]


Our house does not smell like cat. Scoop the litter box frequently, clean it regularly, wash your cat's dishes and clean on a normal schedule and your house will have very little evidence of cats. Cats are not generally smelly animals. We keep the litter box in the basement.

I feel like your husband's concern is a bit, if we can bring birds into it, of a canard.
posted by Frowner at 2:11 PM on July 19, 2017 [17 favorites]


We have one indoor cat and a plain old litter box with Feline Pine litter. The litter box lives in the bathroom, and poop is scooped directly into the toilet at the first opportunity. Litter gets changed about once a week, whenever it looks to me like it's more sawdust than pellets. Our house does not smell like cat, though there is a generous supply of cat hair available for your clothing. When I put new litter in the box, it smells like pine! I personally detest the chemical smell of a lot of the fancy litters, and find the smell of pine a lot less offensive than artificial perfume smells.
posted by Kpele at 2:14 PM on July 19, 2017 [2 favorites]


Our house does not smell like cats. I speak as a person who finds the smell of cat pee horrific and am thus very sensitive to it. I have been to houses that smell like cat.

I credit the fact that our house does not smell like cat to: healthy grain free diet for the cats (canned wet and dry), use of Dr. Elseys precious cat litter, baking soda in the litter box, and regular scooping at least three times a week, and litter box kept in a cool part of the house. The litter box is in the living room and you cannot smell it unless you stick your face in the box.
posted by Karaage at 2:15 PM on July 19, 2017 [2 favorites]


Cats are not smelly, it is the owner's upkeep of them that would cause problems (with the exception of geriatric cats who can start to smell).

But honestly, when I hear someone in a household does not want a pet, for the sake of the pet, I say don't bring a pet into that environment. It almost never works out in the best interests of the pet. (And a three-old can quickly tire of any pet, because, hey, three). Unless you yourself are hugely pro-cat and are dying to have a cat and will be so devoted it will make up for the rest of it, I would advise not to get a cat. Cats, unlike the lore surrounding them, need a ton of social time, as much as dog.
posted by nanook at 2:18 PM on July 19, 2017 [27 favorites]


I have been told my house does not smell like cats, and I'm not the most vigilant litter box cleaner. I was told once, though, to have one more litterbox than cats, so I have one cat and two litterboxes.
posted by FencingGal at 2:18 PM on July 19, 2017


Cats do not normally make a house smell. When a house smells like cats usually one of three things is going on:

-They don't clean the litter box regularly. (Ideally you should scoop every day and do a full litter change once a week. But you have to do a lot worse than that before the smell starts spreading. And you don't need any kind of special litter box or special litter.)

-The cat peed someplace other than the litter box, and they didn't find it before it dried. (This is normally unlikely; cats have a very strong instinct to eliminate in a specific designated location, and will only do otherwise if they're ill or severely stressed, or if the litter box becomes extremely dirty or otherwise unacceptable.)

-They have too many cats in too small a house.

If you get a single kitten and house-train it properly and clean the litter box regularly, your house will not smell.
posted by waffleriot at 2:23 PM on July 19, 2017 [10 favorites]


Our house does not smell like cat. There have been a couple times when the cat has gotten mad at something or someone and peed on the sofa, and even then we've been able to get the smell out using enzyme-based cleaners on a fresh puddle. We also use a Feliway plug-in when she seems particularly angsty about something (when we moved to a new apartment, brought the baby home, etc.)

The litter box is scooped daily and we leave it out on the balcony. The door to the balcony has a cat flap so she comes and goes as she pleases. She does not have a special diet.

You and your family do have to understand though, that cats are quite finicky and weird and may occasionally pee in places they shouldn't. Always have enzyme-based cleaners on hand, Feliway, and be prepared to deal with emergencies due to urinary tract infections, changes in environment, etc. No pet is ever 100% trouble-free, and cats are easier than most.
posted by Everydayville at 2:25 PM on July 19, 2017


"Smells like a cat" really means "Smells like a litter box". Clean the litter box regularly and it's not an issue. It sounds like that would be your job for now, but it is something your child could grow into.

We use the Modkat brand top-entry litter box, and it helps prevent litter getting spread or tracked around the house.
posted by Cranialtorque at 2:50 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]


We also have two cats and people comment that it doesn't smell like cat. The box is in the basement and there's a cat door. We clean it every day. That being said, cats generally don't like noise or being bothered, so make sure if you get a cat it's because you want it and can keep it happy. The only time my cat peed outside the box was because it was being hassled by a rambunctious four year old. Although for balance, I had a cat all through growing up and they were always happy to use the box. I was a chill kid. You know your kid, judge appropriately.
posted by Bistyfrass at 3:17 PM on July 19, 2017


Best answer: I've got three cats and four litterboxes. My place does not smell like cats. My girlfriend has three cats and two litterboxes, and her place does not smell like cats either. Your husband needs to be honest about whether that's his objection to having a cat - if yes, he loses this argument according to everyone on this thread. If no, he needs to communicate.
posted by bile and syntax at 3:35 PM on July 19, 2017 [6 favorites]


It sounds to me like husband is saying "the house will smell like cat [unless you and I work hard to make it not, which I don't care to be bothered with."] Are you, yourself, dying to clean a litterbox every day? Because your kid obviously won't, and I'm hearing your husband saying he's not excited about engaging with cat excreta.
posted by fingersandtoes at 3:59 PM on July 19, 2017 [4 favorites]


Friends with four cats have taken reasonable care over the litter and I've never smelled "cat" in their house even once. I have one cat, and ditto. A cat who eats a healthy diet won't have overly stinky outputs anyway, and if you look after your side of the deal there's no reason anyone would notice a smell.

I'm thinking that maybe your husband fundamentally doesn't want a cat around, and this is a pretext?
posted by zadcat at 4:00 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]


I have two indoor-only cats and no smell, and I am not a twice-a-day scooper by any means (and I have a very sensitive nose). Figure out the airflow of your house and don't put the catbox in it. Scoop often. Change the litter and wash the box regularly. I have had three cats in a one bedroom apartment and it was fine. I currently have a Luuup box, which I like, but that just makes it easier to clean. I use Fresh Step litter because my cats like it.
posted by clone boulevard at 4:02 PM on July 19, 2017


Nthing that I have three cats, two litterboxes, and zero cat smell. My friends frequently tell me they're amazed at that, but it's really easy. I use the (Trader Joe's brand) pine pellets (there are many other brands just the same) which give off a good, clean, woodsy smell. Because of the setup of my house (no mudroom, pantry, laundry room, etc.) I have one litter box in each bathroom.

If I get home and there's a stinky poop in there, I just flush it, and give one spritz of an air freshener. Voila, smell gone.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:32 PM on July 19, 2017


Best answer: As a person who doesn't have cats, yes, cat odour is identifiable in 99.99999% of homes in which cats reside. (Sometimes it's faint, admittedly.)

With respect, people actually living with and habituated to cats may not be best placed to make this call.
posted by cotton dress sock at 5:07 PM on July 19, 2017 [20 favorites]


I'm a cat person but I also have a sensitive sense of smell which gets reset when I leave the apartment and return later (it's not that my nose has just acclimated). If you use a good litter (we like Dr. Elsey's clumping litter) and scoop it regularly, the litterbox won't stink.

To be honest, cats are so much less smelly than dogs (they have a deodorizing enzyme in their saliva), it always blows my mind when dog people snark about cats being stinky. Like... do you not notice that when I get into your car I open the window immediately regardless of outside temperature, hold my breath as long as possible, and then breathe shallowly through my mouth because your entire vehicle is permeated with dog-smell? Apparently not…

On preview: "cat odour is identifiable" Yeah, that's what happens with living beings. Does the dog never fart? Does the birdshit on the bottom of the birdcage not smell? Do you truly, honestly take the trash out every night before bed? How long has it been since you scrubbed around the base of the shower enclosure, there's a touch of mildew there? Does the three-year-old child not cause smells? Hell, does your spouse never pass gas? Do you never pass gas? Having hit middle age, I think if it were possible to capture my early-morning gas we'd be able to solve the nation's renewable-power issues.
posted by Lexica at 5:16 PM on July 19, 2017 [9 favorites]


Also, unless they're both assertive and incredibly tactful and know it - or alternatively, blissfully free of care about social dynamics - friends asked outright may not be the most reliable people to triangulate about this with. [I have zero pets atm fwiw.]
posted by cotton dress sock at 5:30 PM on July 19, 2017 [4 favorites]


If he's a dog person, he may be thinking that cat smell is like dog smell. You can smell where dogs sleep; it smells like dog. Cats aren't like that. The only time you smell something with a cat is if there's something wrong. I mean, you could smell a cat's bed if you left it alone for a year and then really pressed your nose into it, but your cat will be a lot happier if you give her a clean towel to sleep on every week or so.

I am talking about inside cats, which are far less trouble that outside cats in some ways.

I'm not 100% sure that three years old is quite old enough for a kitten, but you know your child a lot better than I do, and really, I don't know a lot about children.

I would encourage you to consider _two_ kittens, which still won't smell, because you are busy taking care of your child, he/she is not quite old enough to constantly entertain an energetic adolescent cat, and a lonely bored adolescent cat _will_ destroy things and/or fight with your feet in the middle of the night and/or make loud sad sounds if you lock it up alone and/or might bite someone out of just being frustrated and bored. Please give it a friend who can be there all the time, because kittens' minds are constantly active.
posted by amtho at 5:36 PM on July 19, 2017 [4 favorites]


Ill be honest -- i've let my litter boxes get to the point where they smell. And it's 100% my fault. When i'm diligent about the litter boxes, no smell. I've asked other people to judge because i don't trust my own nose.

A wet dog though? Holy crap that can be a smell. Ill take my three cleanable litter boxes over that any day of the week. Nothing against dogs, love them to bits, but ill pet and play with any one of them at work and can smell dog on my hands right after. That just doesn't happen with a relatively healthy cat.
posted by cgg at 5:36 PM on July 19, 2017 [4 favorites]


BTW, I have also been told that, despite fostering kittens and having one to two adult cats in my house at a time, there was zero cat odor. I also know the lady who rescues feral cats, she has a couple roaming her house, and her place is also very clean.

One other thing: when you first bring home a kitten that's been previously living under someone's porch or in the shelter, where the food isn't great, you may notice the poops being miraculous in their power to repel you. Upgrade -- _gradually_ -- to a better quality food, make sure it doesn't disagree with the cat for some obscure reason (allergies, random genetics), and that odor will settle down. After changing enough diapers, though, this process probably will not alarm you.
posted by amtho at 5:39 PM on July 19, 2017


Best answer: Your husband doesn't want a cat. Your three-year-old, respectfully, has no idea what having a cat means, and will probably not enjoy having a cat because cats fear sudden movements and loud noises and as such will hide from three-year-olds, cannot be coerced and/or trained into playing when it's not on their terms, and have sharp claws with which they express their reticence to interact with well-meaning but persistent three-year-olds. Cats and three-year-olds are a notoriously bad combination.

Do you want a cat? Because this will be your cat.
posted by jesourie at 5:57 PM on July 19, 2017 [23 favorites]


I've known people who had cats that didn't use their litterboxes reliably. Most often because the owner did not keep the litterbox adequately clean. I had a cat who got in to the litterbox, hung her nether regions over the side, and peed on the floor. So she had a large mat under the litterbox, and we got a litterbox with higher sides. Some cats may get weird about the litterbox when they get old.

Your 3 year old wants a magic kitty that will play nicely and be soft and cuddly. I would wait. I would reconsider a dog of a variety that does well with little humans, i.e., not my Jack Russell Terrier, who doesn't dislike kids, but doesn't understand tiny people and may not react well. A golden retriever or a poodle. Or, get a cat for *you* and politely allow other family members to love it.
posted by theora55 at 6:43 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]


I have a cat and the earlier version of this ridiculously expensive Litter Robot litter box, it is worth every penny. Love my cat, hate cleaning the box. I change the bag on this once a week, if that (you don't need special bags, just regular tall, kitchen bags from the store). No smell and there is a 90 day guarantee. If your cat won't use it they will take it back, really. Your kitten does have to reach a certain weight to trip the sensor on the box. Watch the video on the site.
posted by BoscosMom at 10:25 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]


I have never been in a house that had a cat where I couldn't instantly tell by the litterbox smell when you walked in the door - except those who kept the box outside on the balcony, and not in the house at all. As previously mentioned, when you have a cat you get used to the smell so you're not a reliable witness, so to speak.
posted by Jubey at 2:31 AM on July 20, 2017 [3 favorites]


I used to have cats and swore you couldn't tell. Now, like others, I can immediately tell when someone has a cat. I either smell a dirty litter box or clean litter. Even if the litter box is immaculate, litter can get tracked into corners, under sofas, into other rooms' carpets, etc.
posted by kimberussell at 4:25 AM on July 20, 2017 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Oh, yeah, the majority of old-fashioned clay litter smells strongly of covering scent. There are a lot of unscented litters now that are great and really have no smell. That's not just me-when-I-had-a-cat reporting, it's a number of visitors who also didn't have cats, who were often surprised.
posted by amtho at 9:00 AM on July 20, 2017


Two cats, two litterboxes here. The boxes get scooped once a day. I was recently out of town for a few weeks, which should have been enough time for any "noseblindness" on my end to fade. When I got home, my house did not smell at all like cats to me. Twenty years ago, sometimes my family's house smelled like cats, but litter has come a long way since then. I can still tell when other people's houses smell like cats, usually because the litter needs scooping.

However! If your husband is truly just concerned about smells, I'd suggest adopting an adult cat instead of a kitten. I've never had a kitten whose poops weren't at least somewhat stinky, and my current cat could clear an entire room with a fart when he was little. His vet thought this was hysterical and said it's because of how kitten food is formulated (and this kitten was far fonder of stinky wet food than any other kitten I've ever had). The cat isn't at all smelly now, but his kitten poots really annoyed one of my family members for a while.
posted by QuickedWeen at 10:50 AM on July 20, 2017 [1 favorite]


It's true, I think kitten food must be super oily and super carby. Still a good choice for most kittens, but I do think it's worth finding a food that agrees with your particular kitten -- although I realize that may be a quixotic quest, and changing food too often is itself an irritant (always change food gradually).
posted by amtho at 4:24 AM on July 21, 2017


« Older Spin bike app for iOS that allows classes to be...   |   International travel insurance with pre-existing... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.