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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Neighbours cat litter tray smell coming into my flat

11 replies

DearPru · 04/02/2021 07:30

I had an issue last year with a rotten smell in my bathroom (council flat) it smelled like sewage (or something equally as disgusting) so I was worried there was a leak from the toilet somewhere. The smell wasn’t constant, it would come and go which was really annoying when it would ‘pop up’ just as I’d stepped into a nice bubble bath.

The council sent a plumber who inspected the whole bathroom and said there was no leak, no wet patches and even more annoying when he visited, no smell! (typical) he put some stuff down the bath and sink incase there was something blocked in the drains and said if the smell came back to phone him. I immediately went out to collect the kids from school, got home, opened the front door and the smell hit me (sometimes the smell wafts out of the bathroom if the bathroom door isn’t shut) I phoned the plumber who came out right away. He was able to witness the smell and then said it smelled like a cat litter tray and asked if I had cats. I said no but I think the downstairs neighbour had one. He said that was the likely culprit. Apparently our showers (the walls behind them) are connected and it’s behind the panelling it’s just open space so if the neighbours cat little tray is being kept in the bathroom that’s what I’ll be smelling. He said I’d need to contact the council to report it and they’d inspect the property.

Obviously it’s awkward and I don’t want to embarrass the neighbour but I’ve mentioned it a couple of times in passing ‘there’s a horrible smell coming from behind my toilet can’t you smell anything in your bathroom? The plumber said it might be connected?’ and she swears blind there’s no smell in her bathroom (maybe she’s immune to it?) Its getting on my nerves now because even if there’s not a sh!t smell, there’s a rank dirty litter tray smell and it’s getting into other areas in my flat. I don’t mind the neighbour having animals but I shouldn’t have to deal with the smell of it surely!

AIBU phoning the council and asking them to sort it?

OP posts:
AStudyinPink · 04/02/2021 07:33

It is exceptionally unlikely to be the litter tray.

KnobblyWand · 04/02/2021 07:35

I would say it's far more likely that there's a leak inside the wall space that's making the insulation smell rancid.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 04/02/2021 07:37

Used cat litter does have a smell but not enough to permeate through your whole house as the upstairs neighbour, surely!

Mumdiva99 · 04/02/2021 07:37

We have cats and when they poop (I can hear one doing it now) sometimes it stinks. The tray is just outside the living room and sometimes we are watching TV and get gassed. Other times it's fine. But the smell does go very quickly. So I do get how bad it is.

Do you get on with the neighbour? Can't you just tell them what was said? E.g. Your plumber suggested it smells like 'his' cat's litter tray....

if the bathrooms have no windows maybe they can move the tray near a window.

Mumdiva99 · 04/02/2021 07:38

'His' being the plumber.....

joystir59 · 04/02/2021 07:38

Call the council as you've been advised to do. No need to speak to your neighbour at all. The council is your landlord and it's up to them to sort this matter out.

inquietant · 04/02/2021 07:39

If your flat is council-owned then ask them to investigate. It could be a dead rodent or something, that smells for some time apparently.

ChancesWhatChances · 04/02/2021 07:42

I’ve got my cats litter tray in the bathroom, there’s no smell because I clean out the litter every time I’m in there (if the litter tray I had been used). It’s incredibly unlikely to be your neighbours litter tray for the same reason. You can’t ignore a dirty litter tray or forget to clean it when it’s in the bathroom.

TheresNothingIWantMore · 04/02/2021 07:42

I'm not sure wy other posters think the litter tray is so unlikely. They bloody stink and the owners do get used to it. Also it would explain why it comes and goes as it would smell more just after the cat has used it. Not to mention the plumber who'd be far more used to the sort of smells leaks and things make said he thought it was a cat.

Either way I think go to the council, if it's not the cats then it needs sorting ASAP as water in other areas will be causing unseen damage. If it is the cat you can use the possibility of unseen damage as an excuse as to why you called em if the neighbour brings it up

DearPru · 04/02/2021 07:44

Thank you all!

It does smell like an animal smell like a litter tray or hamster cage or something. It’s getting me down. I wake up first thing nip to the toilet and I’m greeted with the stench.

I’ve looked behind my toilet and the toilet pipe runs right behind the shower wall (big open space). If I shine a torch I can see right in there and into the panel behind the bath. Plenty of space for a cat to fit in. Is it possible her cats maybe went in there and did the toilet?

I did consider a leak or mouse or something else but the smell is either very bad, lingering a little, or not there at all so I assumed it if was something else the smell would be constant.

Yes the bathrooms don’t have windows which will be making it worse.

OP posts:
Dansgoproadventures · 27/12/2023 10:11

Weve moved into an old 1950s semi 2 months ago and we can smell the cat litter box from next door under our stairs. I'm surprised as the walls are quite thick. Must be a void that needs investigating. Don't want to be knocking on neighbours door so soon!

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