New cat, smelly house. Help!

[RamblingRosa]

I should probably put this in Good Housekeeping but I feel out of my comfort zone over there

Our new(ish) cat seems pretty clean and well trained but I'm finding that the house absolutely stinks .

We can't find an obvious source. It's not like there are damp patches or puddles of wee.

Sometimes it smells faintly of cat wee and sometimes it's a more general musty unclean smell (even though we do clean the house - honest!).

Is it other cats coming in and spraying? Does cat spray smell just like cat wee or is it different?

Are cats just generally a bit smelly

Any tips?

can recommend one of these www.nutrecare.co.uk/Product-1744/Feliway-for-cats/Feliway-Diffuser-Pack
and the spray www.nutrecare.co.uk/Product-1970/Feliway-for-cats/Feliway-Spray

It could be other cats coming in, or it could be her feeling stressed - other cats coming in will def. stress her anyway. Try the diffuser and spray for a month, see if it stops, meanwhile make sure other cats can't get in. Would mean you getting a magnetic cat flap only activated by her.

Oh, and cat spray IS cat wee.

Thanks SparklyCloud. I've seen Feliway on pet websites but wasn't sure if it worked or not (seems like a lot of money if it doesn't work .

I did a massive clean at the weekend and the smell seemed to go but it's back with a vengeance this week.

I actually think the cat might be a bit smelly herself :(

I think it might well be other cats coming in and spraying. I'll look into a magnetic or microchip catflap because there's one cat in particular that tries to come in at least once a day.

there is a product that shows up cat urine on carpets, i think its made by the same people who make "urine off" which is also fantastic for removing cat wee from just about anything. you should be able to find it with a quick google.

then you could at least see the areas that need cleaning as its often hard to spot, as spray can be a pretty fine mist and unless you see them do it, its hard to pinpoint the area. i have ben know to go around on all fours sniffing my carpets for evidence

the other option is to comletely block your cat flap for a while and allow your cat access by opening a door or window for her when she asks. this will prevent the issure of the other cats coming in and may actually help your cat to feel a lot more settled. many behaviourists say that having a cat flap is just the same to a cat as us leaving the front door open, it can make them feel insecure in their own territory.

good luck with it

Would agree with the locking or blocking of catflap. Will make her feel secure.

I keep mine locked and only use the door now, sick of them killing birds. This way i can keep them in at dawn and dusk when birds are at their liveliest!

Might not be cat urine - it could be your cat's anal glands. One of our cats (females, neutered) was quite smelly for the first year or so - her sister, from the same litter, wasn't. Her anal glands express a little bit of smelly fluid when she was stressed - she is quite a nervy cat. She seems to have improved with age - she's now 4. We took her the vet to get checked. The vet said some cats are just like that.