Do all male cats stink? Or just mine?

[ShinyBauble]

I have a new foster cat, my first boy. He's adorable, but whatever room he spends time in starts to smell musky. I've never had this with any of the female cats, in fact none of them ever smelled of anything to me. But this boy reeks! Is it normal, or something to bring up at his next check up?

(He's also long haired, I don't know if that makes a difference?)

[Mogz]

Has he been neutered? If you pick him up can you tell where the smell is coming from or is it all over?

[issey6cats]

if hes neutered i would check his back end he may have weed or pooed on his knicker fur at the rear

[BonaDea]

We have two neutered boys who don't smell. Neither did my childhood Tom.

[ShinyBauble]

He's actually very clean, he washes a lot for an indoor cat. The fur around his bum is white and it always looks clean. He's just generally musky I think, but I'll mention it to the vet when he next goes in.

[claraschu]

My boy smells like warm clean laundry mixed with some fresh hay, so I don't think male cats normally smell bad.

Are you sure he isn't spraying a little? Sometimes even neutered males do it-

[lookatmybutt]

issey, I normally call it fluffy bum-pants but I think I might start calling it knicker fur now!

A friend of mine's neutered boy often had something of an odour, but the vet said it was just his natural stinkiness. He's the only one I've ever known have cat BO!

Do take him in just in case.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Male neutered cats don't normal smell. Boy cats have pants and girls cats have knickers, that is the fur at the top of their back legs.

[Mogz]

If he looks nice and clean then it's probably just his natural odour. I've a cat that smells like musty old books and one that smells like wet compost, weird animals.