What on earth is Dcat doing?

[DyslexicNotThick]

Can anyone please help me solve this puzzle before I burn my house down?

On three occasions over the last couple of months, my DC's bedroom has had a really strong smell of vomit. On the first two occasions DD said she was asleep and woke to see dcat behaving unusually in one corner of the bedroom, the following day we found clear liquid on a plastic toy box.

It's happened for the 3rd time yesterday, and I can't fathom what's going on. We were out at school/work and came home to the smell. I haven't pulled out the shelves etc where the smell has come from as life is manic and the bedroom is such a mess so don't know if there is fluid this time.

Dcat is 7yrs old, neutered, generally fit and well, and very much loved apart from when she indulges in her strong hunter instinct and brings all manner of wildlife home.

The smell is really rank and while I would describe it as vomit, DD thinks it smells like poo. There is no poo, she has access to a clean litter tray, which she rarely uses as she prefers to go outside. She only uses litter tray in really heavy rain but paces and meows to let us know she wants to go out. When she can't hold it anymore she uses the litter tray. So I really don't think shes using the bedroom for toileting.

I haven't taken her to the vet because symptoms of "my DC's bedroom has smelled of vomit 3 times" will probably get me some odd looks. Dcat seems her usual self, we don't know what part of dcat anatomy this fluid is coming from etc. I'm aware dogs have anal glands that can have offensive smelling fluid, do cats have anything similar?

What on earth is this smell?

It looks like cat could perch on shelf above and the box is not flush with above shelf i.e. sticks out from underneath? Is that hair in the dried up stuff? If so, indicates the last of an upchuck of a hairball - main bit still to be found. I'm still puzzled my smell for my reasons stated above. Surely your cat is displaying its usual stalking behaviour re rodent? I think you're going to have to pull out everything to uncover decomposing beast. Eek.

Sorry OP, I didn't see your previous post explaining hair.

Mrs cat, if something was decomposing hidden behind furniture the smell would be constant. As soon as the liquid is cleaned off the toybox lid and the window is opened for half an hr, it disappears. But it's so strong that my stomach churns when cleaning it.
not envy.

And yes the box is a little wider than the shelves, I hadn't thought about it coming from form the shelf above, but the side she puts this liquid on, is at the back of the shelves. They are backed against the side of a wardrobe so she has to go in somehow to the back of the shelves.

I'll ring vets tomorrow and see if I can get her in this coming week for check up and jabs.
I'll come back with an update if I ever figure it out.
Was wondering earlier, if I move the box to the floor in a different part of the room, would she follow the box, or go back to the shelves if she needed to expel this fluid again?
The only saving grace so far is that the box is easily wipeable and no long term damage compared to it getting embedded in the carpet. I'm thinking the shelves offer some privacy and she'd return to them with no care for what she's impregnating with one of the worst smells on earth.

I'm on tenterhooks for an update boak. Best of luck in your investigations and do do hope it's nothing to do with your cat's health.

@DyslexicNotThick, no it had no smell. Although there was a smell where it had dried on the hall rug. But she'd apparently being peeing there for a while with out me noticing.

OP, in your second pic it looks like there’s a stain on the underside of the shelf above the box. So this fluid might be coming from higher up. Or the cat might be perching on a higher shelf to produce whatever it is!