Do neutered boy cats get smellier?

[Puppylucky]

Hi Elton is neutered and coming up to his 3rd (we think) Birthday. Although he's CKD, his day to day health is good and he's really started to fill out and get more muscly over the Summer. However, over the past few weeks, I've noticed a change in his body odour for want of a better description. He smells not bad exactly, but more animally - that sort of warm musky smell you get from hamsters and the like. His fur is also getting much denser. When he was younger he didn't really smell of anything ( apart from bad breath before we got his teeth done), but now when I bury my face in his fur it's like a teenage boys bedroom sometimes! Do neutered male cats go through some sort of hormonal change still, or is something else going on? Cat tax of the stinky boy attached

Ahhh what a gorgeous boy. 💗

My boy didn’t get smellier. I now have a girl and her coat does seem to change in the cold weather, more sort of greasy sometimes. Is he an outside cat? Could the change in weather be affecting him, or could he be sloping off to somewhere grubby to nap? Is he grooming himself as usual?

Hi - he's an indoor cat theoretically but we have a cat proof garden and he spends as much time as possible out there. He does lurk under bushes etc trying to stalk birdies but it's not really that sort of smell - it's coming from him if that makes sense. He's grooming himself as usual but just smells different.

I've never noticed my cat to really have any body odour. He has slightly fishy breath after eating and does some killer farts occasionally. But all my cats have been neutered and I've never noticed a change in odour.
The only time a cat smelled bad was when the poor thing had kidney disease and poor dental hygeine. (My mum's cat, so I didn't realise his teeth were so bad.)
I can only imagine he rolled in something? He could've had contact with a fox or furry animal. As you say its' kind of a hamster like smell?
He is absolutely gorgeous btw!

Ah well, that might be it. His breath smells a bit stale sometimes, but not bad like it did, so I think it is the CKD - although I did think that was supposed to be a more chemical smell. Anyway he's my lovely hamster stinky boy whatever 😻

Personally I’d get him checked out incase his CKD treatment needs tweaking. Humans smell different sometimes when their health is changing.

All of my cats have been neutered males and I’ve never noticed a smell change. Only maybe the smell of the fishy pouches on their breath or if they’ve rolled in something in the garden. Other than that they’re basically odourless. I think you need a vet trip in case his CKD meds need reviewing.

He's at the vets on Wednesday so I'll mention it then - see what they say. Thanks all!

All mine have only ever smelt of where they have been last. No particular smell of their own.

Does he smell like wet dog? That can be a sign of fleas.

My two neutered boys don't smell of anything unless I put my nose right in their fur, where they have a pleasant scent I can't describe. They do smell different when they're ill.

Awww his expression says 'Mum! How could you post my personal stuff on Mumsnet!!?' 😂

I've had a few neutered male kitties and none have smelt like that, except for one who developed cancer, it was a really horrible 'bad' smell. It's good you are checking at the vet, just to be on the safe side.

Our neutered boy doesn’t smell. If I bury my nose in his fur I can smell a dry kind of biscuits smell if that makes sense? None of our previous boys have smelled either.

No, none of our neutered boys have ever smelled unless they've been somewhere specific, if that makes sense.

Neither of my - 12yo - boys are stinky creatures; one of them has genetic renal issues (dxd when he was 5) but they’re still managed by diet. I hope Elton’s meds just need a wee tweak.

I love Elton 😻 Stinky or not.

Having conducted extensive sniff tests I think it's actually his slightly smelly breath I can smell on his fur when he's been cleaning himself as the smell comes and goes and isn't all over. He's getting slightly fed up of being sniffed at all the time so I'm going to let it lie for now anyway. Here's Elton putting me in my place 🙂

What did the vet say on Wednesday? Did they get a look at his teeth & gums? Do you generally have a super-sensitive sense of smell? Because I’d still worry about the smell of his breath transferring to his fur - that would suggest he’s over-grooming.

Unfortunately he had the vet on Wednesday who's a bit scared of him, so we didn't get to look at his teeth - he's back in a few weeks so I will mention it then. I do think it's partly me though as I do have a very sensitive nose .

Love him 🐾