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Best Cat Food For Smelly Poop: Our Top 12 Choices for 2023

There are a number of reasons why your cat’s poop smells awful, but often this is down to what a cat eats.

After studying the connection between cat food and waste, we feel confident we can help you find the best cat food for smelly poop.

As cat owners, we know that a cat poop’s smell can be one of the most horrid things out there. There was a time when I wanted to mask up every time I cleaned the litter box.

Fortunately, that’s over for me now. If you’re going through the same thing I did back then, you may be wanting to find a solution fast. 

Read on for an in-depth discussion about how to deal with felines and their unpleasant fecal odor.

Why Does Cat Poop Smell?

Stools are, of course, not fragrant at the best of times, but sometimes they can be downright strong and putrid.

The cause for foul smelling cat poop can be down to a number of factors, and it’s important to know which one is giving your cat and you a problem so you can find the correct remedy. Let’s talk about each one.

1. Your cat’s diet is low-quality. 

Those cheap and colorful cat food products that are so tasty for your cat? Those usually contain a lot of fillers and artificial flavors or ingredients that result in foul-smelling feces.

While your feline may love them a lot, the poor quality ingredients in those commercial cat foods may also be the reason why his stinky poop smells as it does. 

Another thing, your cat may have food allergies and he may be reacting to an ingredient or ingredients in the food he is being fed. If cats eat something that disagrees with them, it can lead to the problem you are facing now. 

2. There are bacteria in his colon.

Eating cat food that has been contaminated with bacteria like salmonella or E.coli can lead to smelly stools, often accompanied by inflammation, diarrhea, and indigestion.

It doesn’t just stop with cat food. Your cat can also get the bacteria from eating the birds or rodents he catches.

3. He’s got a parasite.

Intestinal parasites can cause excessive gas, smelly poop, and diarrhea in your cat. Coccidia, Trichomonas, and Giardia infestations, all of which can cause a cat’s poop to turn odorous, can infect a cat in a number of ways.

• Coccidia can infect your kitty if he eats a contaminated rodent.
• Trichomonas usually infect cats under the age of one year. It can be transmitted from cat to cat via shared litter boxes.
• Giardia is usually transmitted by eating or sniffing the cysts from contaminated water or ground, or directly from a contaminated host.

4. Your cat has digestive disorders.

A cat’s digestion can be a delicate thing. Some felines suffer from digestive disorders which can cause poop to become putrid.

They may lack digestive enzymes, have an overgrowth of flora and fauna in their digestive systems, or suffer from an inflammation of the bowel wall. These are all signs of malabsorption, and the reason why your pet may have bowel odor issues.

5. He’s on medication.

If your cat is ill and on medication, those meds may be the culprit for the smelly poop. Those vitamin and mineral supplements can also result in smelly stools. 

Most cat foods these days are balanced and complete, so there’s really no need to add supplements to your cat’s diet unless your vet advises you to. 

6. You’re buying the wrong kind of litter.

The wrong kind of litter can not quite hide or disguise the scent of smelly poop. Try and experiment with different kinds of litter to see which works best with your cat.

Be careful in your selection. Some cats are particular about their litter and may poop outside the litter box if they’re unhappy. Older cats need a litter that’s soft on their paws, while other cats are turned off by strong scents.

Best Cat Food for Smelly Poop

1. Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose Dinner Morsels
2. The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Chicken and Fish
3. Tiki Cat Raw Duck, Turkey Bone Broth & Pumpkin
4. Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Meals Chicken Recipe
5. ORIJEN Original
6. Applaws Tuna Fillet with Crab in Broth
7. Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Formula
8. Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Chicken Recipe
9. Acana Kitten First Feast
10. Wellness CORE Natural Turkey & Duck Pate
11. Merrick Backcountry Real Rabbit Recipe Cuts
12. Ziwi Peak Rabbit & Lamb Recipe

Our Top Pick Overall

Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose Dinner Morsels

First 5 Ingredients:

• Duck With Ground Bone
• Turkey With Ground Bone
• Turkey Liver
• Goose
• Turkey Gizzard

Guaranteed Analysis:

Stella & Chewy is a pet food company that’s committed to bringing your feline quality meals using responsibly-sourced animal proteins and 100% organic vegetables and fruits.

The company never uses artificial flavors or ingredients and the meats never contain any added hormones or antibiotics. 

This particular recipe is freeze-dried raw and starts with 98% farm-raised duck and goose, including bone and organs for a diet that closely mimics what cats would eat in the wild.

While it says duck and goose in the name, the label also includes turkey. If your pet is sensitive to chicken but is fine with other poultry, this might be the best alternative. 

This dehydrated cat food formula has a 4.4 star rating out of 5 on Chewy.com. While many cat owners have reported that their pets love the taste and are doing quite well on this diet, a few also mentioned that they’ve noticed their cats do not produce stinky poop anymore. The felines’ breaths also smell fresher. 

There are a few negative reviews but most of it (the little there are) focus on picky felines not wanting to touch the food. Some also complained that the kibbles were too big. There are no reviews that talk about any ill effects the food gave their cats. 

Raw food is often touted as one of the best to give cats with smelly poop. The key reason is that most raw food includes very little filler, is composed of mainly meat, and does not contain preservatives.

While this is not fresh raw food, it is freeze-dried and is the next best thing, particularly if convenience is what you’re after. 

We chose this formulation as the best cat food for smelly poop not only for its functionality, but also for its excellent ingredients, high protein content, and for keeping sustainability in mind in the selection process of the ingredients.

Pros:

• Made of 98% meat, bones, and organs
• Vegetables and fruits are certified organic
• Ethically-sourced ingredients

Con:

• Kibble sizes are big

Best Cat Foods for Smelly Poop: The Runners Up

1. The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Chicken and Fish

First 5 Ingredients:

• Dehydrated Chicken
• Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes
• Dehydrated Potatoes
• Flaxseed
• Dehydrated Eggs

Guaranteed Analysis:

The Honest Kitchen is a relatively new pet food business that is focused on formulating breakthrough food recipes that offer the best in nutrition.

The brand prides itself on crafting all of its formulations with the help of a team of PhDs and board-certified veterinary nutritionists and portioning each meal down to the calorie. Each food is designed carefully so that your cat gets precisely what he needs.

By using 100% human-grade ingredients and producing formulas in human-grade facilities, the brand ensures that all of its recipes are made of only the good stuff—wholesome, natural, and quality food that focuses on high safety standards for your dog’s health.

This brand offers a wide assortment of wet, dry, and dehydrated products for pets—complete and balanced meals made with wholesome ingredients and slowly cooked over low temperatures to remove moisture, thus preserving more of the nutritional integrity of the raw ingredients.

Pros:

• Designed by a board certified veterinary nutritionist
• Exceeds AAFCO quality standards
• USFDA registered
• Made from human-grade ingredients
• Easy to prepare (just add water)
• Highly palatable, even picky eaters can't resist
• Proven and tested to boost dog's energy
• No weird/funky odor
• Easy to store

Con:

• Can be expensive

2. Tiki Cat Raw Duck, Turkey Bone Broth & Pumpkin 

First 5 Ingredients:

• Duck
• Turkey Bone Broth
• Pumpkin
• Tricalcium Phosphate
• Potassium Chloride

Guaranteed Analysis:

Tiki Pets (owner of Tiki Cats) is a pet food brand that focuses on providing meals using purposeful ingredients.

The Tiki Cat line recognizes that cats are obligate carnivores who thrive on the consumption of animal-based diets. All of its cat food recipes feature high protein content, healthy hydration levels, and non-GMO products.

Tiki Cat RAW offers cats the protein they crave in its purest form — raw. The cat food recipe is led by duck sourced from France.

Turkey bone broth supports the meal with enhanced palatability and moisture, while the pumpkin provides the fiber your pet needs to prevent diarrhea or constipation and increase digestibility. It also has glucosamine and chondroitin to support older cats.

There are currently only three reviews on Chewy, but all of them gave it 5 stars out of 5. The brand is also highly popular for its non-raw offerings and is known for bringing quality meals to the table.

Reviewers are happy that there are no unnecessary ingredients in the food that may interfere with a cat’s digestive system.

Pros:

• Pure food that has not gone through much processing
• Raw is often the best option for getting rid of smelly poop
• Has only three main ingredients

Con:

• Can be expensive

3. Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Meals Chicken Recipe

First 5 Ingredients:

• Chicken (including Ground Chicken Bone)
• Chicken Liver
• Chicken Heart
• Montmorillonite Clay
• Ground Flaxseed

Guaranteed Analysis:

Instinct is a pet food brand that is also known as ‘The RAW brand.’ It provides a range of raw options to feed pets meals that are as minimally processed as possible, full of protein and essential fatty acids, and never cooked to keep as much of the food’s original nutrients intact. 

This particular chicken recipe features raw ingredients that have been freeze-dried to maintain its freshness while locking in all of the powerful nutrients contained in each of the ingredients.

It is a mix of 85% protein from a single animal source (chicken) and 15% non-GMO fruits and veggies for a complete and balanced diet. 

47 reviewers rated this formulation 4.6 stars out of 5. Many pet owners are happy that this cat food provided their fur buddies with a highly nutritious diet that does not rely on anything artificial to make it appealing.

They also mentioned that their cats' bowel movements are no longer smelly and are now much smaller since most of the food was utilized and digested by the body.

Pros:

• Minimally processed
• Made of 85% animal protein
• non-GMO produce

Con:

• Expensive for some

4. Orijen Original Cat

First 5 Ingredients:

• Chicken
• Turkey
• Whole Mackerel
• Turkey Giblets (Liver, Heart, Gizzard)
• Flounder

Guaranteed Analysis:

Orijen is a company that specializes in crafting pet food with the first 5 ingredients either made of raw or fresh ingredients.

Its focus is to help cats unlock their biological potential by feeding them as nature intended. The diets the brand makes feature WholePrey animal ingredients for a biologically appropriate meal.

This kibble for adult cats features a healthy and meat-packed combination of fresh or raw free-run turkey and chicken, wild-caught fish, and cage-free eggs.

The entire dry food meal is made up of 90% animal ingredients while the rest is made up of fresh produce, and prebiotics (for a healthy digestion). It is also coated with freeze-dried liver for extra palatability.

 4.6 stars out of 5 is a good rating, especially when it comes from nearly 900 reviewers.

Many pet owners say that this dry cat food is “picky cat approved” and what’s even better is that the fur of these kitties look softer and healthier since being placed on the diet.

A recent review by a cat parent also states that his kittens’ poop doesn’t smell too bad now compared to before.

5. Applaws Tuna Fillet with Crab in Broth

All Ingredients:

• Tuna
• Fish Broth
• Rice
• Crab

Guaranteed Analysis:

Applaws is a pet food brand that focuses on providing all natural ingredients in its cat food recipes to keep your feline in peak condition.

It’s a small company that wants to deliver big nutrition through the use of simple but wholesome ingredients sourced with the highest ethical standards. It uses only the finest cuts of meat and never any cheap fillers.

This Applaws formulation is a healthy and additive-free meal that contains only what is strictly necessary to give your cat optimal health.

Recognizing that cats are obligate carnivores, the recipe relies heavily on tuna and crab to deliver the protein your feline needs.

The rice provides a good source of carbohydrates that are perfect for sensitive tummies while the fish broth supplies moisture and enhanced palatability.

Although there are still fairly little reviews that can be found on Chewy.com, we picked this as our choice for best wet cat food for smelly poop because of its all five star rating.

The customers all agree that this wet cat food is downright healthy and made of excellent stuff. Even kitties who are particular about their meals finished their food quickly when given Applaws.

Pros:

• Contains only four ingredients
• High meat content
• Pure and wholesome recipe

Con:

• A little more expensive than other wet cat food formulations

6. Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Formula

First 5 Ingredients:

• Chicken Meal
• Peas
• Sweet Potatoes
• Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
• Pea Protein

Guaranteed Analysis:

Modern science proves that cats still share the DNA of the ancient feline. Taste of the Wild is a pet food company that aims to provide consumers with tasty and affordable cat food inspired by the diet cats were meant to eat using unique protein sources from your pet’s ancestral diet. 

Formulated with novel proteins and no grains, the Rocky Mountain dry cat food recipe delivers the highly digestible energy your cat needs for his daily adventures.

The food utilizes a mixture of meats such as chicken meal, roasted venison, smoked salmon, and ocean fish meal to give cats a high level of protein for muscle development. 

From 1070 reviews, this dry food recipe has garnered an average of 4.6 stars out of 5. Many customers have expressed satisfaction that their cats, even finicky ones, quickly took to Rocky Mountain.

The dry cat food has also been reported as being good for kitties with IBS, and it has greatly reduced the instances of vomiting and diarrhea. 

Pros:

• High protein content
• Uses unique animal protein sources
• Contains live microorganisms

Con:

• Peas are the second ingredient

7. Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Chicken Recipe

First 5 Ingredients:

• Deboned Chicken
• Chicken Meal
• Brown Rice
• Oatmeal
• Barley

Guaranteed Analysis:

Blue Buffalo is a pet food business that promises to feed your cat the healthiest food it possibly could by using only the highest-quality natural ingredients for every recipe it makes.

Every recipe starts with meat and each contains the brand’s trademark LifeSource Bits (cold-formed small, dark kibbles mixed in the food that contain a precise blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants). 

This Blue dry cat food recipe is specifically crafted for felines who have sensitive bellies. It starts with deboned chicken and derives most of its animal protein content from just that one source, although it does have menhaden fish meal too.

The grains in it are easily digestible and carefully selected to be easy on a cat’s stomach. It also has FOS prebiotics to promote a healthy digestion in felines. 

One of the highest-rated dry cat food on Chewy, this recipe has received 4.6 stars out of 5 from 1154 reviewers.

A lot of the pet owners were deeply satisfied that this recipe has helped reduce or stop completely the incidences of vomiting and diarrhea in their sensitive kitties.

And since the cats are able to keep their food down, their bodies looked better and healthy skin became the norm.

Pros:

• Contains LifeSource Bits for immune health
• Ideal for kitties with sensitive stomachs
• No byproduct meals or artificial ingredients

Con:

• It has too many plant ingredients

8. Acana Kitten First Feast

First 5 Ingredients:

• Deboned Chicken
• Chicken Meal
• Herring Meal
• Oatmeal
• Whole Peas

Guaranteed Analysis:

Acana is a pet food company whose motto is to go beyond the first ingredient. It makes sure that all its ingredients are premium, from start to finish.

Each recipe it makes contains at least 50% animal ingredients, no artificial stuff, and a balanced mixture of fruit, veggies, botanicals, and nutrients. All ingredients are either raw or fresh.

This recipe for kittens mixes chicken with herring and quail for an interesting blend of animal proteins. Igt doesn’t just make use of muscle meat but also utilizes organs for a more nutrient-dense meal.

The fat is derived from pollock oil, which provides your cat with all the necessary omega fatty acids he needs for a healthy skin and coat.

There are currently few reviews on Chewy for this recipe but all 9 gave it a five star score. Elsewhere, the product has many high ratings too.

Many fur parents have noticed a definite improvement in their little felines’ coats and energy levels since starting on this dry cat food. 

Pros:

• Made up of 70% small prey animal ingredients
• Contains no artificial flavors, ingredients, or preservatives
• Designed specifically for kittens

Con:

• The smell is a bit strong

9. Wellness CORE Natural Turkey & Duck Pate

First 5 Ingredients:

• Turkey
• Pork Liver
• Turkey Broth
• Duck
• Cranberries

Guaranteed Analysis:

Wellness is a dedicated company that works with animal experts and professionals to develop food that would revolutionize the pet food industry.

Its recipes are crafted with a balanced profile of high protein, superior nutrients, and probiotics to lay the foundation for whole-body health while taking care to satisfy every appetite.

This recipe from the brand’s CORE range is packed with the protein from three animal sources: turkey, duck, and pork.

It’s 100% grain free, loaded with nutrients from cranberries, and contains EPA and DHA omegas to support your pet’s wellbeing and immunity.

The formulation has garnered a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 200 customers as of this writing. Many felines like the taste and older cats reportedly have more energy now when fed the diet. It also works well with finicky cats and those with sensitive stomachs. 

Pros:

• High protein content
• Has limited number of ingredients
• Good for all life stages

Con:

• Has a large amount of jelly-like substance

10. Merrick Backcountry Real Rabbit Recipe Cuts

First 5 Ingredients:

• Deboned Rabbit
• Lamb Broth
• Beef Broth
• Beef Liver
• Deboned Lamb

Guaranteed Analysis:

Merrick believes that the healthiest cat food for your beloved feline should also be the tastiest. The company uses only fresh and real whole foods from farmers it trusts.

And the brand refuses to use fillers, preservatives, or anything artificial to give your pets the healthiest and happiest lives possible. 

This wet food recipe for adult cats leads with deboned rabbit and is made even meatier with the inclusion of beef liver and deboned lamb.

It takes its fat from an excellent source, salmon oil, which is a great source of omega fatty acids. There are just a few core ingredients, with the rest of the food being made up of antioxidants and nutrients. 

Although there are just over a hundred reviews on Chewy.com, this wet food recipe has already gotten a 4.6 score out of 5 from customers.

A few owners with cats who suffer from IBS have reported that their cats’ bowel movements have normalized and there were no more incidents of vomiting after each meal. It also seems to work fine for finicky eaters.

Pros:

• Contains ingredients you can recognize
• All natural
• Packed with meat

Con:

• The meat chunks are a little big and may need to be mashed up

11. Ziwi Peak Rabbit & Lamb Recipe

First 5 Ingredients:

• Rabbit Meat
• Water Sufficient for Processing
• Lamb
• Lamb Lung
• Lamb Liver

Guaranteed Analysis:

Ziwi Peak is a pet food company that specializes in whole-prey inspired recipes with meat, bone, and organ content making up to 97% of the food.

Its cat food formulations are 100% ethically sourced and the meat are free-range and raised without added hormones. All the recipes are free from artificial binders and do not contain high glycemic ingredients. 

This wet food recipe makes use of rabbit as its main animal protein, but also utilizes lamb and lamb organs, hare meat, and New Zealand green mussels to raise up the protein content.

There are no added carbohydrates in the food. It instead relies on the meats and dried kelp to supply all of the nutrients your cat requires. 

With an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars from 148 reviewers, this wet food has won over many cat owners. Many like it because it is free from fillers and unsavory ingredients like carrageenan.

A few also said that this recipe has helped put an end to loose stools, smelly poop, and vomiting after every meal.

Pros:

• Made up of 92% meat, organs, bone, and New Zealand green mussels
• All meats are free-range while fish are wild-caught and sustainably sourced
• Does not contain added carbohydrates

Con:

• Expensive

Selecting The Best Cat Food For Smelly Poop

You know that old adage, “cleanliness is next to godliness”? You may have found out to your dismay that the saying doesn’t work all the time, especially not when dealing with smelly cat poop. 

Now while regularly cleaning the litter box may help some, it doesn’t really get to the bottom of the problem — why your cat’s poop smells really bad.

If your veterinarian has ruled out any medical issues, then it most probably is your cat’s diet that’s causing the problem. So how do you go about switching to the best cat food for smelly poop for your feline?

1. Look at the label.

Does it have artificial flavors or does it rely on natural flavor to make it appealing to cats?

Most meaty dishes don’t need to add artificial ingredients to entice kitties to eat, while those that use lots of fillers or cheap ingredients will usually resort to artificial stuff. And those artificial ingredients are one of the main causes of that icky cat’s poop smell. 

Make sure when you select a cat food that starts off with a meat ingredient and that there’s plenty of high quality animal protein in the recipe.

Plant protein is okay, but cats are obligate carnivores. They won’t thrive on a diet filled with mostly starches or produce. So try to stay away from formulations that use plant protein as their main protein source.

Lastly, try to steer away from byproduct meals or unnamed meat meals. These are not high quality cat food ingredients at all.

You can’t say precisely what part of the animal is being used with byproduct meals. With meat meals, you can’t tell exactly what animal was used. 

2. Check for food allergies.

Is your cat sensitive to an ingredient? A cat’s digestion and body can go all crazy because of allergies or food sensitivities.

Some cats might show only mild symptoms, like smelly poop or slight itching on a cat’s body, while other cats may have more severe reactions. 

Make sure that your cat is not allergic to any ingredient in the food. Usual culprits for food allergies are gluten, grains, or specific animal proteins.

Pea protein allergy is not unheard of too. And since it’s mostly a carb filler, your cat can do without pea protein in his diet.

Limited ingredient cat food is often given to cats with food sensitivities because of its use of a single high quality animal protein and few ingredients (less risk). 

3. The type of cat food you feed matters.

Many cat owners insist that the best cat food for smelly poop is a raw cat food diet. If you go to forums where pet owners discuss smelly poop problems, raw cat food is almost always recommended. This doesn’t mean that dry food or canned cat foods won’t help. It only means that digestibility is the key. 

Raw usually contains a lot of animal meat and little of anything else, so it completely answers a lot of a carnivore’s nutritional needs without creating plenty of waste. 

If preparing and giving a raw food diet doesn’t work for you (because it can be inconvenient and messy), you can opt for freeze dried cat food instead.

Freeze drying is a process that happens when you rapidly freeze food. It does not involve cooking the food nor including preservatives. The process itself is the preservative. 

Dry or canned cat food is also just as good. Just choose a recipe that is packed with animal protein. If it does include grains, legumes, or potatoes, these should only be supporting ingredients and should not make up a huge part of the food.

4. Lactose in cat food isn’t tolerated well by many cats.

It isn’t just humans that are lactose-intolerant. Most cats don’t tolerate dairy too. If your cat’s food or treats contain cow’s milk, it might give your cat flatulence, digestive distress, or the dreaded smelly poop.

5. Pick foods with premium animal-based fats.

Some recipes use plant-based oils to provide your feline with the energy he needs.

While that’s not bad nor harmful — in fact, some are quite healthy —it’s always best for your cat that he gets most of his fat requirements from animal sources as those are more biologically appropriate.

Salmon oil and chicken fat are good examples. Plant-based fats can provide supplementary fat support instead.

6. Go for one with enough fiber.

The right cat food for smelly poop should have a good amount of fiber. Fiber helps turn a cat’s feces more solid, so cat poop can be easily pushed out.

If your cat is frequently going to the toilet, which causes the smelly poop to happen in the first place, the fiber will firm up that waste in no time and reduce that nasty feces odor. 

Grains are packed with fiber. You can also look for potatoes or legumes if your pet is sensitive to grains. Just make sure these don’t make up a huge chunk of the diet.

And steer away from cheap fillers like brewers rice or corn gluten meal. Whole grains are better. 

7. Wet cat food, dry, raw, or freeze-dried?

While checking for healthy ingredients is a must, take note of what your cat likes too. If your cat prefers wet food over dry food, that should also make a significant impact on your selection. All that checking for healthy stuff won’t matter if your cat won’t eat his food. 

8. Lastly, the brand shouldn’t matter.

There are some small cat food companies that provide just as excellent-quality food as known commercial cat food brands. What really matters is reputation and the ingredients in the label.

Some big-name brands are quite popular with consumers and have such great reviews, but if you check the content of their cat foods, you probably would not be happy feeding your cat with those.

Before you get swayed by popularity and ratings, take a peek at the ingredients. If everything looks fine to you, research the brand if it has had recalls and when was the last one.

Don’t go for one with a recent recall history. The best cat food for your pet is the one that’s the healthiest.

What Else Can You Do About Smelly Poop?

There are many ways to reduce odors aside from buying cat food for smelly poop. Here are some tried-and-tested steps you can take so you don’t have to put a hazard suit on every time your pet goes to the toilet:

1. Scoop daily. 

Control litter box odor by cleaning your cat’s bathroom at least once a day. This is to prevent odors from a cat’s feces from lingering and to keep your and your cat’s noses happy. If you’re upset about using a dirty toilet, don’t you think your cat will be too?

2. Wash your cat’s litter box every month.

Scooping every day and replacing it with new litter won’t really keep your cat box clean. There will still be traces of your cat’s litter box habits remaining in the old litter resulting in that unpleasant litter box odor.

What you need to do to keep the smell down is to wash the cat litter box thoroughly each month. Throw out all the litter and scrub and soap the box rigorously.

Try not to use bleach even if that would completely disinfect your cat’s litter box. Bleach is quite strongly scented and may result in your cat avoiding his litter box when he needs to go.

After washing, dry then put in fresh litter. 

3. Replace your pet’s litter box. 

Sometimes, that unpleasant litter box odor you’re scenting is not from smelly poop that’s been dropped recently.

Litter boxes can allow bacteria buildup through those tiny scratches your cat has been making on the litter box when he tries to bury his waste.

If your pet has been using that litter box for a long time, it may be time to replace it with a new one.

A few tips in choosing the right cat litter box: 

• It should at least be as long as your cat. Measure from his nose to the tip of his extended tail. 
• It should be low enough that your cat, and this is particularly important for older cats, can easily climb over.

4. Your cat’s litter box should be well-ventilated.

It’s normal to want to hide unpleasant things from sight (and a cat’s feces is definitely one of those!), but keeping your pet’s litter box tucked away in a confined and small space can lead to litter box odors concentrating in that spot.

Your cat probably won’t thank you every time he needs to step into that place to do his business. And you won’t be happy smelling that cat’s poop stink that just won’t go away.

Place the litter box in a ventilated spot instead to keep that litter box odor down and stop it from staying in place. 

5. Baking soda works wonders.

If you’re still having smelly poop or litter box odor problems, sprinkle a little baking soda on the litter or open a box of baking soda and keep it near the litter.

That should control feces odor. And since baking soda is made to absorb odors but has no scent itself, your cat’s sensitive nose won’t be irritated. 

Final Thoughts

Sometimes, it really is as simple as changing your cat’s food to get rid of the root of the problem. Quality cat food can do so much for your pet aside from getting rid of stinky poop.

You’ll find that with a proper diet and the right cat food for smelly poop, your cat will look more fit, be more active, and generally be healthier overall.

Does wet cat food cause smelly poop?

Wet cat foods provide more moisture, which can make bowel movements easier for your cat. They also tend to contain less fillers, which mean that there are more digestible ingredients. Often times, what's causing the odor in the litter box is the bacteria working to digest the parts of the food that your cat could not.

What causes foul smelling cat poop?

The cause for foul smelling stools in cats or humans can be very similar. It can be the food eaten, the bacteria in the colon, and on occasion serious health problems. Additionally diarrhea and the presence of excess gas can cause bad odors. Many feline disorders are accompanied by diarrhea and foul smelling stools.

What foods help poop smell better?

Sulphur-rich foods include: Coconut milk, juice, and oil. Certain vegetables, including broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, kale, radish, and turnips. Dairy products (except butter).

How do you deodorize a cat box?

Just sprinkle a thin layer of baking soda over the bottom of the box, then pour the litter on top of it. If you don't want to use straight baking soda, Arm & Hammer makes a baking soda cat litter deodorizer that works well.