From the change of our favourite’s scent we can conclude many things. It is the same with their breath as well. If your cat’s mouth odour is unpleasant, or has a distinctly characteristic aroma, it is more than likely that something is not right. Did you know that based on the smell you can easily conclude what is causing the problem?

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From the following you can learn what the scent of the cat’s breath, or perhaps phrased more correctly its odour, reveals about the animal’s health.

The unpleasant breath always indicates some problem

If the cat’s breath is like this...

Metallic

The blood has a high iron content, therefore even in small quantity it emits a strong, metallic smell. This characteristic odour thus generally indicates the presence of blood, which may originate from bleeding gums, a wound in the mouth, or a wound on the body, which the cat is licking. Whatever bleeding it may be, it is in any case important that a doctor sees it. Likewise, it is essential that you have the bleeding gums treated, since very serious problems may arise from it. To this we will return later.

Fruity, sweetish

If the fruity scent does not come from the ears, but clearly definably from the mouth, that is very probably the sign of diabetes. When we smell this scent, the blood sugar level is persistently high, their organism has started to produce ketones. The organism in such case cannot use glucose as energy, therefore with the breaking down of fat it tries to gain energy. The by-products of this process are the ketones, which give the breath a smell similar to acetone (this is also in nail polish remover) or fermented fruit. If besides the fruity breath you observe increased water consumption, heightened appetite then loss of appetite, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea, straight to the doctor!

If the fruity scent does not come from the mouth, but from the ears, the cat has an ear inflammation, which also requires veterinary treatment.

Poopy

If you smell this, very probably some dental problem or tartarisation causes it, since with slight exaggeration the same anaerobic bacteria live on the tartar as in the stool. The tartarisation and the dental problems can shorten your cat’s life by years, and can even cause heart disease. In any case ask for an appointment with the veterinarian!

Ammonia-like

The kidneys function as the organism’s filter system. If because of an underlying disease or kidney failure the kidneys do not function properly, in the cat’s blood toxic substances, so-called urea compounds, may accumulate. The urea may make the cat’s breath ammonia- or urine-smelling, which may indicate serious kidney function disorder. The excessive urea level may also cause mouth mucosa ulcer, which the veterinarian can notice during the examination.

Dead animal-like

The “death breath” indicates infection, which is present either in the gums due to some dental disease, or in infected skin folds, hot spots on the body, which the animal is licking. It is not worth beating about the bush, this is essentially the smell of rotting tissue and of the bacteria which are breaking it down. Of course, we need not even say that in this case as well it is indispensable that the veterinarian sees the cat.

Fishy

The strong fishy smell may originate from the anal glands, which our pets lick more if it is itchy, irritated or blocked. Theoretically this problem may also occur in cats, but much more rarely than in dogs.

The anal glands are scent glands filled with oily secretion, which serve as unique “calling card”. The secretion of the anal glands already in itself has a strong smell, but in normal case they are emptied when the cat does their big business. If for some reason this does not happen, the glands get blocked, causing irritation and pain. If besides the fishy breath you notice on your cat that they pull their bottom on the ground, that is “sledging”, and lick their backside a lot, in any case ask for an appointment with the veterinarian. The condition may not only be unpleasant, but also dangerous. Likewise, the fishy smell may also indicate dental, oral problem, which in cats is much more frequent than a possible anal gland-related issue.

Generally bad, unpleasant smelling breath may furthermore indicate liver disease, poisoning, oral tumour or some dietary deficiency. But it may also occur that the cat just ate something very foul-smelling or something got stuck between their teeth. In any case it must be investigated what is causing the smell, since the animal’s well-being, in the long term even their life, may depend on it!

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