Why does my cat's rear end smell so bad? Is it anal glands?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 1 year and 10 months old
My cat's rear end smells awfully bad. I have tried to clean it for her, but I didn't seen anything there. Should I be worried?
5 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on June 25th, 2016
Cats have two small scent glands on either side of their rectum called anal glands - if these glands have been leaking a little or if she has expressed them recently, you may notice a very strong odor from her rear end. You can try cleaning the area around her rectum with some warm water and soap to help get rid of the smell. If this is a recurring problem, I recommend having her seen by a vet to check for infection or impaction of the glands.
9Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on
This sounds like your kitty may have an anal sac problem. Anal sac secretions serve as your cat's "business card" and they get expressed every time your cat passes stool. Depending on what she is fed or what bacteria colonise the anal sacs you will get a different smell. You should have your veterinarian examine your kitty's anal sacs to make sure that there is no infection.
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on
Daisy could have a bad smell coming from her rear end if she has a urinary tract infection. It could also be a problem with her anal sacs, which also secrete a terrible smell. They could be impacted, and may need to be expressed. Impacted anal sacs can become infected, abscess, and then rupture. Both of these problems require medical treatment. I would recommend taking her into your vet so they can determine the cause of the smell, and the appropriate treatment.
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on December 23rd, 2019
The smell is probably your cats anal glands. This can have sort of a pungent fishy smell and is hard to get rid of. For some reason pets can express their anal glands randomly around the house. These glands were originally designed to be expressed to ward off predators while in the wild. You can certainly try giving Lulu a product called Glandex to help the glands express normally when she defecates and not randomly around the house. I would also have your vet express her glands once every 4-6 weeks as this can help empty them regularly in case they are just getting too full. I hope that this helps and best wishes moving forward with your pet Lulu. Take care!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on April 8th, 2017
Some cats do seem to have chronically smelly anal glands, unfortunately - it can be a very frustrating problem! Adding fiber to the diet, as you have already tried, can sometimes help. In other cases, a food trial with a prescription hypoallergenic diet can help, since this problem can be related to food allergies. If nothing helps and the smell is very bothersome, you could also opt to have his anal glands surgically removed - this is a relatively simple procedure that many general practitioners can do, so you could discuss this option with your vet if you are interested in having it done.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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