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My older cat has a sweet, almost chocolatey smell. Is it serious?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

What does a sweet smelling, almost chocolate smell mean, coming from your 11 year old cat?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura E. McRae

Veterinary Technician

Published on March 23rd, 2015

An unusually sweet or fruity smell coming from your cat can be indicative of diabetes. I highly recommend that you have your cat examined by his/her veterinarian ASAP. With proper treatment, diabetes is a managable disease in cats.

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6Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

    Published on July 3rd, 2018

    Hi Lillie, There is a certain smell that some diabetic animal and people will have to them. Not everyone can smell it, but maybe you can. It is simple to check for sugar in the urine. There are urine strips that can be used for cats. I'm not sure what products are available in the UK, but we will use products from Petnostics in the US ( https://www.petnostics.com/ ). I think it would be worth checking Sushi's urine to make sure there isn't any evidence of sugar in her urine just to be safe. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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