Does cat poop smell worse than human or dog poop??!

Not a particularly edifying topic. It tends to bring up an image in one’s mind that is better removed from the mind. But now I am on the topic, is cat poop smellier than dog or human poop? How dare you ask you indignantly respond. How can cat poop be smellier than human poop? I don’t believe it is.

I don’t think there is any inherent reason why cat poop is smellier. It is more likely that the potency of the smell is the same for cat, dog or human poop. The difference is in how humans deal with the stuff and the environment in which dogs deliver it 😊.

Difference in the way humans deal with cat and dog poop
Difference in the way humans deal with cat and dog poop. Image: MikeB

Humans immediately flush it down the toilet. The poop remains under water until then. The smell is suppressed and contained. Dogs do it outside. Full-time indoor cats poop in cat litter trays in an enclosed space.

The litter box or tray is tucked away in a cupboard or unused area such as an adjoining garage. The enclosed space contains and magnifies the smell while the poop sits there before removal. Cats try and bury their poop in the litter substrate but it is normally partially successful or unsuccessful. It is not deep enough.

Even when a litter tray is cleaned daily there will be concentrated poop smells. These have never bothered me which leads me to the conclusion that if cat poop is particularly strong smelling there is something wrong with their diet. Or there is a health issue.

And, as mentioned, dogs pop outside while on a walk and the owner picks up it up (or should). The natural breezes and wind will dissipate the smells. It is an entirely different environment.

As to cat health problems, large, grey and rancid or foul-smelling diarrhea can be caused by inadequate digestion or absorption (malabsorption syndrome). The point is that if a cat’s poop is consistently, noticeable smelly their health needs to be checked out (Giardia?) as well as their diet.

I don’t agree (unless someone convinces me otherwise in a comment) that cat poop is automatically smellier than human or dog poop. I don’t really have anything more to say which might be a good things bearing in mind the subject 😎.

Here are two posts on smelly poop:

Giardia in domestic cats and smelly poop

Sphynx cats producing nightmarish amounts of smelly slushy poop

And below are some articles on an associated topic.

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