Cat Health Symptoms

Cat odor and health issue?

My father-in-law has 6 cats and his house STINKS!! he is all the time complaining of sinus infection and sore throat. But will not even entertain the idea that the cat odor may be the problem. My husband and I went in there for only 5 min and now both of us have sore throats and headaches. Is there any site that will show the hazards and symptoms of breathing in all of that odor on a daily basis. He prides himself on being so healthy @ 63 (never smoked, drank or used drugs,) but I swear that smell is going to kill him. My hope is to be able to show him proof that the odors are not good for him.

Public Comments

1. Patty -- good news and bad news. Yes, the site is www.nih.org and all I did was google "ammonia" since that is the offensive part of the cat urine. The good news is that ammonia does cause upper respiratory distress in the form of eye tearing, nasal irritation, and headaches. The bad news is that even with 6 cats, even if he does not empty the litter, he is not in risk of health. I simply don't think the odor is the cause of the infections and sore throats. Instead, the odor may be masking another thing, such as mold. If there is any water leakage, mold can grow. You would, of course, smell the mildew first to know that there was a leak causing the mold. To reduce the cat stink, advise him to use a litter for multiple cats, install the house with screens to open up and vent the air, and encourage him to let the felines out for some romp time each day. If you/he gets after the litter and cleans it out on a daily or twice daily basis, you should be able to get the residual smell down so you can see what else there might be in the house. I'm afraid you have a fight you simply can't win here. Yes, the odor is not good. However, it is not for the reason you think ... ammonia fumes are more readily produced in industrial jobs, not in the home. Even cleaning with ammonia is not that harmful, although the bottle does recommend doing so in a well-ventilated area. Good luck!