cat gas

Question
My newest addition to the family is only ten weeks old, but she has terrible gas.  She makes a terrible smell when she uses the box to leave fecal matter.  She will also pass gas frequently when she is outside the box.  It is enough to clear a room.  How can so much stink come from something so little.  She has a healthy appetite, drinks plenty of water, uses the box properly, has plenty of energy, and is quite social with the other cats and people.  She thinks she needs to eat people food and has tried to investigate the garbage.  I do not believe she has eaten any garbage.  I do not let her have any of my food, but she can be a little thief.  She has had this problem since I got her, and the people I got her from never fed her anything but kitten food.  I know that she is still a curious little kitten and still learning what things are, which gets her into trouble.  Is it just the change in food, or is there something else going on?  Her stools are not runny at all, but the gassy smell has got to go.

Answer
Smelly kittens are not all that unusual, and its typically a result of the food they are on.  You can try switching her to another brand and see if that helps. Make sure to make the switch gradually so she doesn't get an upset stomach.  Any table scraps or garbage she scavenges can also give her gas.  In my own experience with my cats, they've grown out of it as they've gotten older (a couple of mine were ripe little buggers too).

Amanda