Smell? What smell?

69% of American pet parents say it’s possible they are nose blind when it comes to the true smell of their pet, according to a new study.

Researchers polled 2,000 pet owners and found that as well as having gotten used to the smell of their furry friends, 66% agreed they could also be nose blind to pet smell in their home.

The new study commissioned by Sunstar QAIS, an indoor air quality brand, aimed to uncover the reality of pet stinks at home and discovered that 79% of pet owners admit their house has a pet smell and 47% of pet owners have been told their house or apartment smells of their pet’s pee pad or litter box. Cat owners (57%) are more likely to have been told this than dog owners (42%).

According to the data, 44% said they were embarrassed to be told their pet smells, 42% responded it was a natural pet smell, 34% said they felt personally insulted or hurt by the news, while 20% defended their pet and said they didn’t smell.

In fact, 28% of cat and 24% of dog owners wilfully admit they probably don’t change or clean out their pets as often as they should, with over a quarter saying they always try to get someone else to do it. 26% of pet owners said a family member has told them their furry friends smell, 18% by friends and 3% by a stranger.

But despite being told about the stench, 23% claim they don’t change their pet’s litter box or pee pad because they are ‘too busy’, 22% only ‘when it starts to really smell’ and 18% because it’s their ‘most hated chore’ and 16% because it’s a ‘disgusting job’.

A spokesperson for Sunstar QAIS, Takuya Watanabe said: “On average our research revealed that litter boxes or pee pads are changed once every five days, while 3% are only changed every two weeks or more. Also, 30% of pet owners spend less than 30 minutes a week cleaning up their pet poop or pee, but a dedicated 5% spend five hours a week. For those suffering their pet’s smell, a simple solution like the air purifier, QAIS-air- 04, would help eliminate pet odours from above the pee pads or cat litter box before they spread, and it is a perfect solution for those with less time as it is filterless and especially designed with pets safety and comfort in mind."