Follow-up: the case of the bad smell

Q. After returning from a trip last November, my husband and I were welcomed home by a strong odor emanating from our first-story bedroom. A friend who house-sat for us informed us that a cat had gotten into our garage. He left the door opened, hoping it would leave. We thought it might have gotten into the walls or eaves and died. We contacted an animal removal service, and were told it was definitely not an animal. We looked for signs of moisture, but found none. We thought it must be a decomposing animal and tried using fans and deodorants. In early January we left for Florida. Once again our friend watched over our home and ventilated the room. We have now returned to the same disgusting odor. We’re confused and need help desperately.

I followed up: A. Your situation stinks and you have several questions to answer. We spoke, and I even made a visit to your home. The bedroom smelled, and it seemed to be coming from the corner. I looked in the adjacent garage attic and the smell was also there, only more faint. We peered, together, into spaces between attic floor joists where an animal, seeking warmth, might crawl. Before looking, I was going to suggest that animal-based glue might have been used in a piece of furniture, a smell that could knock a buzzard off a roof. I also looked for rain gutters with rotting leaf matter, but you have few trees and clean gutters.

Your room’s smell can only be solved by opening the ceiling, and then the walls in that particular corner. My guess is that an animal crawled back into the ceiling and either died of natural causes or fell into a wall cavity and died accidentally. Let me know when the area is opened and we’ll solve this mystery. The area should be thoroughly sprayed down with an anti-bacterial cleaning solution, professionally applied.

Mystery solved! The homeowner wrote, “Everyone has heard of ‘The Cat in the Hat.’ You now can tell everyone about the Cat in the Ceiling! As we thought, the odor was coming from somewhere in the corner, over the TV, so my husband and a friend decided to start there. They cut a 15-inch square in the ceiling. When they removed it, lo and behold, there was the carcass of a cat! We will never figure out how it got there. We can only be grateful it’s gone. Most of the odor left with the cat. If it does not fully dissipate soon, we’ll contact the gentleman whose name you gave me. (My husband has been in touch with him.) Thanks so much for your interest and help. You certainly have a new story to add to your collection.”

2012 Monte Leeper. Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.