Mine isn't particularly exotic, merely a feral cat. She seemed friendly, so I started leaving some water out, and giving her some food, with the intention of adopting her. Then, she had a litter of kittens under my porch. 5 of them. So I started leaving a bit more food out. In a couple days, 2 more kittens joined them (with no sign of the parents). I thought they were cute, but despite wanting to adopt the original mamma cat, I was not prepared to take in 8 freaking cats.

Then I learned that they had found a small hole in the outer wall of my house, which lead to the underside of the home. A small opening only the kittens could squeeze in and out of. I thought it was cute and allowed it because, how much harm could they do? and it seemed like a nice little protective place for them to hide from the neighborhood dogs that I've seen wandering around my yard.

Well then I discovered that another opening to the underside of my house, this time large enough for an adult cat to get through. Still, I was unbothered. It was during the winter, and having the mamma cat there seemed downright reasonable. I continued to feed them everyday, and provide a gravity fed watering dish.

But as spring came, so did the smell. At first I thought the smell was emanating purely from them pooping near my house, so I found out where they had been doing it, and blocked the sandy ground so that it was inaccessible. Next I decided to block the large opening to the underside of my house, and in so doing, discovered the true source of the smell. Not only had they been seeking refuge under my home, but they had torn down a sizable portion of the insulation, and shat absolutely.EVERYWHERE. (in the process of poking around the giant litterbox that is the underside of my house, I got a nice sinus infection as their parting gift)

I decided to open it up, and put a box fan down there, hoping that airflow would diminish the smell, but oh, dear reader, it just made it worse. The lack of insulation combined with the airflow meant I was pushing a massive amount of the smell directly into my living quarters. I opened every window in the house trying to rid myself of the smell, which barely receded.

I've since ordered a large amount of enzymatic cleaner, so soon I'll be donning a rain jacket, work pants, head lamp, mask, and goggles, and attempting to clean the giant litter box they've made of my crawlspace. I've stopped feeding them, and will be applying "cat mace" to their usual areas of lingering. After a few days of not feeding, I think I can coax them into a giant cardboard box with some tuna, close it up, and get them to a stray shelter 30-40 miles away.

Until then, I've different scented candles in each room invaded by their pungent detritus. The smell of them has driven me half mad, while their incessant mewing and my sinus infection seems to be taking me the rest of the way.

Wish me luck. May god have mercy on me.