DEAR ABBY: I work with a wonderful older woman. She is smart, funny, and comes to work with a positive attitude. Unfortunately, she smells of cat urine. It's really bad -- to the point I have moved out of our shared office, and there are plans to move her into her own office. However, that may be months off. She still has office mates, and she's in kind of a "hub."
She lives alone with two dogs and an unknown (to me) number of cats. Her children are grown but don't live nearby. How can I kindly address this with her? I don't want to hurt her feelings, but something has got to give. I have let management know, but they are reluctant to address this. -- NOSE KNOWS IN THE SOUTH
DEAR NOSE: It is not your job to address this problem with your co-worker. It is management's responsibility. Because you have complained and nothing was done, it's time for the others who are affected by the odor to address management about it collectively.