Extremely frustrated!

[stacwase]

OK - let me start by saying that Kate does have a vet appointment at 2:15 today. But I seriously doubt that will make one iota of difference.

My husband and I had decided - NO MORE CATS! Why??? Because every single one we've ever had, except Toby, has filled the house with urine. The smell is there, where our noses can't detect it - but every cat who ever enters into this house will pee all over it. I am convinced of that.

One thing which was always spared before was the furniture. Now, I can't sit on my sofa without getting off of it smelling like pee. Kate has peed on every cushion. And they can't just be thrown in the washer! The whole sofa will probably have to be thrown out! And we will be out how many hundreds more dollars??

I ended up with chemical pneumonia last year from the fumes of bleaching every inch of the basement floor - because of cat pee. Now the basement stinks again!!!

I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out. Why did he have to bring home another cat? Now we're either going to have to find her another home or live in a disgusting, unsanitary home for the next 18+ years. This is just wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

[stacwase]

Bob is buiding a door to the basement to keep the cat out of it. I had to throw a huge temper tantrum to get it.

Now - I'm sure that some of you must have had this problem before! Is there any way to get the odor out? Do I have to throw the couch away to keep her from using it as a litter box, now that it has the smell in it?

Somebody please help me! I'd like to keep the cat.

[Craftlady]

I would use a really good upholster cleaner. Replace the cushion material inside of the cushions. Like carpet padding urine smell is trapped in the cushion padding it's impossible to get out. Any good fabric place or upholster shop should have foam padding that can be cut to size of the cushion.

Good luck

[sqwelch]

It took my cats ages to stop the peeing, just as I thought they'd got over it one of them would do it again !!! I've ended up throwing out at least 3 carpets as I couldn't get the smell away, luckily as I decorate my home I started putting down wooden floors (thats was my plan anyway nothing to do with the cats) even then I would buy nice rugs and guess what, they'd do it again. After reading your E Mail I feel ever so lucky that they never did it on the furniture but my partner would go nuts 'thats it we're getting rid of them' then I'd turn on the waterworks and beg him to let them stay. As they got older it stopped and it would just happen say every 3 months which was bearable. Its a heart breaking decision to make getting rid of them but I can tell from your post that your at your wits end !

Maybe the cat you've got now can smell the previous occupants and thats why its doing it. Sorry I can't really give any advice as I had never had cats before myself and I guess I'm just lucky it stopped as I can't think that I did anything special. I just remember going mad with the cats and they obviously sensed my frustration and it seemed to make them worse.

I hope the more experienced cat owners on PT can help you out, fingers crossed !!! Good Luck !!!

[RedHedd]

Nature's Miracle -- really does work to get the pee smell out. HTH

[luckies4me]

Now before you go blame the cat, have you looked at yourself and seen if it is your fault? How often do you clean her box? Perhaps offer more than one box so she doesn't have to get up furthur to get to it. Make things easier for her. After all, she's your cat, your responsibility and you have to do what you can to make HER feel comfortable. Make sure the litter is cleaned several times a day. Is it close to loud noises? Maybe put it in a room where she can feel more comfortable and have more peace when doing her dutie.


Have you taken her to the vet and ruled out any medical problems? Cats, CAN be taught not to urinate places. Perhaps get a scat mat, or cover your furniture with plastic to protect it. If it were me I would do everything in my power to keep my cat. If they smell other cats it's only natural to spray or urinate somewhere to cover the smell with their own scent, which is why our cats rub against us. Maybe call in a therapist, something could be bugging your cat. Maybe it is something in the fiber. We once had a dog who was actually allergic to the rug and kept peeing on it.

Maybe just keep her in one place, her kitty room, and do not let her have acess to the furniture. Take her out when she can be watched carefully. I am sure there are behaviorists out there who can help, so perhaps you can look into those?

Good luck, and don't give up, for her sake ok? I really would like to see her stay with her family.


Edit- I saw you have a vet appointment, great! Also the reason why my dog urinated on the rug was to tell us to throw that darn thing away because it irritated him. Smart dog eh? Sure got our attention.

[K & L]

Has the cat been checked for a medical problem such as an UTI? They will go anywhere when they have one of these cause they associate the pain with the litter box. If a medical problem is ruled out, then it is behaviorial and there is medication a vet can prescribe to help control this.

Also, we use scat mats on our furniture. This does not hurt the cat, basically startles them. It feels like a static shock. They work wonderfully. Then when we want to use the furniture we just remove the mats, and a plus, there's no hair on the furniture.

[sirrahbed]

Oh I am SO SORRY and I do understand this frustration. I cringe with each new kitty addition - with memories of all the cat pee we have lived with. There is still the possibility that Kate had a bladder infection - wait and see! With our last cats, we did have to cut away carpeting and remove pieces of baseboard that smelled the worst. We threw away one chair. The enzyme products work pretty well, but honestly, I know the frustration of never really smelling clean! Our last geriatric died in April and we got two new kittens. After six months with no accidents, we finally replaced all our carpeting and the house smells fresh again. But, I alway wonder WHEN one of them will decide to start it up!
I can't offer much more than sympathy because I really feel the sadness. We love these animals BUT what about when they destroy our homes? It is very hard. If the kittens start ruining the house for no medical cause, I will be tearing out my hair and sobbing again.
Please report back after Kate's vet appointment - maybe they will have some suggestions for you.

[Logan]

I have been very fortunate with all of our cats over the years. This has NEVER happened to us. But I'm wondering if we haven't had it because our cats have always (with the exception of Shrimp Boat, who refused to go outside) been allowed outside access??? I am not advocating allowing the cat outside. We have been very lucky in that regard. We have two litter boxes in our house that rarely get used, but they do use them when they are inside for any length of time (cold weather, we are away overnight, etc).

I would rule out any health issues first if you haven't already done that. Try to neutralize the odor using Nature's Miracle or some similar product, and perhaps, introduce one or two more litter boxes and make sure they are "inviting".

I certainly understand your frustration, but don't let it sour you on cats in general. This is not a usual occurence. You may even have to isolate the cat to one part of your home. We've had to do the same thing with our dogs since moving into this house because one of our Goldens decided the living room carpet was her new potty. We blocked her entrance, had the carpet cleaned professionally and deoderized and simply haven't allowed any of them back in that area of the house. I know that restraining a cat is tougher because simply gating an area doesn't work. Perhaps you could have the couch professionally cleaned and replace the stuffing in the cushions to get rid of that odor for once and for all.

I wish you good luck.

[luckies4me]

Another thing I wanted to mention was that some cats do not like the texture of their cat litter and so will avoid using the box. Maybe try another type of litter that is more appealing to her.

[NoahsMommy]

Have you tried Feliway? There are many products that are sold to deter this behavior.

Cats spray for a reason. Is she fixed? Is she upset for any reason? Does she have a quiet place to call her own?

Please let us know what the vet says. It may be a physical problem. Does she drink enough water?

[jazzcat]

We just redecorated our living and dining rooms last month and the very next day after having new carpet put down Ripley backed up to a freshly painted wall and sprayed right in front of me. I immediately freaked out. Not much hit the carpet but the wall was pretty wet. I cleaned everything with Natures Miracle several times over a couple of weeks and the smell is gone. I also ran out and bought Feliway spray and a Comfort Zone Feliway 30 day plug in. It seems to be working.

Ripley tried to spray two more times after that but I caught him and sprayed a water bottle at him to get him to stop (luckily he hadn't gotten any urine out yet). I then took him straight to his litter box and he would get in and use it. I've also spent a lot of extra time and attention on him. With all these things, especially spraying the feliway around the room twice a day, I think it has worked and I know he hasn't sprayed anything since. I just bought another plug in and another bottle of spray to continue using over the next month. It's expensive but cheaper than my new carpet and furniture so it's worth it.

Good luck!

[stacwase]

Thank you so much for all your responses! I feel so much better, with all the emotional support!

We're back from the vet. Kate has a urinary tract infection and an anal gland infection. She got an antibiotic injection and was sent home on antibiotics.

The vet sold me some "veterinary use only" pet stain and odor remover called "Outright". She said studies have shown that it actually works!

She also said that Kate might need to be re-housetrained. She said to crate train her and then put lots of litter boxes all over the house and to gradually cut down on litter boxes after she gets used to using them exclusively.

We found lots and lots of spots she was using in the basement, so Bob's building a door. It should be finished tomorrow morning.

The vet bill was $176.00!!!! That included the Outright, distemper vaccination, and worming (she didn't have worms - she did it "as a precaution"). Kate has a recheck in 10 days, and we'll have her spayed then.

Max's recent bill was $357. These animals are breaking the bank! Oh well - I guess they're worth it.

Thanks again for all your emotional support!

[K & L]

I'm glad you got her to the vet and getting the problem taken care of. Hopefully once this is cleared up things will settle down for you!

[luckies4me]

Glad to hear that there was something wrong and you figured it out. Great job on your part for taking her to the vet. Now go give her an extra kiss and cuddle from me and tell her I hope she feels better soon.