(no subject)

[yagathai]

Was going to go to sleep when I noticed a familiar odor. Yes, Minerva had decided to make yet another ignored corner of my bedroom her latrine. Out comes the mop, out comes the bucket! At 2AM! Hopefully I caught it before it soaked through the floorboards into the ceiling of the family below (this time). I don't think she was doing it for more than a few days, thankfully, so it could have been much worse.

Now I reek of pine-sol and ammonia and I'm too irritated to sleep, even though Herself has a vet's appointment at 10AM which means I should be up, at the latest, by 9 8:45 (tack on an extra 15 minutes to trick her into the cat carrier -- she is old and crafty and knows well what the appearance of the Evil Box forbodes).

Comments

[parrismcb.livejournal.com]

damn cats. Having dealt with this sort of problem, especially when we have 3+ cats, there's a couple of suggestions for stopping the behavior:

If possible, find another location for an extra litter box.

Don't use pine-sol! Get a specific urine/stain/odor enzyme preparation for cats. The one I use is "Dumb Cat!", although there are several other brands that also work pretty well. I buy it by the gallon so there's always some handy. You may have to use it multiple times to get it soaked into the floor/carpet/whatever thoroughly, and it may take several applications to completely remove the scent markers that will draw the cats to the same soiled location again and again.

Get some 2mil plastic tarping (find in paint department.). Cut and cover the area after you've use the enzyme solution, tape to the floor. Check underneath every few days to see if you need more treatment solution. The plastic covering will often repel the cats from the area, and at least makes cleanup easier.

I also have a small black light flashlight I got in the pet store which enable me to find untreated spots and new spots without having to crawl around sniffing the floor and carpets.

If the problem continues, the cat may have a UTI, or stressed by sharing space with other cats.

Hope these hard-earned lessons help you avoid some of the repairs and loss of rugs/carpets I've suffered over the years.