Way, way OT - cat problem

[Ysabel Kid]

I know some of you fellas are not cat people, and would probably recommend I just shoot him, but that's not going to happen.

Now that I got that out of the way...

Our cat decided to take a leak on the sofa Sunday morning. Don't know why, though I suspect it was on purpose, since he chose the spot the dog sleeps on all the time.

Unfortunately, the dog likes to sleep there because it is where I sit when we watch TV!

So, any secret recipes for getting the smell of cat urine out of fabric? My wife steam-cleaned the sofa, and the cat has been in the basement ever since, but I'm looking for something to really knock the odor out. We can no longer smell it, and apparently the dog doesn't (or, more likely, doesn't care - after all, I've seen some of the things its rolled in ), but the cat went right back to the spot the one time we let it out and started acting funny.

My wife has been talking about replacing the family room furniture for the last couple years since it is over a decade old. Maybe Mrs. YK put the cat up to it...

[madman4570]

Ysabel Kid.

Renting a Rug Doctor and then after lightly spray problem area with some OdoBan spray.(Walmart $3)
If you used a Pro Steam Cleaner then use just the OdoBan on it.For some reason those Rug Doctor Cleaners
just seem to work better than other cleaners.My neighbor has 36 houses which he rents all over(mostly furnished) some with a pet allowed,I called him and asked him what is the best for this.He actually bought a Rug Doctor and swears buy the Odoban stuff.
http://cleancontrol.com/OdoBanRetail/Pe ... nator.html

[Don McDowell]

Dang cats get started on that it's almost impossible to get them to quit.
Might try alot of febreeze and then put a throw blanket over that spot.

If it's a cushion you can pull the pillow out of might clean it good with clorox and lysol or simple green full strength by itself.

[mescalero1]

YK,
Massingill pre-mixed douche.

[nemhed]

I freely admit I can't stand cats. Just wanted to get that out there. My in-laws have 3 indoor cats, one of which continues to pee on the pillows in the bedroom my wife and I sleep in when visiting. It's like the cat hates our intrusion and is punishing us every chance he gets. I honestly don't think you can break a cat of this behavior. I also don't know if anything smells worse than cat pee and poop (sorry for the harsh language ). I'm starting to get mad thinking about this so I'm just going to shut up. Good luck with your problem. I wouldn't be buying any new furniture for the cat to do his business on.

[awp101]

Obviously the dog pushed the cat one step too far...

FWIW we have 5 cats and 1 dog and the Odoban seems to work the very few times we've had to use it.

[furrow]

My business is carpet & upholstery cleaning. Any enzyme producing bacterial cleaning product will work. Available at janitorial supply stores. Can be used for feces and other nasties too. Saturate the area liberally, cover or wrap with plastic as directed and keep warm. Let it do its work, then rinse, rinse, rinse. Then get after it with the odoban.

Even then, a cats nose is hard to dissuade.

Chris

[J Miller]

I know some of you fellas are not cat people, and would probably recommend I just shoot him, but that's not going to happen.

Now that I got that out of the way...

Our cat decided to take a leak on the sofa Sunday morning. Don't know why, though I suspect it was on purpose, since he chose the spot the dog sleeps on all the time.

Unfortunately, the dog likes to sleep there because it is where I sit when we watch TV!

So, any secret recipes for getting the smell of cat urine out of fabric? My wife steam-cleaned the sofa, and the cat has been in the basement ever since, but I'm looking for something to really knock the odor out. We can no longer smell it, and apparently the dog doesn't (or, more likely, doesn't care - after all, I've seen some of the things its rolled in ), but the cat went right back to the spot the one time we let it out and started acting funny.

My wife has been talking about replacing the family room furniture for the last couple years since it is over a decade old. Maybe Mrs. YK put the cat up to it...

Is either the dog or the cat new to the home?
Is the cat neutered or spayed?
Has something traumatic happened to the cat lately?
Is this an older cat?
Has the cat been upchucking more than normal lately?

The only other thing is to take the cat to the vet. One of the symptoms of an ailing cat is they start urinating in all the wrong places. I've got 1 very elderly cat (17 yo) three elderly cats (10 + yo) a couple middle aged cats ( 7+) and some young ones ( under 2 ) and I can tell you for a fact we have more trouble with the older cats that do know better than the young ones.

One other thing, plastic cat boxes will absorb the odor of urine and should be replaced occasionally. We replace ours ever two or three years. Scrub the area, walls, floor, boxes, too.

I can't really add to what others have said about removing the odor other than to take the cover off the cushion and toss it into the wash machine with the inner cushion if it can be washed. Otherwise wash it by hand.
My wife says to add some white vinegar as that will also help kill the urine odor.

Could also be as simple as the cat thinks "YOU" and anyplace you occupy is "HIS" territory and is so marking it. In that case you just gotta work with him and toss the dog out in the snow.

If the cat is not ailing and is just marking his territory, get a squirt bottle filled with water ... ( not a rifle loaded with hollow points ) and when he does the naughty squirt him and tell him "NO!" loudly and firmly.


Joe

[RIHMFIRE]

I know some of you fellas are not cat people, and would probably recommend I just shoot him, but that's not going to happen.

Now that I got that out of the way...

Our cat decided to take a leak on the sofa Sunday morning. Don't know why, though I suspect it was on purpose, since he chose the spot the dog sleeps on all the time.

Unfortunately, the dog likes to sleep there because it is where I sit when we watch TV!

So, any secret recipes for getting the smell of cat urine out of fabric? My wife steam-cleaned the sofa, and the cat has been in the basement ever since, but I'm looking for something to really knock the odor out. We can no longer smell it, and apparently the dog doesn't (or, more likely, doesn't care - after all, I've seen some of the things its rolled in ), but the cat went right back to the spot the one time we let it out and started acting funny.

My wife has been talking about replacing the family room furniture for the last couple years since it is over a decade old. Maybe Mrs. YK put the cat up to it...

Is either the dog or the cat new to the home?
Is the cat neutered or spayed?
Has something traumatic happened to the cat lately?
Is this an older cat?
Has the cat been upchucking more than normal lately?

The only other thing is to take the cat to the vet. One of the symptoms of an ailing cat is they start urinating in all the wrong places. I've got 1 very elderly cat (17 yo) three elderly cats (10 + yo) a couple middle aged cats ( 7+) and some young ones ( under 2 ) and I can tell you for a fact we have more trouble with the older cats that do know better than the young ones.

One other thing, plastic cat boxes will absorb the odor of urine and should be replaced occasionally. We replace ours ever two or three years. Scrub the area, walls, floor, boxes, too.

I can't really add to what others have said about removing the odor other than to take the cover off the cushion and toss it into the wash machine with the inner cushion if it can be washed. Otherwise wash it by hand.
My wife says to add some white vinegar as that will also help kill the urine odor.

Could also be as simple as the cat thinks "YOU" and anyplace you occupy is "HIS" territory and is so marking it. In that case you just gotta work with him and toss the dog out in the snow.

If the cat is not ailing and is just marking his territory, get a squirt bottle filled with water ... ( not a rifle loaded with hollow points ) and when he does the naughty squirt him and tell him "NO!" loudly and firmly.


Joe

Dang you have 8 or so cats! .... Wow
I have cat allergies.....My SIL has a bunch..3 or 4
and I cant be in house for more than a half hour or so...
before i have to go outside......Our cats have always been
outdoors....or in the garage or shed.....when its really cold!

[jlchucker]

J Miller makes some good points. The first thing I'd recommend (and if it were me, do) is to bring your pet to your vet. You can't assume that cats always "go" somewhere because they are being territorial or mad at another pet. Most cats would use fangs and claws first if they had it in for the other pet--big or small. Your cat sounds like he/she's been in the family for a few years. It's the least you can do.

[Buck Elliott]

What Joe said...

Older cats, especially, develop urinary tract infections and other related problems. Get him to the Vet, pronto...

[Ben_Rumson]

The cat is telling you it doesn't like the dog sleeping there...Getting too much attention etc. The following method is the second best method after the lite IED approach, as it requires no command detonation or improvising of pressure sensitive devices... Place several mouse traps cocked & ready, but UPSIDE down on the sofa. This is so kitty won’t be injured when it jumps up and the mouse trap triggers, but just scared .. Put the dog somewhere where it can't get on the couch (unless you decide you can solve the whole thing by keeping him off the sofa too) When the cat triggers a mouse trap (or two if things work out really good ) , it will be full out, bug eyed cat type panic, the usual type (You got to make lemonade Bro )If your cat is a smart cat, it will steer clear of the sofa for good...However the cat may seek revenge , so you may want to secure personal items... You don't want a surprise in your headphones when you slip them on for a little soothing music... Good Luck

[madman4570]

I know it looks weird for a while,but spray that area where it marks good with Odoban then cover it over with aluminum foil(double sided tape to fasten it) and just see what it does next.

Most cat's get freaked out when steping on foil and it might just stop.But ya, the Vet Check is a good idea!

[don Tomás]

New furniture? I suspect the cat & Mrs. YK are in cahoots...

[Ysabel Kid]

My business is carpet & upholstery cleaning. Any enzyme producing bacterial cleaning product will work. Available at janitorial supply stores. Can be used for feces and other nasties too. Saturate the area liberally, cover or wrap with plastic as directed and keep warm. Let it do its work, then rinse, rinse, rinse. Then get after it with the odoban.

Even then, a cats nose is hard to dissuade.

Chris

Chris - I think you hit the nail on the head. I happen to be at a trade show later in the day after posting this and walked by a booth called "UrineOff". Well, with the name, and pictures of cats and dogs, I figured this was a sign! I talked to the fellow at the booth for a while. That product is an enzyme, and it really works. He demonstrated it by taking a drop of cat pee - from a big cat - and let me take a whiff. No doubt what it was. Then added the "UrineOff" and it was gone - breaks it down completely. We tried the steam cleaner and Odoban by itself, to no avail. Going to try this, then steam and Odoban, then block the site with a cushion. I'm going to get a new, larger litter pan, and hope all of this does the trick!

Thanks!

[Ysabel Kid]

Is either the dog or the cat new to the home?
Is the cat neutered or spayed?
Has something traumatic happened to the cat lately?
Is this an older cat?
Has the cat been upchucking more than normal lately?

Joe, I was hoping you'd chime in - I know you are a fellow "cat admirer"!

To answer your questions...

Neither animal is "new". We've had the dog 5 years and the cat almost 2.

Both animals are "fixed" - the dog spayed and the cat neutered.

Nothing traumatic that I can think of, other than me starting to travel quite a bit again. Come to think of it, this may be it. The dog is attached to the hip to my wife; but the cat, in no uncertain terms, is "my cat". When I was in bed recovering from surgery it rarely left my side. It may have got used to me being home for 3 months straight, and is freaking out that I'm traveling so much again. Might even have decided to mark "my spot" against the dog!

The cat ("Stripes") is almost 2 years old. Seems to be in very good health. Rarely, if ever, upchucks anything. It's a short hair, so we don't even worry about hairballs.

I did notice two other things which I will correct when I get home. I watched it use it's litter box right before I left, and realized it is too big for it. I am going to replace it as you suggest, and get a bigger one. Doing a little research, the experts recommend a box 1.5 times the length of the cat, so it can turn around freely. Stripes was hanging half way out of the box to use it! Also, Mrs. YK bought another brand of litter - larger grain and scented. I'm going back to the tried and true Wally-World cheap stuff. It is unscented, clumps, and a very fine grain - and I know he'll use it.

Thanks for the advice!!!

[J Miller]

YK,

Yep, that's the clue. Your returning to work was the trauma. Your kitty got used to you being home and now that you are traveling again he feels abandoned. Give him time to readjust and things "should" return to normal.
The larger kitty box should help too.
One more thing, and this might sound silly, but each time you leave reassure Stripes you'll be back. Believe it or not, that helps.

My wife said this thread is no good without pics ... of Stripes.

Joe

[Blaine]

Put a rubber band around his little dinky.....

[model55]

Maybe a dumb idea but you could use a spay bottle on the cat when he attempts to get in that area.

[Ysabel Kid]

My wife said this thread is no good without pics ... of Stripes.

Stripes - the early years (with my daughter):



And a more recent picture - his favorite spot when I'm working - sleeping on my desk.



Can't believe it didn't occur to me that I was the trauma, or rather, me not being home...

[Lawyer Daggit]

darn- I have held it in too long fellas. Someone has to stick up for the dog.
remedy: Glock 40 and box of hydrashocks.

[J Miller]

Ysabel Kid,

PM me your mailing address. We've got something special for poor little traumatized Stripes.

We're serious.

Joe

[madman4570]

YK,
That is one Cute Cat. They can be great little friends,can't they!
It makes sense that your kitty was indeed missing you and expressing itself.