Satan's Curse: CAT PEE ODOR!!!

[Shugardrawers]

I'm in a mixed marriage. We're on the brink of divorce and only The Dis can help save us!!

You see, I'm a dog person. I've always raised and loved dogs. I'm fairly well educated on all things canine DH, OTOH, is a cat person. Don't get me wrong, I like cats, they just aren't my area of expertise. But we've found ourselves in a make or break situation. He better make this work or I'm gonna break his legs!!

We have a 4 year old male cat named Simon. Simon is pretty cool as cat's go. He picked him up when he was working on the road and wanted some company. Fine by me. The more animals the merrier and he and the dog have an "understanding". I've grown to love him actually. Simon is neutered, declawed and FAT. He's got a mile wide attitude but we love him.

For the past few months he's taken to either peeing outside his box or spraying indoors. Something he really never did much of previously. It's always been Dh's job to scoop the poop but he's gotten lazy lately with all the overtime he works and with my illness escalating I frequently forget. I suspect he does it a lot because of a dirty box. I know that could be part of the issue.

Anyway...the issue of odor has continued to build despite my best efforts (admittedly not as dilligent as they could be due to my myriad illnesses). We went to visit my family for a week and when we returned last week he'd turned the ENTIRE HOUSE into his personal litter box. THE STENCH IS OVERWHELMING!!!

I'm at a loss how to fight this when the smell is EVERYWHERE We can't just turn him out! When we declawed him we left him unequipped to live outdoors. Besides, we love him. We've tried nearly every commercially available product to no avail.

Our biggest issue now is we are about to move into a corporate apartment next month. We absolutely CAN'T HAVE HIM SPRAYING THAT APARTMENT!!! We want to take our beloved fatboy with us but have to

1) clear up the stench in this place

and

2) keep him from spraying and stinking up the corporate place so we aren't liable for HUGE cleaning bills on it.

PLEASE HELP US!!!!!

 

[SNylund]

I keep our cats in the garage for this reason and for other messy reasons, won't have animals in the house period, never really been to a house that someone had a dog or cat in without some odor issues. I've know a few that were meticulous about cleaning and keeping the odors out and things clean, but these were few and far between, then there is the opposite end of the spectrum, had a friend that had dogs in the house, and was BAD about cleaning, you could literally smell the stinch in the driveway and when you walked in I never went back to his house after that.

 

[clarabelle]

Have you tried an enzyme cleaner? I like one called Kids and Pets too.

A new litter box -maybe even more than one box?

Also I saw a thing on TV one time where the cat was spraying because he felt like he needed to mark his territory. So they took a damp rag and rubbed it all over the cat. Then they took the rag and rubbed it around baseboards, door-frames etc.. Especially in rooms where he was spraying.
It can't hurt to try it.

 

[Shugardrawers]

We've tried several commercially available produts such as Petzyme and Nature's Miracle and several others. I tried some homemade recipes I found online but no go on those. Where do you find Kids and Pets?

I have not tried multiple boxes for a single cat but that's not a bad idea..... THANKS!

 

[Jockaroo]

Have you had a vet check him since this started? Since this is a new behavior for him it could be a health problem (UTI, kidney problems, stones/crystals in urine). If he is going outside the box and it is recent behavior, it could be he associates the box with painful urination. I would get him checked out to rule out a health issue before assuming it is all behavioral.

It could be the dirty box. Some cats are meticulous. Adding an extra box may help some. He may need to be confined to one room and re-box trained.

Wish I could offer some help on the odor front, but from everything I've heard, you are right cat pee is Satan's curse. I swear by Simple Solution enzyme cleaner for dog urine, vomit, etc. Good luck. You are right to address the problem before moving.

 

[laurie31]

You want this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Scra...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254434393&sr=1-2

I am also a dog person who married a cat person. I have one cat who does the "inappropriate elimination" thing, and yes, Satan's curse about sums it up.

I'm trying the things the book recommends right now...it's my last hope.

ETA - Jockaroo is spot on about the vet advice. This book insists that the cat be examined by a vet to rule out a physical cause, before you start with behavior modification things. Sadly (for me) our cat is totally healthy. A UTI would have been much easier to treat...I was hoping it was that.

 

[momrek06]

We went to visit my family for a week and when we returned last week he'd turned the ENTIRE HOUSE into his personal litter box. THE STENCH IS OVERWHELMING!!!

OT:

Shug, did you leave Simon home all alone? Do you think this was "payback" for you and DH leaving him? I am thinking you are right when you stated that the litter box doesn't always get cleaned out....maybe Simon did not want to use the litter box as it was pretty full.....


My DS has a cat. DS travels allot for his job and his boss pays for DS to put his cat into a Kitty Motel. He just returned from Boston for 5 days and has been back one week and now is leaving Monday for Arizona for a week. While kitty is there DS always schedules a bath, makes sure the nails are clipped and always gets a hygiene cut.

A Kitty Motel is a great "peace of mind" for those traveling.

 

[Shugardrawers]

OT:

Shug, did you leave Simon home all alone? Do you think this was "payback" for you and DH leaving him? I am thinking you are right when you stated that the litter box doesn't always get cleaned out....maybe Simon did not want to use the litter box as it was pretty full.....


My DS has a cat. DS travels allot for his job and his boss pays for DS to put his cat into a Kitty Motel. He just returned from Boston for 5 days and has been back one week and now is leaving Monday for Arizona for a week. While kitty is there DS always schedules a bath, makes sure the nails are clipped and always gets a hygiene cut.

A Kitty Motel is a great "peace of mind" for those traveling.

Well....yes and no. We did leave him home but "Grammy Rose next door came daily to feed him, give him clean water, bring in the mail and scoop the poo. He might have been upset at being left alone but his box was clean.

 

[momrek06]

Well....yes and no. We did leave him home but "Grammy Rose next door came daily to feed him, give him clean water, bring in the mail and scoop the poo. He might have been upset at being left alone but his box was clean.

Cats are very smart. I am guessing Simon sensed with Grammy Rose coming bye every day that you and DH were gone. Simon was a bit miffed and showed you. Because Grammy Rose came by and I am so sure she cleaned Simon's box for him.....yup, he was upset or mad. I think he was trying to tell you NOT to leave him again. JMHO.

I so hope you can get the house cleaned up...how about a carpet cleaning company to come by and shampoo all the carpets?

Good Luck, Shug!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Nature's miracle. might require several applications. My former cat grumpy used to have UTI problems and through 2 different illnesses peed on my recliner. It took a whole gallon (several individual applications) for each illness.

Thankfully--removing fish from his diet prevented further illness and the need for him to pee on the recliner.

We still have the recliner--lots of people have sat in it comfortably. Not a trace of cat urine in it.

No clue on how to get him to stop.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

There is one old timey remedy that I swear by if the enzyme cleaners don't work: vinegar.

Apply directly, let it dry, then rinse.

The item/carpet/furniture will smell like vinegar, of course, but would you rather smell vinegar or cat pee?

 

[ohiomom28]

My kitten recently had a desire to poo in my game room. Always in one of 2 spots. I finally got her to stop after cleaning the spots with OxiClean spray and spraying a mixture of vinegar and water on it. She hasn't done it since.

 

[Shugardrawers]

I've read about the vinegar and that's been my question. Is the vinegar smell worse than the cat pee smell???
Oh, BTW, we have very old hardwood floors. How do we clean those? It's a rental. They aren't well sealed either.

 

[Shugardrawers]

Ok, vinegar isn't real helpful here. Any other wisdom?

 

[marciemi]

Can't help with the hardwood, but just wanted to tell you that with the carpet, we ended up ripping it all out. We had our house on the market a long time, and even though we tried everything (dousing in Nature's Miracle, professional cleaning, etc.), the basement carpets where we kept our 2 cats just couldn't be cleaned. We didn't even notice the smell, but seemed like every prospective buyer who came through the house commented on it. Finally the realtor told us we had to take all the carpeting out, which we did, and kept the cats in a large crate between then and when we moved shortly thereafter. I'm starting to notice it here in our new house (it's been over three years since we moved in and just starting), but luckily this time we don't have a carpeted basement - just a whole bunch of throw rugs that we can toss out once we no longer have the cat (one died at 18, the other is 20+ now). I would think all the recommendations would work on hard surfaces, but from our experience you couldn't get the smell out of the carpet. Sorry to bring bad news.

 

[Shugardrawers]

We are headed to PetSmart tomorrow for another couple gallons of Nature's Miracle. I'm not sure if the vinegar isn't working or if it isn't covering the scent

I'm a HUGE animal advocate. As far as I'm concerned...the day we declawed him is the day we took full responsibility for his entire life. Actually, I say the day we adopted him but since Dh agrees with the declawing date that's where we'll stand. Giving up Simon just isn't an option unless we have no other choice and even at that it would be only until we came back to VA from our corporate apartment. Again...we really do love Simon. It's the cost of the damage to a corporate apartment we are stressed about.

We'd far rather keep Simon with us and learn to handle odors at bay, while correcting ALL OF OUR mistakes leading to his peeing outside the box. I'm fully aware WE are as much to blame as he his. I just don't quit know how to fix the problem but your answers so far have been helpful.

Thanks so much!!!!
Shuggie

 

[Shugardrawers]

ETA: we have removed the room sized carpet in the rooms that have them. It still stinks. The couch in particular stinks. We plan to try cleaning it this weekend.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Not sure about vinegar and cat pee...

But when using vinegar as a natural household cleanser, there is no lingering odor of vinegar.


As for the hardwoods--didn't want to say this but since noone has offered you a solution...

We had lived in a house YEARS ago and my parents were....I'll say piggish about their dog care. The dog had several accidents in the home. Urine contains ammonia and it damages hardwood. I'm not certain if there is a way to undo it. My parents couldnt' repair the wood and it ended up needing to be stripped and redone by the landlord.

I'd ask at the pet store if they have any product and maybe try a flooring store to see if they have any suggestions. But you may be out of luck on the hardwood.

I woudln't give up your cat b/c likely his future owners would have issue and he could end up put to sleep as unadoptable.

I would not leave him alone on trips anymore and perhaps take him to a pet hotel where he can have daily attention.

 

[jlima]

ETA: we have removed the room sized carpet in the rooms that have them. It still stinks. The couch in particular stinks. We plan to try cleaning it this weekend.

Maybe replace the foam in the cushions, as well as clean it? If you have your carpets professionally cleaned, they can clean your upholstered furniture while they are there.

 

[Duchie]

I read somewhere on these boards about a product called Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter and litter additive. Here's a link:
http://www.preciouscat.com/

We tried it and have had good success with it. We still have a couple of accidents now and then but for the most part the problem is gone. It's expensive, but for me it's worth it.

Another idea is one of those automated litter boxes - the ones that automatically scoop out the clumps after kitty goes. If Simon is persnickity about a clean litter box this may help.