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Help! Several basic cat urine questions from newbie cat companion
Greetings all!
I have never had a cat my whole life, but a couple years ago, a cat our new neighbors inherited with their house more or less adopted us. He just kept hanging out at our house, and we'd take him to his real home after a week or so, but he kept coming back even though we never fed him...and anyway, now he lives with us. He lives mostly in the bottom floor of our house. We call this level the "basement" even though it is mostly above ground, and over the last 18 months, we have finished it off nicely as a billiard room, lounge, rec. room etc. It is a huge and delightful space, and the cat loves it, and can go in and out as he pleases through a pair of doggy doors (one door into the tool room, where his food and water is, and a subsequent doggy door to the outside). We had no urine or marking trouble until about 6 weeks ago, when we noticed that unmistakable stench in the air, and found a couple places he had marked -- one on the comforter of the bed he sleeps on, and another spot on the couch. We treated those areas as best we could, but over time we found stinky spots all over the place! Either we missed them the first time, or he is continuing to mark. The cat is ruining furniture and has made this highly valued space unusable. If we don't resolve this problem, we will be forced to choose between the cat, and our billiard room/basement lounge. I have no experience with cat behavior of this type, so any suggestions to any of the following questions are much appreciated: (1) What can we use to really get the stink out of couches and comforters? Have tried Nature's Miracle and Kids and Pets with mixed results (seemed to work on the comforter, did not work at all with an upholstered chair). Does cat urine stink ever just fade over, lets say, weeks? I stuck that stinky upholstered chair outside in the fresh air -- is that likely to have any effect at all? (2) Any opinions on the "1-2-3 ODOR FREE" kit? I am a little concerned about costs -- if it were a spot here or there, I imagine it would be manageable, but since most instructions say "soak thoroughly" and since the cat marks in so many places, I imagine we could run through a gallon in no time. (3) Can one accurately detect dried urine with those black light detectors? I am tired of sniffing around on my hands and knees. (4) The cat does not have a litter box...he has always gone out to go to the bathroom. Might his marking have anything to do with him having to go to the bathroom but being unwilling to go outside? If so, we could put a litter box in the tool room where he goes to eat, but if this marking is not remotely a "have to go the bathroom" issue, then I am disinclined to start using a litterbox. We are not sure if he has EVER used a litter box (certainly not with us) -- if this is likely to have any impact on the marking behavior at all, what should we know about types of boxes, and how should we introduce him to it? (5) I heard about some pheromone products that supposedly mellow cats out so they don't feel the need to mark. Are these of any value at all? (6) I presume this cat is neutered (we took him to the vet once and I think the vet confirmed this...not sure); is this easy for me to detect? If he is not neutered, I will definitely neuter him -- might this discourage the marking instinct? (7) I know this is a common problem, but is it one that people ever really solve? Or is it something like chronic back pain -- try all known remedies, but expect only meager success and more likely outright failure. For the record, we live way out in the country...our nearest neighbors are about a 1/4 mile away, so our cat has no contact at all with other pets except for occasionally with our 15-yr old Australian Shepherd. Cody (the dog) doesn't like Jerry (the cat) and rushes at him sometimes, but (a) Cody doesn't spend much time in the basement lounge where Jerry stays, (b) Cody is old and a comically ineffectual chaser, (c) Jerry seems more amused than fearful, and (d) the chasing behavior preceded the marking behavior by over a year. I know that is a lot of questions, but we are desperate and appreciate any suggestions regarding any of the above points! Jerry is otherwise a good cat. Chuck |
#2
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wrote in message oups.com... Greetings all! I have never had a cat my whole life, but a couple years ago, a cat our new neighbors inherited with their house more or less adopted us. He just kept hanging out at our house, and we'd take him to his real home after a week or so, but he kept coming back even though we never fed him...and anyway, now he lives with us. He lives mostly in the bottom floor of our house. We call this level the "basement" even though it is mostly above ground, and over the last 18 months, we have finished it off nicely as a billiard room, lounge, rec. room etc. It is a huge and delightful space, and the cat loves it, and can go in and out as he pleases through a pair of doggy doors (one door into the tool room, where his food and water is, and a subsequent doggy door to the outside). We had no urine or marking trouble until about 6 weeks ago, when we noticed that unmistakable stench in the air, and found a couple places he had marked -- one on the comforter of the bed he sleeps on, and another spot on the couch. Considering that he's peeing/marking on soft places, I'd make a vet appt. for him ASAP, since he might have a UTI. If he does, a round or two of antibiotic(s) will solve his/the problem. Inappropriate peeing, esp. as a new problem & on soft surfaces, is a classic symptom of a urinary tract infection. snipped (4) The cat does not have a litter box...he has always gone out to go to the bathroom. Might his marking have anything to do with him having to go to the bathroom but being unwilling to go outside? If so, we could put a litter box in the tool room where he goes to eat, but if this marking is not remotely a "have to go the bathroom" issue, then I am disinclined to start using a litterbox. We are not sure if he has EVER used a litter box (certainly not with us) -- if this is likely to have any impact on the marking behavior at all, what should we know about types of boxes, and how should we introduce him to it? I'd just make one available to him, show him where it is, & see what happens... (6) I presume this cat is neutered (we took him to the vet once and I think the vet confirmed this...not sure); is this easy for me to detect? If he is not neutered, I will definitely neuter him -- might this discourage the marking instinct? In some male cats it's very easy to tell if they've been neutered with one visual glance - they're just obviously deflated. ;-) Otehres, not as obvious. Yes, being neutered, Vs. not neutered makes a huge difference, marking. AFAIK, all intact male cats mark, whereas only some neutewred cats do. So... I'd make a vet appt. & have him re-checked to see if he's been neutered, while checking for a UTI. Good luck. Cathy |
#4
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Cathy Friedmann wrote:
snipped Considering that he's peeing/marking on soft places, I'd make a vet appt. for him ASAP, since he might have a UTI. If he does, a round or two of antibiotic(s) will solve his/the problem. Inappropriate peeing, esp. as a new problem & on soft surfaces, is a classic symptom of a urinary tract infection. My female cat had struvite crystals. She's on C/D now. But she was also peeing on soft things. Any idea why they prefer soft surfaces to urinate when they have a UTI? |
#5
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Chris Dutton wrote: Cathy Friedmann wrote: snipped Considering that he's peeing/marking on soft places, I'd make a vet appt. for him ASAP, since he might have a UTI. If he does, a round or two of antibiotic(s) will solve his/the problem. Inappropriate peeing, esp. as a new problem & on soft surfaces, is a classic symptom of a urinary tract infection. My female cat had struvite crystals. She's on C/D now. But she was also peeing on soft things. Any idea why they prefer soft surfaces to urinate when they have a UTI? Couple of reasons - if feels better to them and if they pee someplace they aren't supposed to, YOU will notice it. They can't talk, so they have to tell you somehow. I know cats that pee in the bathtub when they have UTIs because they know it's the ONE place their guardian always goes in the morning. -L. |
#6
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"Chris Dutton" wrote in message news:4XfUd.518167$Xk.499200@pd7tw3no... Cathy Friedmann wrote: snipped Considering that he's peeing/marking on soft places, I'd make a vet appt. for him ASAP, since he might have a UTI. If he does, a round or two of antibiotic(s) will solve his/the problem. Inappropriate peeing, esp. as a new problem & on soft surfaces, is a classic symptom of a urinary tract infection. My female cat had struvite crystals. She's on C/D now. But she was also peeing on soft things. Any idea why they prefer soft surfaces to urinate when they have a UTI? UTI's can hurt like hell, when you go (inflamed urethra, to the point of urine having blood in it). So maybe it's an instinctual thing - trying to counteract the burning pain? Cathy |
#7
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I to have the same problem. I have 2 males, both nuetered, not until
about 2 years ago did I start noticing it and it is starting to get out of hand. I have tried every product you have mentioned and nothing worked for me. I would appreciate if you could share with me any remedies. |
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