Here's the situation: for the past 2 years I have been unable to work due to disability. I recently have gone back to work part time but very long hours during those days. Now, I have 2 cats. One is 3 yrs old and fixed and the other is 1 year old and not fixed because she is a purebred and we plan to mate her very very soon. One of them is spraying like crazy in my bedroom. So here are the questions I have:
1. How do I get the smell out? 2. How can I keep this from happening again?
Please dont tell me to get the youngest one fixed. Like I said, we have plans to breed her at least once. Both cats are indoor cats and very very loved and up to date on their shots and extremely healthy.
Any real ideas?
http://mayhemforyou.com2007-05-10T09:59:48Z
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use a mix of vinegar and water to get the smell out, you can get a spray at some pet stores to stop them from sparing some spots, but I don't know if it works or not
Urine Urine stains are one of a pet owner's biggest headaches, particularly cat urine which has a singularly unpleasant smell and can seem to linger forever if not treated quickly. Whatever you do, never use an ammonia-based cleaner on a urine stain caused by a pet as the smell will attract the animal back to that spot.
If the urine stain is fresh, you can usually treat it by just rinsing it thoroughly in cold water and then washing it as normal, using a biological laundry detergent if possible (same as for vomit). If the stain is older and dried, you will need to soak the garment overnight in a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide and water, then wash as directed above. An alternative to this is soaking in salty water, if you do not have hydrogen peroxide handy.
Carpets are a little more difficult in that they cannot be soaked. However, you can treat the area immediately with soda water which should minimise the staining. Once the excess urine has been blotted up, sponge the stain with salty water and then rinse and blot dry.
Again, sprinkling bicarbonate soda onto the stain and leaving for a while before vacuuming should combat any lingering odours.
Note that urine spraying in cats is a serious problem and aside from tackling the immediate stain, you will need to consult an animal behaviourist and perhaps treat your cat with some pheromone therapy, otherwise you will be fighting a losing battle with cat urine and odour.
Get an enzyme product from your vet or the pet store that is specifically formulated for cat urine stains - FON is a spray-on one from the vet that works well, or try Simple Solution for cats. Vinegar and other standard odor removers may remove the odor as far as OUR noses can tell, but the cat will still be able to smell it and may continue spraying there unless an enzyme cleaner is used.
See this link for instructions: http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/48/Combat-Cat-Urine.html (it's a 2-page link- the link to the 2nd page may be hard to spot)
Your sudden change in work hours may be stressing the cats -see this article on managing stress in cats: http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/stress.htm You can try using a Feliway comfort zone plug-in to help with the spraying. Feliway should help with stress and territorial spraying.
It may be a good idea to get them to the vet for a urinalysis - spraying is USUALLY behavioral, but not always - it's possible one of them has developed a urinary health issue that needs to be addressed.
This page has lots of helpful links on solving spraying problems: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html