CHAT Mimi - cat problem

[Guest guest]

Hi Mimi,

Sorry to hear that you're having such a frustrating time with life right

now.

I might be able to help with the cat. Cats pee outside the box for a variety

of reasons. They have very sensitive noses, and the box might not be getting

cleaned well enough/often enough?? (I have a cat that I MUST clean the box

for daily, or we run into problems) Did you recently try a different brand

of cat litter?? Has the household routine changed recently??

You said that you have 2 cats?? How many litter boxes do you have around the

house?? Sometimes cats decide that they just won't share, so you should have

at least 2 litter boxes in separate areas, so that your cat has a choice.

There are several things that you can do to get a urine sample. The easiest

is to clean out the box, but don't wash it. Just set it in it's usual space,

and watch for the cat to use it. You then, tip the box so that the urine

runs to one corner, and collect your sample.

You could also try using a small amount of ground paper litter, if she won't

use an empty box. With this method, you clean the regular litter out of the

box, but again, don't wash the box. Spread a very thin layer of paper litter

in the bottom of the box. When the cat uses the box, cover your hand with a

baggie, find the wet spot, and squeeze the paper litter into the collection

vial.

For cleaning up the smell, I would suggest getting a black light. You move

this over the carpet, or floor where the cat has urinated (best done at dusk

or dark), and the urine spots will glow. There are several odor neutralizing

products on the market, my favorite is " Nature's Miracle " . Once you have

found the spots (I circle them with a piece of chalk) you pour the product

full strength on the areas, and allow it to dry. Once everything is dry, you

can clean your carpet, and the smell will be gone, so that the cat is not

attracted back to that spot instead of the litter box.

I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me

at pcpets @adelphia.net and I'll be happy to help in any way I can. I used

to own a pet store, so I've dealt with these problems frequently! LOL

Pat (g-ma to , RSS, 31 months, 22.5#, 31.8 " , G-Tube)