The Litterbox

I just read your article on cats urinating outside the box, and would like to ask you how to get the smell out of clothes. It seems that my cat likes to mark my clothes whenever I leave them on a chair or on the floor (I am a bachelor and I get sloppy). I found one item at a pet store, but it seems to be able to remove only small spots of urine and the like. I need to know if there is an additive or cleaner with which I can wash the entire garment. Also if there is a dry cleaning solution for cat pee. He got a couple sweaters and dress pants too.

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A Guide for Cleaning up Cat Pee, Poop, and Vomit

Sometimes we cat lovers just have to “get down dirty” when the subject of cleaning up messes arises, and this is the time. I’m not talking about the mess that occurs when your cat knocks over a vase full of flowers. I’m talking about basic cat messes. You’ve got it - the pee, poop, and barf accidents that occasionally plague a house with cats. We’ll address these separately, as they each require a bit different treatment.

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Cats can and do add pleasure to our lives. But oftentimes when they share our lives on a daily basis, they can grow ill. When a cat is sick, or stressed, the target organ for that stress is generally the bladder. That is when litter pan accidents result as cats find alternative places to urinate or defecate.

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After peeing on our couch one too many times, we have banned the cats from the house. They have an enclosed porch where they sleep and eat, and they seem to be doing okay. Recently, our whole house has been smelling like cat pee. We discovered yesterday that it’s coming in the house with the heat. Tonight, we discovered that the smell comes through the vents even if the heat is not on. The cats are obviously peeing somewhere in the crawlspace, where the furnace and pipes are, but we have no clue what to do about the smell. This is a very weird situation, and I don’t know where to turn for help. I believe that I am responsible for these cats for as long as they live, so ”getting rid” of them is not an option. Can we all live in harmony…but without the cat pee smell?

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Spraying is marking behavior, not a litter box problem. It is an important part of nonverbal communication among cats, helping to establish and define boundaries and reassure cats whose area is whose.

Sprayed cat urine contains pheromones, a substance produced by animals that is used for communication. Combinations of pheromones work like fingerprints: they identify the cat.

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“The cats were fine,” said our house sitter cheerily upon our arrival home from a two-week vacation. “Oh, I think you should smell something in the basement.”

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Remember when you invited your new friend from work over to your house for the first and last time? As soon as she walked through the door, she waved her hand in front of her face, and exclaimed, “Oh my! What is THAT smell?” You didn’t have to think twice—it’s cat pee. Lot’s of it! You knew something had to change. But you may not know how.

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Has this ever happened to you? Your cat’s peeing outside the litter box, and you’re desperately trying to clean up after your cat, wondering if you’re actually doing anything to stop it from happening in the first place!

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The cat population in America is more than 75 millions, and anyone who owns a cat knows that stains and odors from cat urine can be a problem. Cat urine that seeps through carpet, into padding and down to the floor beneath can give your home an unpleasant aroma and bad look. In almost all cases, cat urine is the worst perpetrator for pet stains and pet odors.

When cats urinate as a means of elimination, they normally do it on a horizontal or flat surface like the ground or in a litterbox. When cats spray in order to mark their territory, they turn their backsides to the object, twitch their tails and spray urine on the vertical surface. See “How to Avoid Cat Urine Spraying”. But in both cases cat urine could come in contact with a carpet.

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The litter box problems are number one reason for owners to give up their cats, because the cats are usually fastidious in their toilet habits. It is essential to take into consideration the cat’s natural instincts when providing a toileting area for kitty.

Cats tend to have surface and location preferences for where, and on what, they like to eliminate. Studies show that the vast majority of cats prefer the sand-like texture of the clumping litters - but it is not recommended for kittens under the age of 4 months.

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