There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
--

Grandpa Chuck
-ô¿ô-
~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

On Feb 29, 9:42*pm, Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
--

Grandpa Chuck
* *-ô¿ô-
* * *~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

Many better news groups...

rec.pets.cats
rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
rec.pets.cats.announce [FAQ] (moderated)
rec.pets.cats.community
rec.pets.cats.health
rec.pets.cats.health+behav [FAQ]
rec.pets.cats.misc
rec.pets.cats.rescue

How old are your cats?

Is this a fairly recent problem?

Di you recently change food types?

Did you recently change litter types?

Been to the vet lately?

So many possibilities, the worst of which is failing kidneys which
make them feel like they have to urinate all the time. They tend to
pick a spot other than their litter box and use it repeatedly.

It's more important to find the root cause of the problem instead of
trying to find a way to stop them from urinating in that particular
spot. My guess is that the spot isn't the reason.

On Feb 29, 9:42*pm, Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
--

Grandpa Chuck
* *-ô¿ô-
* * *~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

Oh, yeah - forgot to mention this:

Ignore all the a-holes who will undoubtedly suggest various ways to
eliminate the problem by eliminating the cats.

Really, just ignore 'em and they'll go away.

Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
Hi,
We have 3 cats in our house and a dog. Some dog or cat can't be house
trained. You have to replace with qnother as soon as you can.

Grandpa Chuck wrote:

There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?


I would not wait to change the litter until it has an odor - that is
probably way late as far as
the kitties are concerned. I would also try putting their litter box,
or another one, on the spot
where they are urinating or just remove them from the area completely.
I have a hunch they
think their box is stinky, so that is the first priority. Our cat
always buried his doings, so it
is obvious they don't like their dirt to linger. We used clumping
litter and always bagged the
clumps every day and took to the trash.

Norminn wrote:

Grandpa Chuck wrote:

There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?


I would not wait to change the litter until it has an odor - that is
probably way late as far as
the kitties are concerned. I would also try putting their litter box,
or another one, on the spot
where they are urinating or just remove them from the area completely.
I have a hunch they
think their box is stinky, so that is the first priority. Our cat
always buried his doings, so it
is obvious they don't like their dirt to linger. We used clumping
litter and always bagged the
clumps every day and took to the trash.
Hi,
Our 3 cats share one litter box. I clean it at least twice a day,
morning, evening and always keep it filled at proper level. If I
neglect, older guy, the orange tabby protests by urinating right in
front of the box. Floor is water tight so it is easy to clean without
leaving odor. The rule is if I do my chore, cats are happy, we are
happy. They eat home made food. No store bought cat foods.

Grandpa Chuck writes:

There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?

We had that problem with our cat a couple of years ago.

You must remove the odor.
If it's still there, to the cat it's a bathroom.

I found just putting newspapers down (while it still smelled)
stopped the cat from using the area. Moving the box there
might work the same way for you.

In our case it was a carpet, eventually I replaced the carpet,
cleaned the floor underneath and sealed it with shellac primer.

I keep her box a bit cleaner and she hasn't gone back to
using the carpet.

Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?

I hear a couple of minutes in the microwave will cure that.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
Hi,
We have 3 cats in our house and a dog. Some dog or cat can't be house
trained. You have to replace with qnother as soon as you can.

Ass.

"cybercat" wrote in message
...

"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
Hi,
We have 3 cats in our house and a dog. Some dog or cat can't be house
trained. You have to replace with qnother as soon as you can.

Ass.

Really? Not liking the house smelling like a kennel constitutes an ass?
Not liking having foul odors present is an ass? Not liking having a
permanent smell in the house that will affect selling is being an ass? Not
liking trying to get rid of a particularly difficult odor is an ass? Put me
down in the ass column.

You must be a cat lover. One has priorities in life. If yours is smelling
like a cat box, you must have some doozy ideas about child raising and
sexual promiscuity.

Everything has a price. Once a cat starts to mark its territory, the price
for is to stay is your house going down the tubes. To some "asses", it's
worth it. Remind me not to come to your house for dinner or a visit. I
disdain people with dirty hygienically dangerous homes.

I like cats. I have a cat. But it has a box and two outside doors. If it
ever started spraying, it would be gone in two days. I'm not going to live
in a house that smells worse than a public toilet for any cat. Call me an
ass.

Steve

"Grandpa Chuck" wrote

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

Been going on a long time or is it sudden?

2 most likely causes (and more apt to be the male but not a guarentee).

1- 'something changed' in a a relatively recent time to when they started
doing this. It could be a friend who comes over with his dog who marks
outside, or a cat doing same (more often, they will mark the inside of the
door the other one hit the outside of, or the wall below a window where they
see the other animal at from inside). A grandson or son who's come home for
a few weeks and they feel a need to establish their own terratory. A new
dog in the house. A new child in the house (may be infant, may be older).
They get over this one if you clean the area up.

2- Alpha-cat struggle between'em which would have started pretty close to
when you added them together or if kittens together, can start once they hit
about age 1 and until resolved, will not go away but you can stop them
'marking' by establishing 2 liter pans *not in same room*. A classic
symptom of this is if the male sometimes backs to a wall and 'wriggles his
butt fast' (no marking when you can see it as he may know not allowed),
especially after she's been picking on him. They may 'play' but more in a
'pussy war' mode with occasionally loud fights (rarely will they hurt one
another, just make noise and chase one another, one may even normally 'win'
but the other isnt 'submissive' which means an alpha battle). Establishing
clear zones of 'ownership' such as one having a litter pan upstairs, and the
other downstairs, can fix this.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

The 3rd and 4th causes can be a little more difficult.

3- Cats noses are far more sensitive than yours. I have a funny feeling
this *might* be related but number 2 may be as well. They are afterall,
going really close to the litter box. How often do you change it? I don't
mean by smell, but how often actually? Clumping litter is nice, but you
cant just 'remove clumps' forever and add more. When I had 4 cats, I used
cheapest clay pellet and added baking soda and would scoup 1 day then change
out completely the next day. This actually worked better than the expensive
clumping stuff for me and the cats. I also always had a second pan as they
dont like going too soon right after another but with just 2 cats, thats
usually not too much of an issue. Keep in mind that among the animal
kingdom, humans have some of the worst sniffers around.

4- They started this, are age 10 or near it (or over), and no other changes
in ther house at all. This is time to see the vet. You may have a sort of
feline dimensia caused by kidney ailments and it can be quite common if they
have otherwise been healthy cats but not fed on the fancy 'vet' foods for
the past 10 years (can happen even with the fancy science diet sort of stuff
but less likely). If so, caught early can be fixed. Ignored, and the loved
pets will slowly get more senile acting later taking to rugs and such. It
is sort of like a kitty version of kidney disease and alzheimers combined.
Later caught, I think some help is there, but my only experience was with a
rescue elderly kitty (they estimated she was 15?) and there was little they
could do except give her a good home. She had not been treated and had been
cast out apparently for the degrading level of behavior due to her medical
conditions. She had some sort of stroke about 2 months after we got her and
we had to have her put to sleep as she lost movement in her back end and one
foreleg. The vet did tell us the early signs of such is to 'g near the
literbox or anything that smells a bit like it' and to the nearest spot they
hit like that when they have to go.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?

Glad to help and hope I have!

SteveB wrote:

I like cats. I have a cat. But it has a box and two outside doors. If it
ever started spraying, it would be gone in two days. I'm not
going to live in a house that smells worse than a public toilet for
any cat. Call me an ass.


I can't call you an ass, but I can call you a cab.

On another matter, is that why the babies in your house disappeared?

Tony Hwang wrote:
Hi,
Our 3 cats share one litter box. I clean it at least twice a day,
morning, evening and always keep it filled at proper level. If I
neglect, older guy, the orange tabby protests by urinating right in
front of the box. Floor is water tight so it is easy to clean without
leaving odor. The rule is if I do my chore, cats are happy, we are
happy. They eat home made food. No store bought cat foods.

Be aware that cats are carnivores. They cannot digest plant material.

More meat means more of the food stays in your cat.

Also a cat's digestive system (like a dog's) is immune to almost all
pathogens - it's not necessary, or even particularily desirable, to cook the
food first.

In article , Steve says...

Grandpa Chuck wrote on 29 Feb 2008 in group
alt.home.repair:

There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?

Some cats are, or become, more sensitive to dirty litter. You may have
to clean the litter box once a day, or even more.

Some people have luck with multiple litter boxes.

There's no understanding cat psychology, in my opinion. They do things
for their own reasons. All you can do is try to adapt.

Nature's Miracle is a good product to get rid of the urine stain. It has
enzymes that break down the urine, not just soap to clean the surface.
Be sure to follow the instructions and keep the surface wet.


I haven't had any luck with Nature's Miracle. I honestly think it sells more on
the hype than on its performance.

For cat urine on carpet, etc., there's no real option but to get rid of the
carpet, upholstery, etc. This from my experience having cats all my life and
consultation with a profesisonal restorer.

But if in this case most of the problem is on the concrete unfinished basement
floor, there is an option which works which is a citrus-based cleaner.

Banty

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:22:12 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Feb 29, 9:42*pm, Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
--

Grandpa Chuck
* *-ô¿ô-
* * *~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

Many better news groups...

rec.pets.cats
rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
rec.pets.cats.announce [FAQ] (moderated)
rec.pets.cats.community
rec.pets.cats.health
rec.pets.cats.health+behav [FAQ]
rec.pets.cats.misc
rec.pets.cats.rescue

How old are your cats?

9 & 10 years.


Is this a fairly recent problem?

No. They have two large litter boxes in the basement.
Actually these are the type of plastic boxes used for storage under
the bed, but with the size there is plenty of room for the cat(s) to
turn around and paw the litter.


Di you recently change food types?

We have used the same Purina Cat Chow for years with no problems.


Did you recently change litter types?

No, we have used Tidy Cat Multiple clumping litter. We have tried the
overpriced so-called natural litters and the only difference was the
cost.


Been to the vet lately?

They both have regular check ups and have been declared healthy.
Our old cat, that died last year, had been put on Geriatric Science
Diet canned food. She turned her nose up at it and went to the feeder
with the Cat Chow.

So many possibilities, the worst of which is failing kidneys which
make them feel like they have to urinate all the time. They tend to
pick a spot other than their litter box and use it repeatedly.

One problem is that the spot is on the concrete floor up against the
wooden stair riser. Consequently, it has soaked the both surfaces. I
have seen our male cat, a 13 pound neutered male, stand with his legs
in the litter but with his butt hanging over the edge of the pan which
caused him to pee on the floor up against the pan. Naturally, the pans
have never been placed up against the step since we would have to
either step over or in the litter when going to and from the basement.


It's more important to find the root cause of the problem instead of
trying to find a way to stop them from urinating in that particular
spot. My guess is that the spot isn't the reason.

I figured that once one of them scented that particular place then
would go back to it again. Since we have never actually seen the cat
do it, we do not know which cat it is or if it is both.

We have tried Natures Miracle and it has not helped at all.
We have also tried citrus cleaners to no avail. Perhaps if we soak an
old towel or rag with that and lay it on the spot long enough to
really saturate the area it might work.

I even poured pure liquid bleach on it. It foamed up a bit and the
cat(s) stayed away for a couple of days and then we found it again.


Thank you for the suggestions.
--

Grandpa Chuck
-ô¿ô-
~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:24:32 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Feb 29, 9:42*pm, Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
--

Grandpa Chuck
* *-ô¿ô-
* * *~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

Oh, yeah - forgot to mention this:

Ignore all the a-holes who will undoubtedly suggest various ways to
eliminate the problem by eliminating the cats.

Really, just ignore 'em and they'll go away.

Believe me, I will.
We have had cats and dogs all of the 27 years we have been married.
--

Grandpa Chuck
-ô¿ô-
~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

On Sat, 01 Mar 2008 03:28:00 GMT, Tony Hwang wrote:

Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
Hi,
We have 3 cats in our house and a dog. Some dog or cat can't be house
trained. You have to replace with qnother as soon as you can.

You need to realize these are members of our family and we would not
simply replace one than we would have our kids when they were at home.
--

Grandpa Chuck
-ô¿ô-
~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:50:53 -0500, Norminn
wrote:

Grandpa Chuck wrote:

There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?


I would not wait to change the litter until it has an odor - that is
probably way late as far as
the kitties are concerned. I would also try putting their litter box,
or another one, on the spot
where they are urinating or just remove them from the area completely.

Right. So we are forced to step in or way over the litter box while
carrying a laundry basket full of clean clothes.

I have a hunch they
think their box is stinky, so that is the first priority.

We change them as soon as they smell.

Our cat
always buried his doings, so it
is obvious they don't like their dirt to linger. We used clumping
litter and always bagged the
clumps every day and took to the trash.

So do we.
--

Grandpa Chuck
-ô¿ô-
~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 05:34:40 -0500, "cshenk" wrote:

"Grandpa Chuck" wrote

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

Been going on a long time or is it sudden?

A very long time.



2 most likely causes (and more apt to be the male but not a guarentee).

1- 'something changed' in a a relatively recent time to when they started
doing this. It could be a friend who comes over with his dog who marks
outside, or a cat doing same (more often, they will mark the inside of the
door the other one hit the outside of, or the wall below a window where they
see the other animal at from inside). A grandson or son who's come home for
a few weeks and they feel a need to establish their own terratory. A new
dog in the house. A new child in the house (may be infant, may be older).
They get over this one if you clean the area up.

2- Alpha-cat struggle between'em which would have started pretty close to
when you added them together or if kittens together, can start once they hit
about age 1 and until resolved, will not go away but you can stop them
'marking' by establishing 2 liter pans *not in same room*. A classic
symptom of this is if the male sometimes backs to a wall and 'wriggles his
butt fast' (no marking when you can see it as he may know not allowed),
especially after she's been picking on him. They may 'play' but more in a
'pussy war' mode with occasionally loud fights (rarely will they hurt one
another, just make noise and chase one another, one may even normally 'win'
but the other isnt 'submissive' which means an alpha battle). Establishing
clear zones of 'ownership' such as one having a litter pan upstairs, and the
other downstairs, can fix this.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

The 3rd and 4th causes can be a little more difficult.

3- Cats noses are far more sensitive than yours. I have a funny feeling
this *might* be related but number 2 may be as well. They are afterall,
going really close to the litter box. How often do you change it? I don't
mean by smell, but how often actually? Clumping litter is nice, but you
cant just 'remove clumps' forever and add more. When I had 4 cats, I used
cheapest clay pellet and added baking soda and would scoup 1 day then change
out completely the next day. This actually worked better than the expensive
clumping stuff for me and the cats. I also always had a second pan as they
dont like going too soon right after another but with just 2 cats, thats
usually not too much of an issue. Keep in mind that among the animal
kingdom, humans have some of the worst sniffers around.

4- They started this, are age 10 or near it (or over), and no other changes
in ther house at all. This is time to see the vet. You may have a sort of
feline dimensia caused by kidney ailments and it can be quite common if they
have otherwise been healthy cats but not fed on the fancy 'vet' foods for
the past 10 years (can happen even with the fancy science diet sort of stuff
but less likely). If so, caught early can be fixed. Ignored, and the loved
pets will slowly get more senile acting later taking to rugs and such. It
is sort of like a kitty version of kidney disease and alzheimers combined.
Later caught, I think some help is there, but my only experience was with a
rescue elderly kitty (they estimated she was 15?) and there was little they
could do except give her a good home. She had not been treated and had been
cast out apparently for the degrading level of behavior due to her medical
conditions. She had some sort of stroke about 2 months after we got her and
we had to have her put to sleep as she lost movement in her back end and one
foreleg. The vet did tell us the early signs of such is to 'g near the
literbox or anything that smells a bit like it' and to the nearest spot they
hit like that when they have to go.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?

Glad to help and hope I have!


--

Grandpa Chuck
-ô¿ô-
~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 09:39:52 -0500, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

Are the senior citizen cats? Some times it is a physical problem. You
may want to check with your vet it could be a sign of a problem. On the
other hand it may be necessary to clean to box more often.

They have been doing this for a very long time.
We have tried several solutions and nothing has stopped it.
I am wondering if we paint the surfaces with a sealing paint such as
Kiltz if that might seal in the odor so they no longer smell it.
--

Grandpa Chuck
-ô¿ô-
~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

Grandpa Chuck wrote:
On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 09:39:52 -0500, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

Are the senior citizen cats? Some times it is a physical
problem. You may want to check with your vet it could be a sign of
a problem. On the other hand it may be necessary to clean to box
more often.

They have been doing this for a very long time.
We have tried several solutions and nothing has stopped it.
I am wondering if we paint the surfaces with a sealing paint such as
Kiltz if that might seal in the odor so they no longer smell it.

If money is no object, try Litter Robot

http://www.litter-robot.com/

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:24:32 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Feb 29, 9:42*pm, Grandpa Chuck wrote:
There is probably a better NG to post this in, but I don't know where
it is.

We have two cats. They use their large litter boxes in basement just
as they are supposed to. However, one or both of them also urinates on
the floor up against the wall and the lowest step going down to the
basement. We have never been able to catch them doing it - just the
wet spot with the strong urine odor.

One of our cats is a neutered male and the other a spayed female. We
just don't know what to scrub it with what to use to keep them from
doing it. The spot is only about five feet from the nearest large cat
litter box. We use the clumping litter and completely change it when
it takes on a urine odor.

Do any of you cat lovers have a suggestion that has worked for you?
--

Grandpa Chuck
* *-ô¿ô-
* * *~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

Oh, yeah - forgot to mention this:

Ignore all the a-holes who will undoubtedly suggest various ways to
eliminate the problem by eliminating the cats.


Why? Getting rid of the cat is a very logical solution, or not
allowing the cat into the basement. Like others have suggested, there
may be a medical problem. Habits can be difficult to break,
especially for older cats, and cats do not always train well.

On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 11:38:57 -0600, "HeyBub" wrote:

Grandpa Chuck wrote:
On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 09:39:52 -0500, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

Are the senior citizen cats? Some times it is a physical
problem. You may want to check with your vet it could be a sign of
a problem. On the other hand it may be necessary to clean to box
more often.

They have been doing this for a very long time.
We have tried several solutions and nothing has stopped it.
I am wondering if we paint the surfaces with a sealing paint such as
Kiltz if that might seal in the odor so they no longer smell it.

If money is no object, try Litter Robot

http://www.litter-robot.com/


If you mean one of those electric self cleaning pans, we had three of
them. Our cats were more likely to relieve themselves next to them and
they panicked if the motor started while they were in them or next to
them. Eventually, we gave all three of the pans to Salvation Army
Store after we had given them a thorough cleaning and sanitizing.
--

Grandpa Chuck
-ô¿ô-
~

Please grant me:
the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
the courage to change the one that I can
the wisdom to know that it is me

On Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:08:14 GMT, Grandpa Chuck
wrote:

On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 09:39:52 -0500, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

Are the senior citizen cats? Some times it is a physical problem. You
may want to check with your vet it could be a sign of a problem. On the
other hand it may be necessary to clean to box more often.

They have been doing this for a very long time.
We have tried several solutions and nothing has stopped it.
I am wondering if we paint the surfaces with a sealing paint such as
Kiltz if that might seal in the odor so they no longer smell it.

Try using Vinegar/water solution for cleaning the odor. A retired
carpet cleaner explained, it breaks down the odor (enzymes).

Older cats seem to become less *tidy*... noticed in two cats that
lived to about 14 years old.

Oren

In article , Grandpa Chuck says...

On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 09:39:52 -0500, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

Are the senior citizen cats? Some times it is a physical problem. You
may want to check with your vet it could be a sign of a problem. On the
other hand it may be necessary to clean to box more often.

They have been doing this for a very long time.
We have tried several solutions and nothing has stopped it.
I am wondering if we paint the surfaces with a sealing paint such as
Kiltz if that might seal in the odor so they no longer smell it.

When I had a senior cat who peed next to the box, I put puppy pads (dog
housetraining pads) around the box. It worked. Maybe try that. On the spots
on the concrete floor she did make, I used citrus cleaner.

I had another senior cat who took to peeing in my bedroom and could not be
broken of that. She did have medical problems, but there was only so far
treatment could help (cat thyroid problem). She became an outdoor cat. Which
wasn't the greatest, but I do think having a livable home takes priority.

No amount of Nature's Miracle worked on my bedroom wall to wall carpet - I
eventually took an Xacto knife to the area, removed the carpet and pad, and put
a big area rug there. Eventually I replaced the whole carpet after some
remodelling.

Banty

clipped



I would not wait to change the litter until it has an odor - that is
probably way late as far as
the kitties are concerned. I would also try putting their litter box,
or another one, on the spot
where they are urinating or just remove them from the area completely.



Right. So we are forced to step in or way over the litter box while
carrying a laundry basket full of clean clothes.



Do the cats stay in the basement? Even a smaller litter box,
temporarilly, in the spot being used might
work.....step around it and carry the laundry in a bag ) When I moved
in with my hubby, the litter box was in the util. room just off
kitchen. Kitty used
to do his big job right about supper time......no way my kitchen was
going to smell like that, supper time
or not. Hubby objected to moving the litter box, fearing the cat would
misbehave, but it was that or removing the cat. Moved the litter box
to the infrequently used bathroom and that was that. The cat didn't
miss a beat or misbehave. I've
heard that cats like privacy - is there a lot of traffic where their
boxes are located?

I also put the litter box into a plastic trash bag, so the box was
completely covered. Then I filled it with litter,
when it was time to change out the litter, I could just turn the trash
bag "inside out" so the litter was
enclosed and taken to the trash. That way urine odor was not on the box
itself.

Our kitty was a neutered male, very mellow and sweet, and changed his
behavior quickly when needed
(to keep off food prep. surfaces, etc.). Also only an idoor cat.

I have a hunch they
think their box is stinky, so that is the first priority.



We change them as soon as they smell.


Use unscented and change BEFORE it smells. My daughter's cats complain
loudly when they
don't have perfectly fresh water. Also don't like their food pellets on
the floor around the bowl.



Our cat
always buried his doings, so it
is obvious they don't like their dirt to linger. We used clumping
litter and always bagged the
clumps every day and took to the trash.



So do we.

In article , Steve says...

Banty wrote on 01 Mar 2008 in group
alt.home.repair:

In article , Steve
says...

I haven't had any luck with Nature's Miracle. I honestly think it
sells more on the hype than on its performance.

For cat urine on carpet, etc., there's no real option but to get rid
of the carpet, upholstery, etc. This from my experience having cats
all my life and consultation with a profesisonal restorer.

But if in this case most of the problem is on the concrete unfinished
basement floor, there is an option which works which is a
citrus-based cleaner.

I'll bow to your expertise with cats; we have dogs.

I gave both. Cat urine is quite a different thing from dog urine, believe me.


It's vital that the stuff be put on heavily. You have to completely
saturate the carpet, all the way through the pad to the subfloor. The
subfloor has to be wet, too. Then, it all has to *stay* wet long enough
for the enzymes to work. I usually pour it on full strength, then
massage it in. If it's hot and dry, I put on more later, or just add
water to keep it moist for a day or two.

I *did*. For a *week*. And this is one of the things that started getting me
suspicious about Nature's Miracle - someone says it didn't work?? Hey they
needed to have used MORE. That didn't work, EVEN MORE. REALLY SOAK IT. BUY
MORE.

"BUY" being the important factor ;-)

I think that it's so widely expected to work, plus the natural tendency of pet
owners to get inured of the smells of their pets, that makes people think it
works.


Our ultimate solution is to replace the carpet with hard floors.


See!!! It didn't work with you, either! Else what's with this "ultimate
solution". Heh.

Banty

Grandpa Chuck wrote:

If money is no object, try Litter Robot

http://www.litter-robot.com/


If you mean one of those electric self cleaning pans, we had three of
them. Our cats were more likely to relieve themselves next to them and
they panicked if the motor started while they were in them or next to
them. Eventually, we gave all three of the pans to Salvation Army
Store after we had given them a thorough cleaning and sanitizing.

No, not Litter Maid.

Litter Robot is way different. Looks like a front-loading clothes dryer,
stands about three foot tall, and costs over $300.

Whoever designed the thing certainly knew his cats and was some kind of
mechanical engineering whiz.