Re: House Reeks of Cat Urine

[gordon thompson]

well that took about an hour to read all the threads im laughing my ass off you can t pay for that kind of intertainment.anyone that can t figure out that 200 cans belong in a garbage bag is going to leave the place worse than they found it anyway so it looks like you found the right place......thanks for the story

about the business > r u setting up a Barbecue Bob's

[Michelle in WA state]

When you say "adopted," do you mean she considers the cat his/her cat? Or is s/he just feeding the cat? If s/he considers the cat his/hers, s/he needs to get him neutered asap -- for the sake of ALL concerned, including the cat himself. And you and she *both* ought to be keeping your pet cats safely indoors. But assuming that advice falls on deaf ears...

If the neighbor isn't really taking responsibility for the cat beyond putting out food, then the best thing you can do is to find a "TNR" (Trap-Neuter-Return) feral cat group in your area. (Call regular cat rescue groups in your area and ask them who helps the public with feral cat TNR; they should be able to put you in touch.)

A TNR group should be able to loan you a humane trap and provide low-cost, or even free, neutering and vaccinations for the cat.

Give the poor volunteers who staff the phone for the TNR group a break, and be the one person who *doesn't* start off the conversation demanding that they "come get the cat and find it a home." (Everyone calling about feral cats demands that, as if there were homes for feral cats growing on trees. HELLO? In the US, we kill literally *millions* of tame, friendly pet cats every year because there aren't enough homes for *them* -- and people expect there to be plenty of homes available for *feral* cats? But feral cats want to live just as much as anyone else -- so the humane answer is TNR.)

One week (almost to the day) after he's neutered, his urine will stop smelling so strong... and as the hormones gradually work their way out of his system, the spraying behavior itself -- AND the urge to fight -- will diminish a great deal.

For the most part, that'll solve the spraying, smell, and fighting problems. Not to mention reducing the feral guy's odds of getting abscesses, and catching feline leukemia or FIV.

-- Michelle

Homelessness should NOT be a capital offense! The humane answer for feral cats is Trap-Neuter-Release Visit

and

Save a homeless Siamese! Photos & detailed info on kitties available to adopt:

[Michelle in WA state]

Try Oxi-Clean**; it works better on cat urine smell than anything else I've found... and I run a cat rescue, so I've had occasion to try a variety of things. It *will* leave a whitish residue, though -- you have to "rinse" after using it.

Does your landlord have animals confined indoors under these kinds of conditions?

If yes, then in conscience, s/he is almost certainly what is called a "hoarder" or "collector," and needs to be reported to the local Humane Society or SPCA for cruelty to animals.

Has s/he gotten the feral cats s/he is feeding spayed and neutered, or is s/he just feeding them and allowing them to breed?

If they aren't spayed and neutered, then s/he is what we in the cat rescue community call a "feeder" -- people who feed feral cats, which results in increased breeding, and actually INCREASES the overall amount of feline suffering in the situation. Sometimes, if they are put in contact with a TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) group that can help with loan of humane traps and low-cost or free spaying and neutering, these people will turn their behavior around and become responsible colony caretakers. Sometimes they're too mentally ill to be reasoned with.

If you call a few cat rescue groups in your area, someone will be able to tell you where the nearest group is that offers TNR support. I would provide your landlord with that information and also, if s/he has Internet access, suggest that s/he join this email group:

It is also possible to join the group by sending an email (doesn't have to say anything in particular) to:

feral [e-mail]

...which has the advantage of not requiring that you first "join" Yahoo!, but has the disadvantage of not giving you access to the group's website (the URL above) with its archived messages and "Files" and "Links" sections, which are absolute gold mines of terrific information.

-- Michelle

** You want the Oxi-Clean spelled with an "i" rather than the Oxy-Clean spelled with a "y"; believe it or not, there are two quite distinct products with the same name, just that slight difference in spelling. You can find the Oxi-Clean with an "i" in the laundry products area at Costco, most grocery stores, Target, etc.

Homelessness should NOT be a capital offense! The humane answer for feral cats is Trap-Neuter-Release Visit

and

Save a homeless Siamese! Photos & detailed info on kitties available to adopt:

[Michelle in WA state]

For RENTER'S insurance? Homeowners, sure. But hardly for renter's.

-- Michelle

Please, Don't Breed or Buy While Shelter Pets Die.

[Michelle in WA state]

It'll work somewhat. It was the best of the products I had found prior to discovering Oxi-Clean.

Oxi-Clean works a LOT better. (It's also a fraction of the cost... hardly a deciding factor, but always an added bonus.)

-- Michelle

Please, Don't Breed or Buy While Shelter Pets Die.

[Nan]

Yes, for RENTER'S insurance.

Nan

[Dave]

Smells Begon (I got mone at a Sears Hardware store) works well for removing the odor from the air, as well. They have a website, but I can't remember what it is (maybe Google it.)

Dave [e-mail]