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Cat vent
I know this is nothing compared to what some others are going through with their pets, but I just needed to vent.
I started getting worried last week that my cat wasn't peeing. There was poop in her box, but no pee (and it didn't appear that she was peeing anywhere outside of her litter box either). We went to the vet on Saturday and $300 later the vet said she was probably just frustrated with the work being done in the basement, nearish to where her litter box is. She said to move her litter box to somewhere a little quieter - which we did. (She did run tests, and of course we'll deal with health issues as they come, but the vet was pretty sure it was more behavioral and not health-related)
Yesterday we were gone all day but before we left I checked and there was nothing in her litter box (in the new location). When we got home, I went to the basement to throw in some laundry and clearly smelled cat pee. We isolated it to one particular area, and tried to clean up everything around it (mind you, the whole basement is in complete disarray). At 10pm on a Sunday I couldn't run out to buy a carpet cleaner or anything, so I tried as many home remedies as possible (white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, etc). It made me so sad, but I moved her box back to where it used to be, threw her food and water down there, and added a few blankets, and shut the door. That's where she is going to have to stay until we can make sure the carpeted part is as clean as possible.
We realize we need to do a better job to not disrupt the area around her litter box, but it didn't seem to be a problem until a few days ago. She clearly doesn't like having her litter box moved so keeping it there would probably be the best bet.
I'll do whatever I need to do to get the odors out of the carpet, and to keep her from peeing there again. If anyone has any advice, please let me know!
Re: Cat vent
You're doing the right thing. It's hard, but if my cat/s were having bathroom issues, I would also set them up as best I could in an enclosed space until they were able to do their business right again. It's probably just stress. Keep an eye on your kitty like you have been, and make sure she isn't in any pain or discomfort.
I second pp about Nature's Miracle. They have a kind called No More Marking that works fantastically.
I don't have cats but I like the enzymatic cleaner from gotpee.net. It's much stronger than nature's miracle and it works very well.
I have also had great luck with Nature's Miracle.
If you kitty is stressed, you may want to consider Feliway spray or diffusers. They are synthetic cat pheromones that help calm your cat. In this case, I'd try the spray and spray it in the basement/areas that are in "disarray" as you say (not trying to be snarky).
These are cheapest on Amazon. The diffusers can take a month or so to kick in.
5 cats. 1 baby.
It's most likely the disruption that's causing kitty's problems but double check on her health. We had problems and I was at my wits end with the cat peeing outside the box and us smelling it having to spend a lot of time and energy getting the spot looking and smelling normal, only to have her pee again.
Turns out, she had urinary crystals--new diet + meds and she became her normal pee-in-the-box kitty self again. Just something to think about.
Our Share of the Harvest:How a couple cooks from a CSA share. Pick Up Day Week 15