Owning a pet and keeping a great smelling house (vet, urinate, bathroom)

[Bluefox]

Hi OP- is the cat actually spraying or just scattering the litter all over? If you haven't actually seen him spray it could be the culprit. My one cat was doing the latter and it sucked because not only was there litter everywhere I was constantly having to sweep up but it made the urine smell more pervasive. I didn't understand why there was a urine smell when I was constantly cleaning and changing the litter box.

I ended up getting one of those litter boxes they have to climb into- it has a mesh cover to it so he can kick the litter around to his little cat heart's desire but he isn't getting it everywhere and I don't have to constantly sweep it up. It totally solved my litter/odor woes and they have used it with zero problems. Pricier than your standard litter boxes but well worth it for me.

[Ella5]

I think you should train your cats to pee in the washroom!!Once they are trained you can easily keep your place clean!!

[Zeurich]

well male cats are smelly that is not exactly pee but yeah terrible. That smell wont go away. you ave two now I have 2 females and 2 males. All together 4. With male cats it is not pee, it comes from their skin. No idea why some times I go crazy but now I apply deodorant powder from vet. Smells better than some men uuh lala.... Great. But if the cat pee out side of litter box might be medical issue. Mine did few weeks ago. That is due to stress. Now she is doing well.

[no kudzu]

I've had 2 neutered 15 lb cats for 12 years and neither one smells. They don't spray either. They are strictly inside cats and we have no outside cats any where near us. I'm wondering if even neutered outside cats tend to spray inside to better mark their territory? It would be really hard to deal with a beloved spraying cat. I've seen Jackson Galaxy address this. usually another cat is around.

[oberon_1]

Originally Posted by aneye4detail

I dont know if people can pull this off, I know I can't. Especially because I have two cats, one male who I think loves to spray all over things. (or it could be pee, not sure). I try to keep up with the litter boxes and all, but then he goes in the bathroom and does stuff in there that makes it smell bad, and then it seems he does stuff on the carpet, but I can't see it, just can smell it. It makes me feel like a horrible housekeeper. Tell me it's just the conditions of having cats. ... Or should I step up my game somehow??

You're a horrible housekeeper! Shame on you!

Now seriously, you should see our house with 4 cats and the occasional guest dog. The cats (BTW, is your male neutered?) have a nasty habit of doing their business in hidden places, them covering it, only to be discoverd days later.
Here is an old story: years ago we had a beautiful male cat. I just purchased a new, expensive pair of leather shoes and headed to an important meeting with new clients. But on the way, I started smelling this persistent odor that followed me everywhere. Embarrassed, I couldn't pinpoint the source. Was it my bag, my suit, or? At some point I stated suspecting the odor originated from my body...in the meeting room I took a seat far from everybody else. Only in the afternoon I discoverd the source: my new leather shoes were well sprayed...

[aneye4detail]

Just in case not clear, and yes, I plan to take him to the vet when I get paid, but what is happening is my daughter puts her clothes down in her bathroom and that is where he marks. He is neutered, he does go outside, he is about 8 years old. I was just reading up on urine marking on the aspca website. It sounds common. Mostly in un-neutered cats though.

[aneye4detail]

Here he is in all his glory, my daughter's cat...I know cats don't make it obvious when they're sick, but he doesn't look sick to me.

[Sonic_Spork]

Thinking like a cat here...

A cat is interested in hiding his business. Cat knows people go in there to potty, can probably smell it sometimes. But can't ever find it because we flush it down, but doesn't understand the whole toilet concept. So, he figures his people, who are obviously magicians at hiding our own waste, must be onto something. He does the next best thing, goes in the room, finds something on the floor he can "dig" in, and gives it a go.

Mayyyybe?

So first get your daughter to quit leaving clothes on the floor (harder than it sounds, I know.) Put a hamper in there or something. Clean the heck out of the bathroom. Now I have a point of curiosity...if one used citrus scented cleaners, as citrus smells are typically offensive to cats, would that make him LESS inclined to go in there at all, or MORE inclined to pee in there to cover up the offending smell?

Hard to say...

Cats choose places to potty for reasons like this:

- To mark territory
- To make themselves feel safe
- They think it's a fine place to hide their business
- Litterbox avoidance due to medical issue or pain, or a problem with the litter, etc.

I also think your cat has some confusion due to going outside. After all...when he's out, every place is his litterbox. I believe it's easier for an indoor-only cat to know that the potty box is the only spot they should be "going."

This certainly is NOT a problem with all cats, or even all male cats. I've got one, he was neutered pretty young (around 3-5 months while in shelter) and he has never gone anywhere but his box.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by aneye4detail

Just in case not clear, and yes, I plan to take him to the vet when I get paid, but what is happening is my daughter puts her clothes down in her bathroom and that is where he marks.

If your daughter picks up her clothes up, he won't use them as a litter box.

Is there one spot that he seems to prefer? Put a litter box over top of it.

[no kudzu]

so does your daughter do her own laundry? how does she feel about wearing clothes the cat has peed on? Your daughter is the problem..not the cat.