.....(yes, I did cuss!)......has just cost me over $300 at the vet. OMG! Now I'm NOT the type to go spending a lot of money on my animals. They're healthy, they're happy, they eat dry food from wal-mart, they live outside, and they're great pets (Please, no bashing.) Unfortunately, my favorite cat, a long-haired beauty, got neglected a little too long outside as far as brushing goes. The groomer (who I can't be-LEEVE I actually consulted) ended up having to shave him. He got caught in some burrs or something. Matted wads of hair all over. No huge biggee, but I'm out $50...ya know, anesthesia and all. A few days later, he's squatting all OVER the house trying to pee or poo, one of the two, and, to make a long story short, he's blocked up with crystals in his urethra. Had to take him back to the vet to be catheterized adn kept over the weekend. Now he's on prescription meds and prescription FOOD! OMG, it's $13 blasted dollars for a FOUR-POUND BAG!!!!!!!!!!! If he doesn't eat this diet, he'll get blocked up again. And I just simply cannot possibly afford him if he's going to keep this up. Anyway, on to the point I was trying to make by posting on the home improvement board....since he's been back home, he's in the house, since he now is without the long hair he used to have, and he'll freeze outside. While he's recovering from his blockage and trying to heal, he's got a urinary frequency/urgency thing going on and peeing here and there in the house before making it to the litter box. And the house stinks. Like cat pee. I don't know what to do to get rid of the stink. Any advice? And thanks for listening to / reading the whole story.

Disgruntled and don't wanna have to get rid of my puddy cat, NW

If you catch the spots/know where they are, use white vinegar on them. Blot as much urine out of the carpet as you can, then pour some vinegar on a towel and blot the spots. It removes the scent of urine. We have 2 small dogs who were difficult to potty train. We have very little carpet in the house, but when they had potty accidents on the rug, this is what the vet recommended. It keeeps them from remarking or reusing the spot. You might try baking soda on the carpets, too. Hope this helps and your kitty gets better. Sounds like it's going to cost a fortune!
songwriter

Songwriter beat me to it. I just learned of white vinegar too.

First off, only $300 for a urinary obstruction?? At my hospital it's usually around $1200. That's crazy cheap.
Anyway, get more litter boxes around the house so when he has to go the box isn't far. Their bladders tend to "stretch" when they're blocked and it can take a little while to regain normal tone which makes him able to "hold" his urine and also gives him the feeling that he has to go. He may still be painful as well so give him some time. Clean all of the boxes daily (at least) to encourage him to use them. He may have to go frequently and in small amounts for a while so it's best to accomodate him at this point.

Also, your vet may or may not have told you this but it's very important to encourage him to drink. Get a few more water bowls and keep them around the house and change the water often. It may be a good idea to offer him some canned food from now on as well because that also increases water intake. Just make sure that it is the same food your vet prescribed. (is it royal canin s/o?)

As for the smell you can try Simple Green or a similar product to neutralize the odor.
Hope that helped and I hope he feels better soon.

Been there, done that...

If your cat lives a normal life and has eaten a diet of dry, Wal-mart or any other brand, non-prescription food, consider yourself lucky. Most cats don't tolerate this food all their lives because it is so full of ash, carbon and all kinds of other "fillers" and it ends up causing urinary blockages and other kidney problems.

The reason I know is because my cat (in kitty heaven now) had stopped using his litter box and started seeking out the bathtubs and sinks. I noticed trace amounts of blood in the urine and took him to the vet. Sure enough...blockages caused by cheap cat food. It was to be medicated foods for the remainder of his life. I was happy to do it, but it does put a hurtin' on the purse strings!!

People should write to the pet food companies and demand that the fillers and other yuckies be left out of pet foods...there is no need for it!!

Getting off soap box now...Hope your kitty is back to normal soon.
Turtlelove :o)

What is consider cheap food? I think I buy Purina, like the heathy flavor kind.
What is considered good/healthy food?

slick kitty

Thanks everyone, for your comments and suggestions. I do appreciate them. Wow, $1200 for a blockage at the vet?! I would not have been able to do that. No way, no how. Not possible on my budget. $300 might be super cheap compared to $1200, but anything is too much for me right now. Come spring/summer when I'm done with school and starting my career, might be different, but....

About the good/healthy food versus "cheap," I'd like to know the answers too. I've always used Purina, Ol' Roy, Nine Lives, just whatever is there that's not too expensive. The vet people acted like everything but this prescription stuff is out of the question from now on for my cat. It's c/d cat food by Hill's. Wonder if there's any other kind that would work, that's not so pricey? Ouch!

"cheap foods" are usually anything store brand, farm store kibble, things with lots of colors (meow mix, nibbles and bits) and the most evil of all evil cheap foods...Ol' Roy *shudder*

Some good medium grade foods are purina one/proplan (plain purina is still kind of low end), iams/eukanuba, science diet.

Some "high end" foods are innova and wellness, mostly things you may need to get at a specialty pet food store.

Honestly it's just like human food. You need to do a little research and know what you're feeding. There's no right or wrong answer but low end foods honestly aren't very nutritional/beneficial to a healthy pet. Medium grade foods are just fine if you don't want to go high-end.

Thanks for the information.

slick kitty

I'm right there with you. Our male just went through this and it cost 1200 plus perscription food $30/case (she said absolutly no more dry for him or it will come back) and she suggested a water fountain type water dish ($50) to encourage him to drink more water. All cheaper that another trip to the kitty hospital.

honestly c/d isn't too expensive as far as Rx foods go so I don't think there's anything cheaper you can try at this point. It takes my cat a month to go through a 4lb bag (measure his food so you're not wasting any, my 10.9lb cat gets 1/4 cup twice a day). Keep him on it as long as financially possible and then talk to your vet about what non-rx foods you may be able to try.

When this happened to ours just recently (in the hospital on Feb 8th to be exact) the vet did give us perscription canned but she said we could swich over to any canned after a while (but no more dry). Maybe check out the canned food - add water to it when you feed him. It will get more moisture into his system. One can is a few feedings so the cost might be comparable. We get 4 feedings out of a can and he doesn't even finish that most of the time. Apparently the key is to get them as much moisture in their system as possible.

Quote

she suggested a water fountain type water dish ($50)

$50?? We are in the habit of buying the little decorative rock garden fountains at Linen N Things. The last one we bought was $20. It sits on the bar right next to the sink and we add fresh water to it several times a day. The kitties like drinking running water and we never have to bend over to freshen up a water bowl.

Quote

About the good/healthy food versus "cheap," I'd like to know the answers too. I've always used Purina, Ol' Roy, Nine Lives, just whatever is there that's not too expensive. The vet people acted like everything but this prescription stuff is out of the question from now on for my cat. It's c/d cat food by Hill's. Wonder if there's any other kind that would work, that's not so pricey? Ouch!

Try shopping around online for this special food. I did a while back for my dog and while I couldn't get what I needed online (Hill's z/d--I guess they only sell it to vets) there were several Hills varieties available online.

I myself have gone back and forth with foods for all of my animals. The cats currently are enjoying Meow Mix Indoor Variety (I think that's what the brand is and they never go outside... unless they're sneaky and feel like scaring me). The dog is on Ol' Roy Lamb & Rice Skin Formula. Not the greatest but considering all the fancy kinds she was on since she was a puppy... and the fact that our last dog ate Ol Roy and lived to be 18 or 19 was enough for me to try it.

The white vinegar works really really well!!!!! I agree with the extra litter boxes too, you could use throwaway type of broiler pans to have several (but they don't clean up very well unless you stay right on top of it) and save a little money instead of buying several plastic litter boxes.

moonduck

Thanks for answering that...I was going to specify, but you cleared it up for us. My ver said "cheap" was anything you could pick up at the grocery store.

My cat was on CD (for urinary) and there is KD (for kidney) for the remainder of his life...we supplemented with canned CD which also helped and it does last a good while if capped and refrigerated.

You mentioned 2 cats? You may want to seperate them at feeding, especially if the healthy one is doing fine on the cheaper food, that way it isn't pigging out on the expensive food...I had 2 and the healthy one LOVED the CD food more than the cheap stuff and then decided that she was "too good" for the cheap stuff and wouldn't eat it anymore....hehehe...nickname-Garfield!!!

Good Luck,
Turtlelove :o)

Blot as much urine out of the carpet as you can, then pour some vinegar on a towel and blot the spots. It removes the scent of urine

We used ammonia in a carpet claener that we bought for the "puppy" spots but when it rains or is damp outside, it seems like the ammonia is all you can smell and to me, it smells worse than urine! Does the vinegar leave any kind of smell?

Blot as much urine out of the carpet as you can, then pour some vinegar on a towel and blot the spots. It removes the scent of urine

We have an old chihuahua that pee pees in one room of our house in one area and we try to block him from that room, but sometimes we have to have it open and he goes in there. Is there any chance the vinegar will break him from those spots?

Dawn

When the vinegar dries, there is no scent left. I use it for all kinds of cleaning and disinfecting including disinfecting my counters before rolling dough and wiping down cabinets that can only handle gentle cleaners. And you can't beat $2.00 a gallon for the price.

Florida Sunsets

That is a great idea I wish I would have thought of it a 2 weeks ago.

Ammonia is one of the "ingredients" in urine! Using it to clean the floors or animal spots only makes them mark it more. The vinegar leaves NO smell, and actually removes any trace of ammonia from the urine. If yu get ridd of the smell, he may stop marking up the same spots. Hope this helps!

BTW, there are chemical cleaners you can buy to remove puppy messes. They are expensive! Vinegar does a better job, in my opinion, of cleaning and preventing messes.
songwriter

Ammonia is one of the "ingredients" in urine! Using it to clean the floors or animal spots only makes them mark it more

I wish I could print this about 3 feet big and stick it on the wall for my know it all husband to read. Of course I'm dumb and don't know the first thing about anything, but he knows everything. I'm glad we dont use the living room often and I don't have to smell that awful smell. I will make him clean with vinegar and yes, there are ways of making him do that!!! (grinning evil-like and wondering how many times I'll have to say NO before he'll clean the carpets!!!!:) )

Dawn

To clean the areas....soak up as much of the mess as you can first with paper towels. You'll have to resoak the area with an odor neutralizer...one that will actually break up the urea crystals that form. If it's on carpet, you'll have to make sure you get all the way down through the carpet padding. And, if it's gone down to the subflooring...soak that too!

You can get a large bottle of neutralizer at most discount stores for about $6...but depending on how many spots you have to clean, you might need more than one bottle.
After treating the area, let it air dry. Then, get down there and take a whiff (gross, huh?!). If necessary re-treat.

Sounds like I know what I'm talking about huh? We had a cat who thought our house was her litter box. We still have areas that we are re-treating more than a year later. In winter when the air is dryer, the odor is gone, but once summer rolls around, the humidity brings it back.
Good luck...hope he's feeling better soon!

Pasta Mom

Oh no! On a related note - my furnace went out twice and both times the repair guy left the basement door closed when he left. Bothered me greatly as the cat's box is RIGHT NEXT TO THE FURNACE! The first time it was no problem. Second time they had no choice but to find a spot elsewhere. I had to throw away over $200 worth of stuffed animals that had been on my dd's floor. She won't even remember them (she's a dolly girl instead of stuffed animals), but I'm devastated. I couldn't be angry with them, tho'. Then one of them decided to show me her displeasure by pooping on my bed! While I was home! At least that cleans up easy. Then Sunday night and last night there were spots in dd's room again! Not sure why this time. Both cats are now locked in the basement and I'm frantically using the last of the vinegar and anything else I can find to get rid of the odor before the birthday party we are hosting this weekend! I may end up throwing away the rug, but it matches dd's bedding so perfectly! Oy!!

So anyway, my sympathies. Hope your cat is feeling better soon. I think my problem is behavioral (on the cats' part).

drexel girls

I can really sympathize with you because the same thing happened to my cat to the tune of $1300. It took a couple of months on the EXPENSIVE prescription cat food before he quit peeing everywhere. I guess that crystal-forming chemical had to clear out of his system. Now, he only pees on the floor in one of the bathrooms ( and on the back door, but that is a reaction to the neighbor's cat in our yard. Sigh.) It was so frustrating , I could have twisted his big biscuit head right off. I finally bought cheap, washable cotton throw rugs from Walmart and just put them in "his spot" . They're easy to wash when he soils them, which is now (finally!) only every few days. For cleaning up the messes in the rest of the house while he was sick, I had good results with Lysol on hard surfaces and Oxyclean on carpet. If you still smell cat pee after a thorough cleaning, there might be some around that you haven't found yet. Black light will illuminate it. Good luck!
JBanana

I feel your pain, but my cat's the same way. Those blockage issues are much more serious for the boys than they are for the girls. My cat is a female but we've been back and forth to the vet several times in the past few years to deal with it. We've dealt with antibiotics (Clavamox... yum...) and c/d food too. It's honestly not that pricey. What I hate about it is that the best place for me to get it is at our local Petsmart where it's $1.13 for a big can. The problem is that people are allowed (encouraged!) to bring their dogs, which I'm pretty afraid of. But I do it for my cat. :)

I'll echo what the other poster said about the water. VERY important to keep them hydrated! Mittens also tends to get crystals in her bladder when she's stressed, and God only knows what triggers that... But she's my best friend. :) You'll get some great karma for taking good care of your little one.

Quote

It keeeps them from remarking or reusing the spot.

Does this really work for cats too? That would be great, I'll pour it all over the cat's old room. I gave her her own bedroom, but she abused it, so now she is rarely allowed in that room again. I've used baking soda, Febreeze by the gallon, some nasty smelling pet odor powder and it still smells sometimes. Not all the time, just sometimes, weird.

Janet, Blooming Flowers (glad I read this thread, sorry others are having the same problem though, poor kitty)

Quote

and the most evil of all evil cheap foods...Ol' Roy *shudder*

I have never heard anything good about Ol' Roy. I read that their products are horribly made.

Janet, BF

Well, it definitely sounds like I should steer clear of Ol' Roy from now on. (Sorry, Baron!) That's my dog who's been eating it. He's never had any health problems, but maybe he will if I don't feed him better. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Quote

Does this really work for cats too? That would be great, I'll pour it all over the cat's old room.

I do not know if it works for cats as well as it does for dogs honestly as I thankfully have never had a cat pee problem... I get the surprise poos in the very corner of the basement, yay!

Someone mentioned that their animal has a "favorite room" as well... the first time I ever house-trained a dog, she had a favorite room. I poured vinegar all around the room, walking along the walls and then I also poured it across the floors. She never went potty in there again. Of course she avoided it like the plague for 2 years after that as well but I really didn't mind that ; )

moonduck

Quote

She never went potty in there again. Of course she avoided it like the plague for 2 years after that as well but I really didn't mind that ; )

That wouldn't bother me either. I have my computer in that room. She's one of those kitties that likes to chase the cursor. It's funny, but annoying when doing serious computer work (aka playing timed games,hee hee).

I think I'm going to try it. Worse case scenario, smell gone, cat still goes in there. Can't hurt.

Oh, and regarding the Ol' Roy post prior to this one. What I heard is the stuff they use to make the food isn't good. I don't think it's harmful to dogs, just the ones they use to make the food.

janet, BF

Quote

Oh, and regarding the Ol' Roy post prior to this one. What I heard is the stuff they use to make the food isn't good. I don't think it's harmful to dogs, just the ones they use to make the food.

They use dogs to make dog food? So our dogs are cannibals? Ewwwww!!!!

moonduck