Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with urine

My cat's pee is missing.

miagaille — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:56:11 -0800

My cat hasn't used her litter box in over two weeks. The house smells great. She has no way to get outside. Where is the pee going? Two weeks ago she stopped using her litter box and started pooping in the basement crawlspace. The whole house smelled awful. We naturally assumed she was peeing in the same place.

Yesterday I crawled in on my belly in a hazmat suit and picked up all the poop. I searched around for damp or stinky spots that would indicate urine, but found nothing. Today I went back in with a fairly high-powered UV flashlight, and again found nothing to indicate urine. I went all over the house with it and similarly found nothing. The smell also completely went away when I cleaned up the poop, and now the house smells fine.

The cat is a 2-year-old spayed female, indoor only. She's been eating and drinking normally and shows no sign of pain or distress that would suggest a urinary blockage.

So, WFT cat pee?? I'm pretty sure the cat's fine, I'm just completely mystified and weirded out.

Renting in New Zealand - Pets urine on carpet. Smells. Pet hair

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:13:10 -0800

I'm currently renting a flat unit in New Zealand which I will be moving out next month. My current rental agreement states that I do not need to have the carpet professionally cleaned before I move out. I have two cats in the house and the question was raised with the property agent before I moved in. They have agreed to let me have the pets in the house and on the rental agreement, it also states that they are okay with it. The property agent did an inspection of the house recently and they have asked for me to have the carpet clean by a professional carpet cleaner because they can smell cat urine. This was not raised previously in the previous few inspections. I suspect this could be due to the fact that I'm moving out for good. I do know that my cats have made a few accidents on the carpet which I have already tried my best in cleaning up the area. The smell does remain but it's not strong. the carpet is discoloured slightly as well. My questions are: Is it reasonable for the property agent to request for the carpet to be professionally cleaned? If I disagree, am I in any way in breach of the tenancy agreement? I am thinking that since the property agent allows us to keep pets in the house, wouldn't the cat 'accidents' be the normal wears and tears of having a property rented out?

Is there such a thing as a urine-resistant sofa?

Anonymous — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:13:22 -0800

Is there such a thing as a good looking, comfortable, urine-resistant sofa? One member of my household has bladder problems. The sofa in our living room -- a cloth-covered foam one from Ikea -- is gross. Whenever he has an accident we wash the cover and spray the foam part with enzyme cleaner, but there's only so much we can do to get it clean.I want to get a new sofa, but I know it's going to get peed on. What kind of sofa would put up the best fight?

I like plain, simple furniture: West Elm, DWR, that sort of mid-century thing. I'm in the US, near a big city with all the usual stores.

I'm not looking for advice about the person with the problem or how to clean up urine -- just sofa-buying advice, please. Specific sofa models from specific stores would be great.

This isn't going to help the trade-in value.

emjaybee — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 12:46:00 -0800

How do I get cat pee out of my car's upholstery? Took my male (neutered) cat to the vet today, stupidly put him on the seat in his carrier instead of the floor. He peed in terror right out the mesh back, and now my car stinks all to hell. I used the pet-smell-remover stuff we have for the carpets, but it's not doing it. Older cat-piss questions on AskMefi refer to things that can be laundered or soaked or repainted, but is there any way to get the smell out without replacing my seat's upholstery?

What is making my pee smell funny?

Anonymous — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:05:15 -0800

About a week ago my pee started smelling really strongly and really, really strange. I haven't eaten any asparagus and I don't have a UTI. The only recent change in my diet is that I gave up caffeine (but I was only drinking 5-6 cups a week before). What gives? I'm a 24-year-old female and otherwise completely healthy. I take vitamins and Citalopram, but I've been taking them for a couple of months so I don't think those would affect the smell of my urine at this point. This has never happened to me before, and I'm starting to get worried. What could this be a sign of?

Need advice on cat urination issue

MeetMegan — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:53:58 -0800

Cat behavior question: urinating outside (directly outside) the litterbox. Vet has ruled out any blood issues or urinary blockages. I have darling, dear, adorable Coal. He will be 2 at the end of this month. Over the last six weeks, he has taken to urinating directly outside of his litterbox. All. The. Time.

I took him to the vet four weeks ago, when I realized this was a problem that wasn't going to go away. She tested him for everything generally imaginable in a young cat, and he's come out with a clean bill of health. She has suggested a high-resolution ultrasound (an ultrasound she generally gives to elderly cats or those with known urinary issues, in addition to the ultrasound she took at her office) and I am considering that, as he may have very small crystals/blockages invisible on her ultrasound. Barring that, it seems as though this is a behavior problem.

He no longer urinates in his litterbox at all. He still defecates in his litterbox, as normal. He stands with his two front paws inside the litterbox, his two back paws outside, and urinating like that - directly outside the box. I have always fastidiously cleaned his litterbox, when I wake up, before I go to work, when I get home from work, and before I go to bed. "Stale box" should not be a problem. He has, luckily and thank my stars, not ever urinated anywhere aside from the master bathroom floor.

I have four litterboxes in my house. Three are in the master bath, which is where his original one litterbox always was. There are now two litterboxes near where he often urinates, and those boxes have his old litter (World's Best). There is also a third litter box, about three feet away, with a new litter (Arm & Hammer Naturals - it was the texture that seemed most different from World's Best). There is a fourth litterbox in a guest bathroom with the old litter brand in it - that remains untouched in the last four weeks (by urine or feces). The other three boxes in the master bath have all been blessed by his feces, but not by his urine (in the last four weeks, at least). Is there another litter I should try? Does Cat Attract really work?

About three weeks ago, I had the genius streak and got some of those puppy training pads, and placed them all around the bathroom. He now urinates on those, which has been handy in showing me exactly where he goes when I am gone at work. They are still a bear to clean up though (they drip and aren't always watertight!).

I have cleaned up any urine outside a box by first wiping up any excess with a paper towel, then using Lysol or Clorox to sanitize the area, and then spraying with Nature's Miracle Advanced for Cats and allowing that to dry. Is there another technique I should be using to clean up his little mistakes?

I have tried using aluminum foil where I don't want him to urinate - that doesn't work since he sees it as a game and tears off large pieces of foil to chase around my house. I've tried picking him up and putting him inside his litterbox when I see him urinating outside, and that doesn't work; he just stops mid-stream and walks away, only to come back later and finish the job - outside the box.

One might think that I am somehow torturing him and he's acting out to get back at me. Alas, no. He lives an amazing life - he does not like other cats (he is very violent with them), so he does not have a kitty compatriot at home, and that is not plausible (the vet has recommended strongly against it). He gets plenty of cuddle time, and at least 45 minutes of one-on-one play time with me a day, either with a laser pointer, feather toy, ball chase, or other technique. He is indoor-only, and has been since he was rescued off the streets at six weeks of age by the Anti-Cruelty Society. I adopted him at twelve weeks. He's only ever known me as a companion. On the off chance I do have to travel out of town, my mom comes to my house and stays with him – the entire time I am gone. He’s never been left alone more than 12-14 hours at a time.

Other circumstances: We moved into this condo over a year ago. At the time, I was prepared for the worst, but he had no issues adapting and instead embraced his new, active life inside a bigger home and with terrific views outside. He spends much of his "alone" time looking out my windows and chasing after errant flowers, birds, and insects he sees outside. He has never had issues adapting to new people in my life, and I have had no new people in my life recently. He is the life of the party when I have them, but again, I haven't had one in the last three months.

I am sorry for the long post – I’m trying to provide as much information as possible! I love him more than anything, and if I have to keep cleaning up puppy training pads for the rest of my life, I will do so. I just think there has to be a better way. So, I turn to you for advice. Please help!

I just want him back.

notquitemaryann — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:35:17 -0800

Oh joy, it's another cat piss question! Sort of. Please share your experiences with cat perineal urethrostomy (PU) surgery, or other advanced treatments for urinary blockages. I'm probably going to make a decision in the next few days about whether to have this performed on my 13-year-old boy, and really need to hear about costs, complications, and how your cat is doing now. I even answered this question, which has some of what I'm looking for, but please hit me with anything else you have.

Background, if you want it:

My cat has been on a prescription diet of Royal Canin Urinary SO (dry) for the past 3-4 years, ever since an apparent bladder infection that cleared up with antibiotics. I eventually stopped giving him most treats/scraps, and the condition seemed to be under control.

And then there was a period a couple of months ago where I could, quite literally, barely afford to feed myself, much less him. So I was living off eggs, he was living off $4 Meow Mix or whatever*, and things seemed fine. As soon as I had the money, I went and bought him a big bag of his prescription food. Over my birthday at the beginning of May, I went to stay with my parents for a few days, took him along, and he received a fair number of table scraps.* A day after I brought him home, he very quickly became very sick- straining to pee, vomiting from the straining, bloody urine, extreme lethargy, and trembling from pain. I rushed him to the vet where they cathed him, put him on pain meds, an antibiotic, and a smooth muscle dilator. Labs were still good, and vet didn't believe he was suffering from kidney disease. He passed several bladder stones while at the vet's, stayed three days, and came home peeing fine. All was well for about two weeks.

Then I discovered him straining and grunting again. After he vomited once, he stopped eating. No blood in the urine, no lethargy, just pain and inability to pee. Went back to the vet's yesterday for another catheter, which they removed this morning. There was a big "sandy" plug of mucus and crystals blocking him, which they got out. But he still hasn't peed on his own, so he's spending another night. The vet will be calling me tomorrow morning. I get the feeling that because she knows I'm not well-off, she's not pushing the idea of surgery, but instead would prescribe some combination of ongoing medication.

While I was in the waiting room yesterday, a woman tried to "comfort" me by describing how her cat had the surgery for $3000. I'm willing to travel if there's a chance of getting it done for less. This is an animal that is otherwise very healthy- good bloodwork, good teeth, a little arthritis in the hips that showed up on his x-rays, but doesn't prevent him from jumping, and he is happy and friendly and playful. His quality of life, when this condition is managed, is great. So even though the expense is likely to hurt me pretty badly, it seems worth it to both of us. What can you tell me?

*Correct: on top of everything, I fully blame myself for possibly killing my cat.

Getting kitty pee out of a dog bed

k8t — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:20:02 -0800

Cat Pee question - this time preventative and on a dog bed Our cat(s) are/were peeing on our dog's bed. I bought a UV light for cat pee detection and didn't see any on the cover, but then I took out the insert pad and it was soaked. I haven't ever seen them pee on it, which makes me believe that they do it when we are out of town.

We humans and dog really like the dog bed. He likes sleeping on it and we like how it keeps him off the rug and keeps our rug dog hair free for a day or so.

I machine-washed the insert (not recommended, but I figured that it'd be worth a shot) and cover. I'll inspect them with the UV light but I don't have high hopes, especially for the insert, I ordered another insert ($50!). Is the cover beyond repair too?

My questions:

First, our dog has been sick with intestinal problems for the last few months. Could the pee-soaked bed be related to that?

And second, any recommendations for preventing the kitties from peeing on the new one (we do Feliaway and IckyPoo and all that stuff) and/or avoiding the pee from setting into the new dog bed? (maybe could we put some of those absorbent pads in between the cover and the insert?)

Why did I wet the bed?

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:01:18 -0800

I wet the bed last night. Tell me if I have anything to worry about and how to get rid of the smell. I slept longer than usual last night, by about 4 hours. I was in the middle of an extended dream when I began urinating in the dream. I woke up a few seconds later to find that I was urinating on myself in the bed. I went to the bathroom to clean up. When I came back, I found that the sheet, mattress pad, and mattress had all been soaked through.

I am a healthy (AFAIK) 22 year old female who never had this problem as a kid. To make things worse, I share a bed with my SO. He was gone by the time this happened, but I'm still embarrassed by the thought that he might find out this happened. How do I make the smell go away from the mattress? We'll be buying a new one in a few weeks, but I need a solution until then. And why did I do this? I'm usually woken up by my full bladder, and it makes me nervous (I read the Babysitter's Club books as a kid, so I remember the bit about Stacey wetting the bed leading to her finding out about diabetes).

I also don't have health insurance. Throwaway email at disgusted22 at gmail dot com.

Zuzu + pee pee = Grrrrrrr

mudpuppie — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:44:46 -0800

Kitten uses her litterbox just fine. She uses the couch and the bed equally well. What to do? We got a couple of little furballs this weekend. They stay in my office for most of the day so we can slowly introduce them to my 14-year-old grouch of a tabby. At night, I've been letting them run around (supervised) in the living room or bedroom so's they can stretch their little legs.

Each time now, little Zuzu has peed on the couch or the bed.

She knows to use the litterbox when she's in the office. After the first time she peed on the bed, I've watched her very carefully. When she jumps on the bed or the couch, I immediately put her into the litterbox. This worked once -- she peed, yay. Other times, she squats but doesn't pee. Then, two minutes later, she manages to pee on the couch/bed before I can get to her. I grab her as soon as I can and put her in the box, but this usually means that she ends up peeing on me.

Other than putting her in the litterbox and scratching her paw in it, I'm not really sure what to do. I could keep her out of the living room or bedroom, obviously, but I'd rather solve the problem sooner rather than later.

Stats: She's 14 - 16 weeks old and was fixed last week. Her littermate is an angel and shows no problems, so I suspect they were taught well enough initially.

Any ideas?

How does one clean cat urine off a stuffed animal?

cyborgirl — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:27:59 -0800

How does one clean cat urine off a stuffed animal? You can't throw them in the washing machine because the interior would never dry, but a simple washing with a damp cloth like the label recommends will never get rid of the smell. One of our house cats has taken an abnormal liking to one of our son's stuffed animals, very obviously humping it. Possibly as a result of his fondness for the stuffed animal, the cat just urinated on it.

What makes pee foamy?

hootch — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:49:30 -0800

What makes pee foamy? It has to be more than just liquid-on-liquid action. I'm guessing viscosity will be mentioned in the answer.

How to un-stinkify my carpet?

Sufi — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:57:29 -0800

I just steam cleaned the carpet of my new apartment and now the place smells horrible. Possibly caused by cat urine. I recently moved into an apartment with a carpeted bathroom. My husband complained of a cat odor from day one, I was only able to (vaguely) smell something in the bathroom. Yesterday I steam cleaned the bathroom using our Rug Doctor and after an evening with open windows and two fans, the entire upstairs now reeks. I pulled up a corner of the carpet next to the bathtub and noticed a few things: the carpet/padding was laid over vinyl tile and there appears to be mold on both tile and carpet.

At this point my main concern is the smell. Is there anything I could spray onto the carpet or use in the steam cleaner to completely remove the odor? I heard vinegar works very well, as well as a dishsoap/hydrogen peroxide/baking soda mixture.. could these things be safely used on carpet? I've looked into Natures Miracle but the bathroom is large and that could get pretty expensive to cover the entire room.. got any cheaper ideas?

Pissing Puking Furball I Love So Very Much

Ambrosia Voyeur — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:00:05 -0800

My cat is being a neurotic asshole, spewing noxious fluids. Please help. Okay so I get home today from five days out of town and find that my cat (I have two, but I am confident it is just my Stripey Guy, 6 y/o) has pissed on ALL my living room furniture. Two easy chairs and a couch. Also some pretty copious vomit on the floor. No hairballs, just a bellyful of vomit.

This is clearly behavioral, and I need training tips.

He has peed inappropriately before, but usually only if his litter was left too dirty, and then in whatever soft pile of fabric he can find. Once he peed on my friend's feet as they slept in a sleeping bag.

I think presently he's freaking out because we have a housemate now, who, I take it, just took off to stay with his mom rather than clean up after this in our absence. I don't know how much their relationship is an issue, but suffice it to say, he keeps his bedroom door closed because his laundry is, historically, pee target #1, and he doesn't really like cats. I think the neurotic cat knows and is hurt by this. Hey, we all overanalyze our cats.

So, we take off, housemate stays, and Stripey Guy goes on a pissy party. He never freaked out pissing in our absence before, when we didn't have a housemate.

- How can we ensure this doesn't happen again?
- Is the vomiting also behavioral?
- Can/Should we shut him in our bedroom? Is that too little space for a 13 lb cat for several days? We might be able to blockade him in our bedroom suite which includes the laundry room where he usually eats and a small bathroom.
- Do we need to arrange a pet sitter to change his litter and/or give him attention while we're away? (He's very timid.) Would that be helpful for the whole-house scenario, or just for the restricted-range plan?
- Do we need to try to make my housemate and cat friendlier? That sounds embarrassing.
- Are there "fuck off, cat" sprays that work for furniture?
- What DO I DO?

How do I stop freaking out about urination?

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:27:01 -0800

How do I deal with urine-related anxiety? It's intruding more and more in my life and I don't know what I can do to fix it. Over the course of college, I had two incidents in which I wet myself. In one, alcohol was involved...in the other, a boy I had just met and had kind of a crush on was involved (not a witness, thank god, but I put off peeing because I was embarrassed to excuse myself...dorky I know). I also had a couple of close calls that required public urination...not easy when you're a girl. So, being anxious about my ability to control my urine is not unwarranted.

Since graduating (2 years ago) I have a huge amount of anxiety associated with whether I will be able to get to a bathroom. I work in an office and go to a large number of hour-long (or longer) meetings and find that in general by about 45 minutes in, I'm squirming with urgency. I never have to pee that much, but I just have a feeling that I'm not going to be able to make it to the restroom before I let loose. This just keeps getting worse, to the point where I've had to excuse myself by saying I wasn't feeling well. Needless to say this is unusual behavior and as one of a small number of women in my workplace I worry that my frequent trips to the restroom are attracting scrutiny. This is probably just paranoia, but it sucks anyway. Today I was watching a presentation by the CEO and had a minor panic attack about feeling like I had to pee, although I'd just gone half an hour before. We're talking racing heart rate, sweating, trouble breathing...basically all around unhealthy stuff. It was scary.

This is really getting in the way of my life. I know I need to talk to my doctor about it, but I think it's a mind over matter thing and I mostly need some coping strategies. Has anyone else experienced this and figured out a way to make it stop, or at least make it better? I'm not interested in taking anxiety medications - in general I'm not a person that needs them, I'm just freaky about the idea of peeing my pants and it gets the best of me sometimes.

Territorial cat wins pissing contest. How do I exit gracefully?

loquat — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:24:40 -0800

How should I go about approaching my landlord about breaking my loosely adhered to lease for a living situation that is no longer agreeable? Rental drama ensues.. Forgive me for being overly verbose. I've slept two hours in the past two days and am exhausted & upset.

I rent an apartment within the landlady's home and share a bathroom with another tenant who rents a single room located on the same floor. I have my own bedroom, kitchen and living room.

I was out of town ten days for Thanksgiving and when I got home, entered my apartment and got ready for bed, I noticed a peculiar and unpleasant odor. I investigated with my nose and found that my bed cover, blanket, sheets, pillow and foam mattress pad were soaked with urine. I was completely irritated and assumed it was the dog that lived here since the entire area of the bed was stained. I spent all night cleaning my bedroom, and had to remove all my bedding for laundering.

I really like the dog so I was not upset with her, just irritated about the situation. Apparently, while I was gone, my apartment had been accessed by the landlord (twice that I know of) for legitimate reasons, though not entirely the kosher way to enter a tenant's apartment. One was to fix the slow dripping faucet (no advance notice given, I didn't even know she knew about it) and then to remove the portable heater from my bedroom (again, no notice of entry and certainly no exigent circumstances).

In the large scheme of things I don't mind her entering my apartment, but essentially, my door being opened and likely left open so the cat could get in and piss all over my bed and my chair has caused me significant headache and cost me about $300 in damages.

Okay. Fine. Cats are animals, and I also like the cat. The person living on the same floor as me is the owner of the cat. I know exactly why the cat pissed on my stuff -- I moved in with my cat and while I kept him inside my apartment to slowly introduce them, there are some obvious territorial issues. I took my cat to my parents house while I was out of town but naturally the other cat was interested in getting in to my apartment.

I told the Landlord what happened and I didn't want to make a big deal of it since I own a cat and would be horrified if my cat had done the same thing. I had told the cat's owner in passing earlier that morning that my bedding had been peed on, the dog being the culprit. (Sorry dear heart, I didn't mean to blame you!) I spent 6 hours after I got home from work today laundering my bedding. My chair and my mattress pad are hopeless since they are made of foam and can't be cleaned. I was resigned to this fact and spent the evening mentally calculating where in my budget I could accommodate the replacement of my things.

I was very good about making sure my apartment door was shut all day and the only time I let the cat in after the incident was when I was saying hi to my housemate who was standing in the hallway with his cat. He asked if I wanted his cat out of my apartment. Since I was there to observe/supervise the cat I told him it was a good idea for the cat to leave it's scent in my apartment for when my cat returned so they could become aware of each other's presence. I read that was the way to do it somewhere, but it seems to have created a turf war.

After about 15 seconds of the cat rubbing her head on various surfaces and peeping into an open closet door (always in my sight) she left and I closed the door. That was the only time to my knowledge the cat was in my apartment today. With getting the laundry finally done and put away, I crawled into bed only to discover a huge wet spot of urine on my wool duvet! This being the only warm blanket I have in a house that currently does not have heat.

This was it. I just lost my nut. I started to cry out of frustration, irritation, anger and at what felt like futility. I did every thing I could to ensure that my personal property was protected from further damage and now I have possibly ruined a duvet that can only be dry-cleaned (does that even remove urine?) and my mattress. Needless to say, I'm concerned about the cat continuing to gain access to my apartment and potentially ruining more furniture. I just moved my new couch in today.

This situation is the culmination of a handful of mildly questionable things that have arisen since my tenancy here. First was when I was moving stuff in (lease signed, rent paid, etc.) I came by one day to find a sleeping bag and an open suitcase laid out in my living room. There was somebody squatting there. I was kind of surprised but again, didn't make a big deal of it. When I came back the next day to move more stuff in, the person's stuff was still there. The landlord was letting someone stay in my apartment.

There have been multiple instances of the landlady entering my apartment without my knowledge and it's always been obvious by things put in, taken out, etc. While I appreciate her efforts, I don't feel like I have any privacy. The landlord is really lovely and I am glad to know her, but I just don't see how I can live here without feeling hostage to a territorial cat and helpless to prevent the destruction of more of my property. Tonight was the final straw. I'm not confident that my things are going to be safe and really, at this rate I cannot afford to live here (at the rate I'm having to replace things).

Is it reasonable for me to expect that this situation is one where it would be appropriate for me to move out without losing my deposit/security? I'm three months rent into a six month lease and I've no intention of risking any more of my stuff. I keep my door shut at all times. That should be enough. I shouldn't have to wonder who's been in my apartment and what for, I don't think anybody should be opening my door and leaving it that way so the cat can get in, and I'm just wondering how much of the financial responsibility I should bear to replace my damaged things. I just want out of here.

I like my landlord and was really excited to have found this place but it's turning out not so good.

Advice? Sympathy? Reason? How should I deal?

Is there anything wrong with a butch bitch... and other peepee questions

taz — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:25:19 -0800

My girl lifts her leg to pee sometimes, she also "marks". Does we haz a problem? My inclination is "no" ... but my vet seems unsettled about it. We've had our wonderful, adorable rescue dog for six months (age unknown, but definitely fully adult between 2-5 years old). After she had been with us for about three or four months, instead of just peeing once in a big stream per walk, she seems to have started "marking"... she sniffs out where other dogs in the neighborhood have peed and pees over that, usually two or three times during a walk.

In the past month or so, she has also started to occasionally lift her leg to pee on a tree, tire or other vertical object where another (presumably male) dog has peed.

I'm not inclined to be worried about that... yet, she does at this point have a urinary tract infection, which is being treated. My questions are these:

How unusual is it for a female dog to mark and lift her leg to pee? I mean, should I always worry that this behavior might mean that she has a urinary tract disturbance of some kind, or is it possible that she has this non-typical (for other female dogs) peeing behavior, plus a urinary tract infection right now, but these two things aren't necessarily related?

Can it be that "saving" her urine for marking is what is causing the infection? In other words, she doesn't fully empty her bladder because she is rationing it out along the walk, and maybe by the end of the walk she hasn't expelled it all?

My Vet seems worried by the marking and lifting-leg thing, but I'm not convinced that it's a big deal. I will watch to see if any of that behavior changes after she gets a complete clean bill of health after the antibiotics and special diet to cure the UTI, but I think she's just become more dominant, and is displaying more of her real personality now that she's all settled and feeling secure. I see it also in her interactions with other dogs; she is much more confident and assertive.

One thing to note is that I don't live in the U.S., and vets here tend to be bit more old fashioned about things, which may or may not be relevant.

about the UTI: I don't know why. She has fresh water in two clean bowls, refreshed daily; we have at least two walks a day, but beyond that she always has access to an outside area where she knows she can pee or poo if she needs to. She has a great home-cooked, fresh food diet. She's totally healthy, happy, energetic and beautiful - even now, when we know she has an infection. The only thing that made me realize that she needed to be checked was that she peed inside one day, right in front of me, which was totally out of character - and since there had been no upset, disturbance or unusual activity in the house or our schedule, I figured she might have a UTI, and I was right.

Help stop my dog's pee colonization on my carpet.

anarchivist — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:26:13 -0800

I've read related posts on AskMeFi several times, as I've dealt with this before. I know there's something I'm missing. My dog pees in the house, albeit infrequently...except when she's peed in the house recently. I clean up the spots using Nature's Miracle (now Petastic). I do things to discourage her from peeing again near that area (blocking it off, putting her food nearby, etc.). She pees again in close proximity, but not at exactly the same spot. So, what do I do? For what it's worth, she does this most often either when I'm sleeping or while I'm not at home. I've thought about doing the following: steam cleaning my carpets, getting a baby gate to keep her in the foyer while I'm not home. I'm also in a rented apartment, which precludes me from tearing up the carpet and padding.

Help me get my Jack Russell to quit peeing on everything.

veronicacorningstone — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:52:22 -0800

How do I get my 4 year old Jack Rusell to stop peeing on things? He IS potty trained, and neutered, but still seems to be "marking" furniture and corners all over my apartment, and I NEVER catch him in the act. I've heard this is an issue that is more common in Jack Russells. Is there anything I can do to deter this so he won't pee on my new couch? A few more details:

- He was not well potty trained when I got him, but he definitely knows to tell me whenever he wants/needs to go out.

- He also was not neutered until I got him, which was when he was 18 months old. Ideally he would have been neutered sooner.

- This seems to happen even after hes been out to relieve himself plenty of times

- This mostly occurs on corners of furniture that have been around oher dogs, or in places that other dogs have lived.

- I literally have only caught him in the act of doing this once & often don't notice it's even happened right away.

How can I train him / deter this behavior? He is a smart dog and I've been able to train him quite a few things given the fact that I am a novice at best in dog training. I have a new couch and the thought of him marking this too... Ugh!

*Bonus Points if you can just send Ceasar Milan (the Dog Whisperer) directly to my place. Otherwise, any suggestions are welcome, especially if you've cured this in a Jack Russell, because they certainly are a unique breed.

Is cat pee a capital offense?

jay dee bee — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:49:54 -0800

Very Bad Cat: I need advice on what to do about a cat that is chronically peeing inappropriately in the house. We have ruled out medical issues (diabetes, UTI, etc) and believe it's behavioral. We have tried all the usually recommended solutions (keeping the litter box pristine, Feliway, Rx food for urine crystals, etc). What are our options? (Probably too much detail inside.) The details are: 2 adult male neutered indoor cats, 2 adults, one rowhouse. The cats don't love each other but have lived together for 3 years so this is not a new arrangement. Cat #2, the chronic pisser, is a rescue, and is very overweight despite being on a diet for years now. He will pee on ANYTHING fabric-like that is placed on the floor, so we have no rugs, mats, or anything throughout our house. He has also peed on the couches, and one bed. And my favorite gray purse. And a gym bag, his carboard box scratchpads, misc cardboard boxes, etc. No surface seems to be safe, but we do genuinely try to avoid his trigger areas.

Vet testing ruled out medical reasons, so we believe this is behavioral. We give the cat plenty of attention, and really can't alter our life any more. For example, it probably stresses the cat out a bit when he has a sitter or when we have out of town guests, but I can't just never leave town or never have people over!

The cat, while usually a sweetie, is, sad to say, extraordinarily dumb. He doesn't seem to have any idea when he is caught in the act that he is doing anything wrong. I think he probably had a crappy life on the streets as a younger kitty and just didn't learn how to be a good pet cat. However, my husband truly loves this cat and feels horrible about the situation we're in.

So -- what are my choices? I personally have had enough and am ready to get rid of the cat. Please don't hate me for saying this, but I would prefer to euthanize the cat rather than give it up and just hope for a better outcome with a different family. I believe the cat is beyond help. Maybe I'm just so fed up I'm thinking irrationally.

Husband loves this cat dearly and is having a harder time with what to do. One thing we can agree on is that we can no longer live like this. I personally, in good conscience, cannot give this cat away to another family to let it ruin their home too, or let him squander in a shelter, sad and lonely. I think we need to end the misery for everyone and put the cat to sleep. I feel we have exhausted our options. Again, I may just be too fed up to think straight, but this has been a problem for 2 yrs.

I do not want to sink a bunch more money into testing/vet care/Feliway/new furniture. I am tired of this money pit in my life. I have spent hundreds if not in the thousands by now, and nothing is better, cat pee is still ruining my home.

Will a humane society shelter euthanize a pet for something like this? Will a veterinarian? Am I a horrible person for wanting to do this? How can I get my husband to agree this is a good solution?

Thank you in advance for your advice. I am at my wit's end and need some perspective from people outside of the situation.

Weeing and cycling - what up?

mooza — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:21:23 -0800

What happens when marathon cyclists need to urinate during a race? Multi-part question follows. Watching the men's marathon race in Beijing yesterday and knowing very little about the sport, I saw a bunch of male cyclists stop for a wizz on the side of the road at one point. Google also tells me that cyclists may also just wet themselves while riding, which is not fun for the people riding behind them. A friend told me that good riders know how to pee without getting their bike wet, which is apparently a bad thing to do (wetting the bike that is). My questions are:

1. Is it more common for riders to stop for a wee or just do it on the fly?
2. Where does weeing on the fly sit in the realm of okay-ness? What are the rules of etiquette in a marathon race situation?
3. If some riders stop but others wet themselves, how is this fair in the race?
4. When a bunch of riders do stop for it, how to they maintain their racing order? How do they all decide they're going to do it?
5. This is the most important question: what happens for female riders? How would they be able to stop and go on the roadside? How would they wet themselves while riding without getting the bike funky?
6. What sort of damage, if any, is done to a urine soaked bike?

Avoiding eviction after minor dog incident?

Hollow — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:33:38 -0800

ApartmentFilter: My friend's dog got our of her NYC apartment today, and a neighbor overreacted. Now the neighbor is trying to get her evicted from the building (her lease goes all the way til February). Should she be worried? Can she fight back? My friend has two formerly abused dogs that she adopted to save them from being put down. Today one of them managed to work all three of her locks and get out into the hall. A neighbor's kid was out in the hall, and the dog bounded up to the kid happily, playfully, excitedly, as dogs are wont to do. The neighbor kid freaked, and the neighbor came out. By the time my friend got out there, her dog had peed the neighbor's floor, which my friend knows that he only does after being hit. The argument got heated, and the neighbor called the police. When the cops arrived they were very nice and did not press any charges, telling my friend to just be more careful. Nonetheless, the angry neighbor is pressuring the building manager to cancel my friend's 12 month lease and kick her out.

My friend's building allows dogs, and her dogs would never hurt a fly. Still, her neighbor is claiming the dog attacked the kid, and between the dog getting loose and peeing the floor, she is worried that management might find cause for canceling her lease.

Any advice for her?

Why are the UC Berkeley treesitters protesters "declining to yield their urine?"

andythebean — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:15:27 -0800

"protesters declined to yield their urine" WHY? I don't get it. Can any one fill me in on why they're holding on to it? If they were going for standing strong and not taking help from UC while protesting UC policies, they failed. They're taking water and supplies. So what's the logic here?

Why does it burn when I pee

tehloki — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:19:20 -0800

I love spicy food, and I seem to suffer no ill digestive-tract-related effects from it. However, it seems that it causes my urine to be.. spicy. Not excruciating, like touching your genitals after handling hot peppers, but quite unpleasant. Is this common? Is it something I should see a doctor for? Before you ask, no, I don't have an STD; I get tested at my annual physical and this burning seems to only be only associated with eating spicy foods. Also, it has persisted through long periods of sexual inactivity. Everything else down there seems to be in working order; I'm worried it might be some weird kidney thing, as my kidneys were damaged in the past.

Stop the pee!

cgs — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:01:25 -0800

How do I get my cat to stop pissing all over my apartment? Some details:
- He is a 14 year old male. I adopted him when he was 3. He's been scent-marking (pissing) for the past year.
- We've gone to the vet and everything is ok (no crystals, no UTI, blood + urine fine). Vet says "he's getting older and things like this happen".
- I've tried Feliway spray and diffuser: no affect.
- He is scent marking... he still uses the litter box for main urination.
- I have a second cat, but she has been in the house for 8 years and this is new behavior over the last year. As he has escalated, I have shown him more affection in case he is competing with her: no affect.
- I have gotten the advice to separate the cats and give them their own litter boxes: my apartment is not amenable to this (it is a floorthrough w/ no doors... only door is on the bathroom).
- He pees on anything new or that I leave out: my blackberry, wallet, laundry. He has peed on me, while curling up in my lap.
- Sometimes it is the very deliberate tail-curling, hunched back posture w/ a 10-inch stripe of urine on the floor, sometimes it is just a few random drops where he is lying.
- He does it in jags... like nothing for awhile, and then over an hour just walks around does it every seven feet or so.
- My apt has begun to stink despite my best efforts to keep on top of it. The instructions online are to not clean up the urine w/ any strong smelling soap, since this will make him pee more.
- As it is now, I'm not comfortable having guests over. My furniture basically reeks, and I'm approaching my wits end. Each time I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of him scraping over his latest spray, I fantasize of him catching a terminal illness, and feel evil.

Ugh... tell me what to do, AskMeFi.