Conference misery::feline_v1

    Instead of feeling frustrated with Luther, why not try paying attention
    to his needs.  If a cat is shut in a room with no litterbox it will do
    it's business wherever it can.  Cats are very fastidious creatures.  If I
    don't keep the litterboxes scooped out daily, Kelsey will urinate in
    his cat bed.  I have added an extra box to help with this.
    
    Also, most cats do not enjoy being bounced from one home to the next. 
    It can be confusing.  Maybe he is trying to make a statement at your
    parent's house by defecating outside the box.  He might actually think
    you are abandoning him every time you leave him there.
    
    I'm sure your roommate's cat has left her scent behind and Luther is
    marking to try to remove it from the house.  Once the urine smell is
    set into the carpets (and beneath) it is very difficult to eliminate. 
    You can try scrubbing it with a product such as Natures Miracle or No
    Stain Carpet Stain Remover and see if that will help reduce the odor. 
    Two years ago, I had a cat that marked on two spots in the carpet and
    despite all the scrubbing and cleaning, you can still smell a slight
    urine odor.  I have put large objects over the spots (ceramic cats or
    plants) to discourage the cats from finding them and marking.
    
    Try not to become too frustrated with Luther.  If he was a problem free
    cat once, chances are he will be one again.
    

    In order:
    
    Have Luther checked out by his vet.  Indiscriminate urinating, etc. is
    often a sign of an infection.
    
    Having said that, i'll add that I think that's probably not what's
    happening here -- cats are attracted to cat urine smells and will tend
    to go in those places.  Also Luther has picked up the habit over time.
    There are enzyme-based products available at pet stores called Nature's
    Miracle, etc. that remove the smell (they can take a week or two to 
    dry in an area like a carpet).  What you have to do is remove the smell
    and then retrain Luther.  I suspect that you may need to resort to a
    professional carpet cleaning service specifically aimed at deodorizing
    your carpet, rather than Nature's Miracle, given the magnitude of this
    problem.
    
    You can fix this problem -- it will just take some work.  Please let us
    know how things are goinbg.
    

    Nancy,
    
    You also mentioned having "wars" with Luther regarding other behavioral
    problems and staying away longer than one night.
    
    If a cat continually gets attention when it does something bad it will
    continue the bad behavior.  Maybe Luther needs you to be with him
    more... play with him, talk to him, spend time with him.  When you are
    away for longer than a night, do you have someone come in to care for
    him or leave him by himself?  His urinating and defecating outside the
    box could be a cry for attention.  Maybe he needs a feline buddy for
    the times that you're not there!
    
    These are all just thoughts that crossed my mind when reading your base
    note.
    

    RE: .1
    
    The purpose for leaving Luther down with my parents for 2 weeks was
    primarily to prevent him from feeling "bounce around." This last 
    month has been difficult for me with having to go my parents on the
    weekends do to my mother's broken hip. Normally Luther loves going
    to CT and is quite happy being there. The last 2 incidents I discribed
    were events out of my control and may or may not have been behavioral
    issues. My parents wrote them off to mistakes on their part (forgetting
    to give him his litter box, not keeping it clean as I'd advised).
    
    When I am gone I have made an effort to always have someone feed him
    twice a day and let him out for his afternoon/evening ventures outside.
    I try as best I can to make sure that his needs/comfort are met, but
    sometimes it's hard make the best judgement calls, let alone
    communicate it to the cat. While it might be beneficial for Luther
    to have a feline friend I can't take on the responsiblity for a 
    second cat myself, which was why I took in my last roommate who had
    a cat. 
    
    Re: Natures Miracle
    
    I've poored gallons of the stuff on my carpet. Unfortunately I have
    not been able to locate where the smells are coming from to try it
    again. I've gotten some of the spots (where I know my roommates cat
    had messed), but many have dried before anyone knew about it. I can't
    count the number of times I've sniffed my carpet to try to locate
    the smells only to be unable to do so.
    
    
    So this leads me to my next question. How does one go about retraining
    a cat? 
    
    nancy

    
    Hi Nancy,
    
    I had the same problem with my Bear.  I just moved from a house where
    there had been puppies and cats who had not only defecated and pee'd
    but had also sprayed the dining room area.  I used a bunch of products
    from white vinegar to Nature's Miracle, and had no great success.  Bear
    would avoid the area I washed and leave another "present" three inches
    from where I cleaned.  It was impossible to stop him.  I am convinced,
    totally, that the only way I would ever have been able to stop the
    problem would be to remove the carpet completely, scrub down the
    hardwood floors underneath, and put down new carpet.
    
    We have sinced moved to a new place where there were no animals, and
    Bear has never repeated this bad behavior.  He is dutiful about using
    his box, and I change the litter completely every two to three days
    (I have three cats) and scoop it out twice a day (morning and evening).
    I also add baking soda to help kill the ammonia odors.
    
    Anyway, I wish I could be of more help, but I didn't have much luck
    myself in retraining Bear.
    
    Nancy

    Re: .4
    
    Someone's going to make a fortune someday when they invent some gizmo,
    like a light, that you can shine on areas and tell if there's untreated
    cat pee there.  I know, I've done the carpet sniffing thing myself.
    
    I suspect Luther is going someplace else besides the carpet, and
    that's what you're smelling (have you checked the nearby walls, etc.? 
    also the stuff can seep underneath bookcases and the like which will
    have to be moved to let the carpet under them dry out.
    
    Someone knows in this file knows about retraining cats using a
    temporary cage -- who is it..... are you in today?
    

    This may be just a scare tactic on an apartment manager's part but
    I was told that there is something they use to detect cat urine.
    Apparently, the ammonia crystals show up when they use it.  I don't
    have a clue what it is called but I've been told it does exist.
    
    As for retraining...try confining Luther to a small area (like a 
    bathroom) with his food and water and his litter box.  I would put
    the food and water in a place that isn't too close to the litter box.
    
    Most cats want to keep the area they are living in clean and he should 
    begin using his box.  When you are sure he is using it regularly instead 
    of the floor you might try letting him out for short periods of time to
    see how he does.  Make sure he has access to his box at all times.
    This worked with some wild kittens I took in.  They have gotten much
    better in their litterbox habits, although they do lapse occasionally.
    
    Jan

    I second what the other noter said about having him checked for 
    infection.  Another thing to check for is diabetes.   Both of these
    can cause indiscriminate urinating.  
    
    Sarah