As you know, owning a pet cat is fantastic - there are many benefits.
Petting a cat has a calming effect on people and is a proven way to reduce stress.
Cats are also a source of free amusement since their antics will often cause laughter and joy.
There are also responsibilities and difficulties in cat ownership, such as litter box training.
Although there most cats are indeed trainable, mistakes can happen when a cat decides to urinate in an undesirable location.
Occurrences such as illness, stress or even anger at the owner can cause a cat to urinate in an inappropriate place.
Nothing is safe when a cat decides to urinate outside of the litter box.
Sometimes it seems like cats have a talent for finding the worse places to urinate.
They will also urinate in out-of-the-way spots, leaving you searching desperately to locate the cause of the odor.
The most important thing to remember when dealing with litter box training is to remain calm.
Stressing the cat out with yelling and/or force will only make the situation worse.
You should never strike them and yelling is completely ineffective.
If you do catch the cat in the act, a stern "no" followed by placing them in the litter box is enough.
When it does happen, clean up the urine as soon as possible.
The longer it sits on a surface, the harder it is to remove.
In bad cases, removing the scent completely is very difficult.
Vinegar! Vinegar is a wonderful solution for cleaning up urine.
Mix up equal amounts of white vinegar and water and use it to soak the spot.
The vinegar, acting as an enzyme cleaner, will do a good job of removing the urine particles from the spot.
It should be left in place for 10 to 15 minutes to give it time to work.
Use a dry cloth to blot the vinegar and water from the material until near dry.
Once you have the majority of the liquid blotted up, use a mild soap to scrub the area with a sponge or brush.
Rinse well with water by pouring a small amount on the soapy area and blotting it up.
Continue doing this until all traces of soap are gone.
Once the carpet is completely dry, sprinkle baking soda liberally on the carpet or furniture.
Allow the baking soda to sit over night and use a broom to sweep it up the next day.
Vacuum to remove all traces of the powder.
It is important to make sure that any trace of urine smell is gone from the surface.
If a cat can still smell even a whiff of previous urination, he will use the spot as a toilet again in the future.
If you prefer not to use vinegar, or in the unlikely event that the vinegar does not completely eliminate the odor, there are commercial enzyme cleaners available that can remove the odor more effectively.
Be sure to read the label before using a cleaner and test it on a small spot that will not be seen to ensure it will not stain or bleach the fabric.
In the end, the relatively little amount of time you put into training your cat will make life much easier for you as the owner.
Since changes in urination habit can be a signal of illness, get in touch with your veterinarian if you suspect that your cat is not well.
Petting a cat has a calming effect on people and is a proven way to reduce stress.
Cats are also a source of free amusement since their antics will often cause laughter and joy.
There are also responsibilities and difficulties in cat ownership, such as litter box training.
Although there most cats are indeed trainable, mistakes can happen when a cat decides to urinate in an undesirable location.
Occurrences such as illness, stress or even anger at the owner can cause a cat to urinate in an inappropriate place.
Nothing is safe when a cat decides to urinate outside of the litter box.
Sometimes it seems like cats have a talent for finding the worse places to urinate.
They will also urinate in out-of-the-way spots, leaving you searching desperately to locate the cause of the odor.
The most important thing to remember when dealing with litter box training is to remain calm.
Stressing the cat out with yelling and/or force will only make the situation worse.
You should never strike them and yelling is completely ineffective.
If you do catch the cat in the act, a stern "no" followed by placing them in the litter box is enough.
When it does happen, clean up the urine as soon as possible.
The longer it sits on a surface, the harder it is to remove.
In bad cases, removing the scent completely is very difficult.
Vinegar! Vinegar is a wonderful solution for cleaning up urine.
Mix up equal amounts of white vinegar and water and use it to soak the spot.
The vinegar, acting as an enzyme cleaner, will do a good job of removing the urine particles from the spot.
It should be left in place for 10 to 15 minutes to give it time to work.
Use a dry cloth to blot the vinegar and water from the material until near dry.
Once you have the majority of the liquid blotted up, use a mild soap to scrub the area with a sponge or brush.
Rinse well with water by pouring a small amount on the soapy area and blotting it up.
Continue doing this until all traces of soap are gone.
Once the carpet is completely dry, sprinkle baking soda liberally on the carpet or furniture.
Allow the baking soda to sit over night and use a broom to sweep it up the next day.
Vacuum to remove all traces of the powder.
It is important to make sure that any trace of urine smell is gone from the surface.
If a cat can still smell even a whiff of previous urination, he will use the spot as a toilet again in the future.
If you prefer not to use vinegar, or in the unlikely event that the vinegar does not completely eliminate the odor, there are commercial enzyme cleaners available that can remove the odor more effectively.
Be sure to read the label before using a cleaner and test it on a small spot that will not be seen to ensure it will not stain or bleach the fabric.
In the end, the relatively little amount of time you put into training your cat will make life much easier for you as the owner.
Since changes in urination habit can be a signal of illness, get in touch with your veterinarian if you suspect that your cat is not well.
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