Cat Who Marks Everything!

How terrible! I used to work at the Ky Humane Soc & saw people turn in cats (in tears) b/c the animal was destroying the home, causing family fights, etc.

If you spoke to a vet, they might ask to see the cat in case of a UTI, which causes the cat to spray everything. Or if the move-in of the brother is recent, the cat may be stressed out from having to go to a new place. Does the cat understand where the litter box is? (yes, I'm being serious ... sometimes when you move it - even to a new room - cats get confused and testy.) Is the cat a boy? Perhaps it should be neutered? This helps them to stop marking territory.

Why can't the brother keep the cat confined to his room? shut the door? esp during the day when you aren't at home? I would worry A Lot about letting the cat get near the baby's room/crib. My cats were good about leaving my son alone while he was In the crib or bassinet, but like to jump in while he was out. This got everything hairy, so I had to make it clear that is wasn't acceptable.

The smell is awful ... I've tried baking soda, etc. but it doesn't always help ... perhaps stop in a Feeders Supply or your vet to see what they recommend. There are lots of products, but I'm sure most aren't that wonderful. Animals tend to go back to the same spot over and over even when you wash it ... so sometimes you have to throw the item out so they can't smell the area.

Good luck!!

You're going to have a baby so it's time to make some serious changes in your life. The cat, the brother-in-law and maybe even the boyfriend must go. Actually, you can move out and leave them behind. You need to find a better, warmer and more comfortable place to live. It might take some work but there are other affordable homes out there. If money is a problem there are resources out there to help you find housing.

It's easier to do these changes now before the baby comes. If these guys are only 22 like yourself they just aren't going to understand. Men don't grow up as fast as women and it sounds like you're the mom to 3 kids instead of 1. You don't need that kind of stress.

E.,

I am sorry that you are going through all of this. I have to tell you this is my 1st time responding to an e-mail as I have been so busy-but I need to ask you to possibly look into maybe having your baby stay in your roomfor the 1st 6 months? This way, they are close to you. It makes me nervous for you to have her above the garage with the door open as not only can the cat get in and pee, but the cat can climb into bed, claw her or even much worse anyone else (stranger) can walk in.

Just a thought as I am sure you know best.

M.

Hi E.. My cat does the exact same thing, even though she's a female! I had no idea female cats did this until I'd had her for a while, and we already loved her, so we couldn't get rid of her. Anyway, we bought a little Bissel SpotLifter spot cleaner. It's handheld with rotating brushes, so it's hands and knees sort of work, but it's worth it to get that smell and stain out of your carpet. We pretreat the areas with UrineTrouble pet cleaner, which you can find in the pets section at any Wal-Mart. Then we use the Great Value brand (Wal-Mart store brand) Pet Formula carpet and upholstry cleaner, which is in the aisle with all the spot removers, carpet shampooers, etc, in a big red bottle. The combination works beautifully! We have no more stains, which is great because she was leaving huge, ugly, yellow stains on our light colored carpet. The smell is also gone, and this combo works in right away. You can even just leave the spot cleaner there and let the brush work the stain out while you go do something else! I can't help you much with the cat getting into the baby's room though. I'm too afraid that my cats would jump into the crib with my little boy (3 mos. old) and lay too close to his face and smother him, so we shut them out of the bedroom at night, since his crib is in our bedroom.