Thank You, Billy Mays

[billroper]

fuzzbucket_cat has developed an annoying habit when we go out of town. He proceeds to pee and poop where he sleeps. Since that spot is our bed, it's really annoying to come home to. Other beds also appear to be fair game.

As a result, we close all of the other bedrooms when we leave, but we don't want to close off our bedroom because -- well, it's where he sleeps and we don't want to find out how he'd take out his wrath upon us if we did.

Instead, daisy_knotwise bought a flat, waterproof mattress pad that we can cover the bed with. This protects the rest of the bed from the Bucket's depredations, but results in one really stinky mattress pad. We've used it four or five times now and despite our best efforts at destinking it, Katie immediately noticed the smell when asked to carry it upstairs from the basement. Sadly, she was all too correct, so it stayed in the basement these past few weeks.

Tonight, I threw it into the laundry with detergent and two scoops of Oxy-Clean. I now have a clean, dry, non-stinky mattress pad.

I guess it does work. :)

Comments

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

When we had similar problems due to territorial shuffling after adding a new cat, we invested $3 in a plastic painter's tarp. It's thick enough to be be nearly clawproof & the right size to cover our queen bed. It seems to have the bonus effect of preventing the problem even though they still sleep on it. We also use it when we go away lest anxiety prompt an incident.

Pity we didn't think to deploy it earlier this week when we had some construction done on the facade of the house. Fortunately, we also use a waterproof mattress cover, so no real harm.

[madfilkentist]

How old is Fuzzbucket? Is this a mobility issue? Sometimes there are ways to provide usable "facilities," sometimes you just have to live with it the best you can, as you're doing.

[daisy-knotwise.livejournal.com]

It seems to be political. He's annoyed at us for leaving and annoyed when the litter in his pan isn't scooped daily.

GHR

[dave-ifversen.livejournal.com]

Our cat Tally had the same problem, except that it wasn't limited to when we went out of town - if we were gone during the day for what he considered to be too long, that was good enough for him. Exhaustive lab tests after the first couple of incidents showed that the problem was behavioral rather than medical. (Thank Ghu I volunteer at a Vet clinic, so I get lab tests and medicines pretty much at cost. :-)

One of the doctors at the clinic suggested Prozac (for the cat, not us :-), so we started him off at the minimal dose. There hasn't been an incident since he's been on his meds, except if we're gone long enough for the Prozac to wear off before we get back.