"Piddler On The Rug"

carolpetunia

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We've never had any litterbox problems -- until recently. It started small, but in the past couple of weeks, we've had five or six SERIOUS puddles on throw rugs in various parts of the house. Clearly, someone is having a problem.

But in a house with six cats, the question is... WHO?

At first, we suspected St. John, who turns six months old tomorrow... but as the puddles grew larger, suspicion fell on 18-pound blue tabby Dylan, and we took him to the vet. It turned out that he did have a very minor touch of UTI. We treated that with Clavamox, and he seems to be fine.

But the puddles continue, and they've gotten too big to be the work of little St. John. And since Dylan is well, and since his infection was so minor that the doctor didn't think it could cause this anyway, we no longer think it's Dylan.

Abby lives in her own room, so she's off the hook. That leaves Clyde, Pearl, and Sassy. Clyde and Pearl sleep in my room at night, and my room remains puddle-free, so I doubt it's either of them. Therefore...

...J'accuse Sassy! Sassy is a longhaired calitortie (my word for it), black with patches of white, orange, and orange tabby stripes. She's sweet and loving, but extremely highstrung and about five pounds overweight. [Kinda like me!
]


So my question is, before we invest in another vet visit, is there any way to make a positive identification on our Phantom Piddler? Short of a 24-hour stake-out with night-vision equipment, that is?

I sure can't think of anything... but people here are so smart, I thought I'd better ask. Thanks for any guidance you can give me!
 

cheylink

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First, I love your title! The one thing I have noticed is this seems to happen when there are several cats...................... So many possible reasons....... Is it always the same place? Once area is marked, often becomes a repeat offense. You might want to get rid of the rug, see if it happens without it before replaceing.
 
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carolpetunia

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No, I should have mentioned -- it's almost always in different places! We wash the rugs to the point of threadbareness, because we know how cats will tend to return if they can smell the slightest thing... but the only rug that's been hit twice is the little mat in front of the main litter box.

And, strangely, it's never happened on the wall-to-wall carpet! It's almost as if the culprit is trying to be considerate about it!
 

cheylink

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Our last cat, Sweety would pee on the small carpets, if on the bathroom floor as well as by the front or back door.
I just did'nt leave them there, as annoying as it was!
 

beandip

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Hmm...it's not very scientific, but it's been my experience that multiple cats will all sniff a fresh 'interesting' smell (piddle smell), except the offender. I figure, they *just* did it and already know it's there....the tattletales crowd around it to check it out.

Isn't there a dye that can be administered, made for these mysteries? I thought I heard about that somewhere. I just scanned through this article, but it mentions a 'dye test', to find out who the pee-er is.
 

rang_27

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If you suspect one cat is there a room you could put her in for 24 hours to infact see if your suspision is correct? If it's just her in the room & she "piddles" (your so nice cause from the sounds of it it's a lot more than a piddle) you know it's her. If not, perhaps your back to St. John
 

catsallover

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I can get a urine collection kit- charcoal pellets and a sterile syringe- from my vet for around $2, and I got 2 small, cheap litterboxes. Now I collect the samples at home (cat and litterbox shut in a bathroom, with the box where the most accidents have been
, lots of water, and checking periodicly), and take the samples to the vet- "most likely suspect(s)
" first. This also works well for follow up visits, to see if the antibiotics have worked
. Good luck; we are going through something similar now...


Are you using an enzyme cleaner (simple solution, nature's miracle, etc.) on the rugs? That is helping here
. I was also told that spraying a vinegar/water solution on the rugs would help deter them, or citrus...actually, that's what I'm doing next- I'm taking a break from house cleaning at the moment
...
 
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carolpetunia

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See? I knew you folks would have some great ideas! Thank you so much!

Actually, I'm a little annoyed to learn that the dye test has already been invented. I came up with that idea myself and was planning to get rich from it... ~ sigh ~

You are so right -- whenever ANYTHING happens, the guilty cat is always the one who's 'way across the room busily having a wash, while the others come right over to see what's up! We'll be watching for that... and yes, we could find a way to isolate Sassy for a bit if necessary... and I'll call the vet tomorrow to see about that collection kit, too. Thanks a million!
 
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carolpetunia

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P.S. -- Yes ma'am, we do have some of that cleaner, and white vinegar is good, too. Thanks!
 

catsknowme

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Originally Posted by beandip

Hmm...it's not very scientific, but it's been my experience that multiple cats will all sniff a fresh 'interesting' smell (piddle smell), except the offender. I figure, they *just* did it and already know it's there....the tattletales crowd around it to check it out.

.
My crew does the same thing. Joey is the best to have to the inspection, he smells the offense, then actively seeks out the culprit and deals out a severe cuffing!!! Once, there was a half-eaten piece of chicken leg that had been stolen from the counter - the culprit was Andrea, according to Joey; the hair Scrunchies thief was identified as Andy, etc...
 

rang_27

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I wish I had a tatle tale. For example I would love to know who at my handsfree set last night, but no one will talk!
 
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