question

My husband and I are considering buying a house. We looked at one we liked yesterday. The realtor told us that the previous owner's cat had litterbox issues and had gone on the old carpet. Apparently she replaced the carpet and dealt with the floor underneath. Should we be worried that our cats will start peeing? Would this concern you? What should we do if we buy the house and the cats start peeing on the floor? My husband wants a plan of action, just in case. I'm inclined to think it will probably be ok. Thanks for your help.

I wouldn't think that would matter as long as you take their old unemptied litter box to the new house and make sure they know where it is. I know whenever I move my cats litterbox,they will go to the old location if I don't show them the new.

I manage an apartment complex. We deal with this problem all the time. If the urine has soaked into the pad, we usually have to pull the carpet, clean floor with bleach and then paint it with kilz. If anyone else has a better idea I would love to know because this is an ongoing problem here. We have tried the enzyme cleaners but those do not eliminate odor.

Vinegar gets rid of the odor AND the scent that's left behind. That's just MY experience,tho,and I'm no expert.

I imagine those citrus sprays would discourage cats too. I say buy the house if you love it.

If the cat's don't have any litter box issues now, you probably should be okay. You may want to make sure there are ample litter boxes available on every floor when you move- Rocky was afraid to come downstairs for awhile, and I would suggest bringing at least one "dirty" box- meaning a box that hasn't been freshly cleaned.

I would suggest using something like Kilz (an enzyme based, safe for cats, cleaner) COMBINED (not mixed in the same container, just used in combination with) with vinegar. That way you get rid of the actual body of the urine along with the scent. Yes, your kitty will probably automatically use their own litterbox, but just as a guarantee, I would suggest treating the carpet before moving in with the above two things. The problem lies in them possibly thinking that because another cat had done it before, it's ok for them to do it in that house. Does that make sense?

Hope that answers your questions! If you have any more, feel free to ask!! That's what we're here for...