Tuesday 26 February 2008

The Intruder

When we came back from Devon the other weekend the flat smelt of cats pee. For those of you that are fortunate enough not to have encountered this smell, it is like raw ammonia mixed with rancid eggs. And it lasts.

We presumed it was Bussie marking his territory while we were away, and having flung all the doors and windows open, after a few days it passed.

Usually Mollie can hear any intruder and belts down the corridor barking her head off, but yesterday afternoon both she and Bussie were snuggled up in front of the fire watching television.

I ran down the corridor to get the phone when I saw a strange ginger cat up on the table eating Bussie’s food. I hollered. He turned and poured himself through the cat flap (he’s a big cat) before vanishing up the steps.

Minutes later the hall reeked of cat piss. Then the bathroom. And a spot in the kitchen. I opened the french windows in the kitchen and gave it a good blast. That got rid of the worst of it, but we need to buy some extra strong air freshener.

Spoilt Only Son doesn't seem to want to seek revenge, whereas Himself is on the warpath. He's locked the catflap so that once The Intruder comes in, he'll be stuck in the kitchen and Himself can Deal With Him.

In the meantime, has anyone any tips for how to get rid of cat piss?!

Well, what do you expect from this blog? Scintillating humour and tales from an urban life? This is gritty real life. And a smelly one today…

23 comments:

Cornish Dreamer said...

Oh no, poor FP. Is it the ginger Tom from upstairs? There's nothing worse than a Tom cat spraying wherever they go. If you find some idea of clearing the smell away, do let me know because we have a cat that keeps spraying our front door!

RT

Flowerpot said...

Yes I think it is that one, RT, but when I came home the other day I saw two of them, almost identical, so not sure now! I think the ginger one upstairs shouldb e moving out soon - but I'll let you know if I get any tips about getting the smell out.

Jenny Beattie said...

Hi Flowerpot, I heard that bleach is absolutely the wrong thing to clean up with because it has ammonia in which Tom cat thinks is a competitor spraying - and then he sprays more. I was told to mix up a solution of washing powder in warm water (can't remember if bio or non-bio) to clean it down with which wouldn't encourage the vicious circle of the unwelcome little bugger pissing all over again. Hope it helps.
JJx

Flowerpot said...

Thanks for that JJ - I'll certainly try it!

Elaine Denning said...

Trouble is, unless you get down on all fours and sniff everything in sight, you can't actually pinpoint where the smell is coming from, can you?

I have the same problem. I have 2 cats...a third has moved in (although he lives somewhere because he has a collar), a fourth I have to keep chasing off the top of my wardrobe and a fifth has been eating all the food. I'm completely clueless as to how to go about handling it. If I lock the cat flap, mine will be stuck either in or out, neither of which is good.

I'll be watching this space for ideas!

Flowerpot said...

MissU - hah - you understand the problem exactly. Though at least we're not being visited by that many stray cats. what a nightmare! I'll get my thinking hat on.

laurie said...

i think cat piss is very hard to get rid of. but Nature's Miracle works really well on dog pee and vomit (how do i know this? oh, how do i know this??) and it says on the label it works for cat pee too.

we were also told that the only thing that really neutralizes the smell of pee is vinegar--but, again, that's dog pee.

cat pee is more difficult.

i think you need to pay a visit to Google.

Mopsa said...

Some cat litter absorbs the pong (as well as the liquid), so paerhaps you could put a bowl of it in the rooms affected (and remember that it's NOT popcorn when you are chatting on the phone and have an idle moment). What a pain.

Flowerpot said...

laurie - thanks. a trip to Google is a good idea. Now why didn't I think of that?!

Flowerpot said...

Mopsa - good idea. I'll try that. Not that I've got any at the moment - wil try that tomorrow.

Akelamalu said...

When we moved in our house the whole place stank of cat pee! We've been here 29 years and sometimes I think I can still smell it! :(

david mcmahon said...

Came here from Akelamalu. Cat pee is one of the hardest odours to get rid of.

I'll see if I can find you an answer ....

Julia Phillips Smith said...

'Gritty real life. And a smelly one today.'

LOL, Flowerpot!

the rotten correspondent said...

My mom used to swear by dried lavender for dog pee, but I have no idea if it would work for cats. She just sprinkled it into the carpet, let it sit a bit and then vacuumed it up.

It worked pretty well.

Ellee Seymour said...

That's horrid, our kitty is house trained, thankfully. Another horrid smell to get rid of is spilt milk in a car, like a pint of it. It makes my stomach churn just thinking of it.

Little Wing said...

NOTHING as bad as tomcat spray!!!!!
I actually have a relative that ended up having to have her carpet ripped up and replaced.
Yea I know, not what you wanted to hear!!!!!!

Flowerpot said...

Ak - oh god - another 29 years...!

David - glad to meet you and please call again. Any friend of Ak's must be good news!

Julia - not so much LOL when it's in the flat!!

Flowerpot said...

ellee - our cat is house trained but this is very much a reaction to intruders. And I know about milk - a friend spilt some in our car and it stank for months!

RC - dried lavender - well, it s worth a go..

little wing - no I didnt want to hear that but it made me laugh!!

Anonymous said...

Get rid of the cat would be useful. But you are doing that! Cat pee is horrid.

Crystal xx

Lane Mathias said...

I've heard a solution of bicarbonate of soda neutralizes it.
Hope you find the answer. It's a horrible stink:-(

Flowerpot said...

Well we hope we're getting rid of the cat, Crystal. Havent seenhim today!

Flowerpot said...

lane - touch wood it seems to be a bit better today. or have we just got used to it?!

zarathustra said...

pet shops in Belgium carry a spray specially designed to break down the enzymes (or whatnot) in cat piss. works all right, though leaves behind a sickly sweet smell. nothing else comes close in my experience.