Question:
Hi, Sounds like a great new townhouse you are moving to. My own cats learned to use a screen cat door to my enclosed deck a few years ago. It took a while. My Pepper who is the mechanic of the other girls learned first and to this day gets in and out so naturally that her tail does not get caught the way my Sapphire’s tail does. I showed them the door. Pushed them through a couple times and then left them inside while I sat outside on the deck with my snacks. It didn’t take too long for them to figure it out. If I were you I would leave a litter pan outside and another in the house at least until they are used to using the cat door. Best of luck with your new home, Barb
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Everyone! > I’m new to the group(s) (sorry for the 2-group cross-post) but didn’t > know which group was more suited to my questions 
) > So I have a few issues (well, alot of issues…just gonna hit ya with > the *cat* issues) that I hope a kind person or two might be able to help > me with. Here goes…. > Little background…I have 4 cats, all female. Two oldest ones are > sisters (same litter, age 4). Those two moved with my girlfriend and I > from NJ to FL. In Florida, we got our third cat who just turned 2 and > our fourth cat who is 9 months. After all the new-smell introductions, > hissing and dominance indications, everyone really gets along well. We > often wake up with all four on the bed!! Anyway, all are spayed and > healthy. > ONE PROBLEM we ran into last August (2001) when we moved to our current > house is that one of the oldest females (yes *female*!!) started > spraying. Our move from NJ to FL was to an apartment for a year where > there was NO spraying. Our second move from the apartment to a > townhouse was when the spraying started. We took her to the vet and it > does NOT seem to be a medical problem but more behavorial. Also doesn’t > seem to have to do with a litter box problem either. She tends to spray > *targets*–an empty box, mat, jacket mistakenly left on the floor, > papers on a table. She’s gotten *better* in the past year but hasn’t > kicked the habit. We think the problem stems from a combination of (1) > looooong introduction of our fourth cat to the house and (2) the fact > that the previous owners had a cat in the house. The fourth cat was > quarantined for a good few months in her own bedroom prior to being > introduced to the rest of the cats and we think that such a long time > went by without the older cat knowing the source of the "new smell" in > the house that she started marking territory as a dominance move and > never really kicked the habit. Also, I think the prior-owner’s cat > smells were still in the house and might have been a bit threatening, > especially coupled with the 4th cat :-(( > So, in about 2 weeks, we’re making the move with the 4 cats to a new > home. Our current townhouse and the new home are both 2-story but the > new house is almost twice as big. The new home is VERY clean from a > human standpoint but I know they owned 3 long-haireds (and a puppy for > about a month). > So, here are my issues/questions/thoughts for which I’m seeking > advice!!!: > ISSUE 1: CLEANING THE HOUSE: > To start everyone off (us included, but most importantly, the cats) on > the same clean foot, I intend on having the home professionally cleaned > top to bottom prior to moving in. APART from obvious instruction to the > cleaners that they use ONLY pet-friendly cleaning agents, I was > wondering if I should request or do anything specifically to get rid of > the "prior-owner-cats-scent"?? As I stated above, I believe the > spraying problem was associated with being subject to (1) the > prior-owner’s cat and (2) our fourth cat and need to sorta "claim stuff > as her own." I am HOPING that cleaning the house prior to moving in > might keep her from spraying and, instead, cause her to mark by rubbing > her face scent glands WITHOUT spraying as she happily did with our > initial move from NJ to to the apartment in FL. Any areas in the house > to concentrate on? Anything special to use on the carpets or other > suggested cleaning agents? Anything really GOOD at neutralizing > prior-pet ordors and scents?
Just having the entire house cleaned by a professional is an excellent idea. I don’t know of anything for pet odors in particular, but this is something you need to talk to the professional cleaners about. Talk to more than one and go with the one that seems to have the most knowledge and experience about cleaning pet stains and odors in particular. They do this every day for a living, so they should have *some* good ideas. > ISSUE 2: CAT DOOR – LEARNING TO USE > Our new house has a "professionally installed" cat door which gave our > prior owner’s cats access to a clean, screened-in porch. We were hoping > to treat our cats to a little outside sun and recreation through > teaching them to use the cat door. My question is HOW to teach them? > Do you just SHOVE them through? Put a trail of treats to the door and > outside? What are suggestions for teaching them to use the cat door to > the outside deck??
I had no problem teaching mine at all. He wanted to go outside and was always searching for ways to get outside, so he found it on his own. You may have to push them through the door once so they know it’s there, but that’s about it. You could probably just do nothing and they would find it on their own anyway. The only problem might be if they just don’t want to go outside. Don’t force them in this case. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> ISSUE 3: CAT DOOR – LITTER OUTSIDE > The prior owners of our new house also placed their litter boxes > outside. I actually do not recall seeing a litter box inside the house > at all. The screened-in area outside has a VERY substantial overhang > which proved to TOTALLY shield the litter boxes from any inclement > weather. My question here is HOW to teach them that the litter boxes > are outside? Is it the same way you would show them the placement of > litter boxes INSIDE? I’m foreseeing some ADDED problems with TWO new > situations: (1) the existance of the unfamiliar cat door and (2) the > placement of the litter boxes outside NECESSITATING the use of the > unfamiliar cat door. Do you think I can teach them the location of the > litter outside and ONLY have outside boxes?? Should I also keep litter > boxes inside for their choice? Is there a way to "wean them off" a > litter box placed inside at first and eventually teach them that they > should use the litter boxes outside?? I have visions of grandeur with > only having a litter box outside for the rest of my life but perhaps > that isn’t practical….or is it??
I’m not sure why it’s necessary to place litter boxes outside. The cats are perfectly capable of finding their own spots unless they would be digging up your flowers or the like. I just cleared a few spots in my yard where it’s hard to grow something anyway, and my cat usually just uses those spots because the dirt is loose. I would think leaving some litter boxes on the screen porch makes more sense. You probably don’t want to leave the pet door open 24 hours a day. Other animals do like to come into your house through the pet door at night. I’ve had other cats try it, even rats. If you do keep litter boxes outside, it shouldn’t be necessary to do anything. Cats will naturally use the easiest place to go to the bathroom. Litter boxes are designed for this, so they will most likely prefer it to digging in hard dirt or grass. My cat always goes to the bathroom outside unless he’s shut in the house for so many hours he can’t hold it anymore, then he uses one of the litterboxes inside. Cats generally like to go to the bathroom on the edges of their territory, far from the places where they live most of the time. Assuming they stay indoors most of the time, they will probably naturally prefer to go to the bathroom somewhere outside. Bill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I think that’s about all of my main questions for now. If I think of > some other issues, I’ll post. For the time being, THANKS TO EVERYONE > for reading and posting their suggestions!!! PLEASE feel free to email > responses to me and also post to share with the group…thanks!!! > Scott > —
Response:
Hi Everyone! I’m new to the group(s) (sorry for the 2-group cross-post) but didn’t know which group was more suited to my questions ) So I have a few issues (well, alot of issues…just gonna hit ya with the *cat* issues) that I hope a kind person or two might be able to help me with. Here goes…. Little background…I have 4 cats, all female. Two oldest ones are sisters (same litter, age 4). Those two moved with my girlfriend and I from NJ to FL. In Florida, we got our third cat who just turned 2 and our fourth cat who is 9 months. After all the new-smell introductions, hissing and dominance indications, everyone really gets along well. We often wake up with all four on the bed!! Anyway, all are spayed and healthy. ONE PROBLEM we ran into last August (2001) when we moved to our current house is that one of the oldest females (yes *female*!!) started spraying. Our move from NJ to FL was to an apartment for a year where there was NO spraying. Our second move from the apartment to a townhouse was when the spraying started. We took her to the vet and it does NOT seem to be a medical problem but more behavorial. Also doesn’t seem to have to do with a litter box problem either. She tends to spray *targets*–an empty box, mat, jacket mistakenly left on the floor, papers on a table. She’s gotten *better* in the past year but hasn’t kicked the habit. We think the problem stems from a combination of (1) looooong introduction of our fourth cat to the house and (2) the fact that the previous owners had a cat in the house. The fourth cat was quarantined for a good few months in her own bedroom prior to being introduced to the rest of the cats and we think that such a long time went by without the older cat knowing the source of the "new smell" in the house that she started marking territory as a dominance move and never really kicked the habit. Also, I think the prior-owner’s cat smells were still in the house and might have been a bit threatening, especially coupled with the 4th cat :-(( So, in about 2 weeks, we’re making the move with the 4 cats to a new home. Our current townhouse and the new home are both 2-story but the new house is almost twice as big. The new home is VERY clean from a human standpoint but I know they owned 3 long-haireds (and a puppy for about a month). So, here are my issues/questions/thoughts for which I’m seeking advice!!!: ISSUE 1: CLEANING THE HOUSE: To start everyone off (us included, but most importantly, the cats) on the same clean foot, I intend on having the home professionally cleaned top to bottom prior to moving in. APART from obvious instruction to the cleaners that they use ONLY pet-friendly cleaning agents, I was wondering if I should request or do anything specifically to get rid of the "prior-owner-cats-scent"?? As I stated above, I believe the spraying problem was associated with being subject to (1) the prior-owner’s cat and (2) our fourth cat and need to sorta "claim stuff as her own." I am HOPING that cleaning the house prior to moving in might keep her from spraying and, instead, cause her to mark by rubbing her face scent glands WITHOUT spraying as she happily did with our initial move from NJ to to the apartment in FL. Any areas in the house to concentrate on? Anything special to use on the carpets or other suggested cleaning agents? Anything really GOOD at neutralizing prior-pet ordors and scents? ISSUE 2: CAT DOOR – LEARNING TO USE Our new house has a "professionally installed" cat door which gave our prior owner’s cats access to a clean, screened-in porch. We were hoping to treat our cats to a little outside sun and recreation through teaching them to use the cat door. My question is HOW to teach them? Do you just SHOVE them through? Put a trail of treats to the door and outside? What are suggestions for teaching them to use the cat door to the outside deck?? ISSUE 3: CAT DOOR – LITTER OUTSIDE The prior owners of our new house also placed their litter boxes outside. I actually do not recall seeing a litter box inside the house at all. The screened-in area outside has a VERY substantial overhang which proved to TOTALLY shield the litter boxes from any inclement weather. My question here is HOW to teach them that the litter boxes are outside? Is it the same way you would show them the placement of litter boxes INSIDE? I’m foreseeing some ADDED problems with TWO new situations: (1) the existance of the unfamiliar cat door and (2) the placement of the litter boxes outside NECESSITATING the use of the unfamiliar cat door. Do you think I can teach them the location of the litter outside and ONLY have outside boxes?? Should I also keep litter boxes inside for their choice? Is there a way to "wean them off" a litter box placed inside at first and eventually teach them that they should use the litter boxes outside?? I have visions of grandeur with only having a litter box outside for the rest of my life but perhaps that isn’t practical….or is it?? I think that’s about all of my main questions for now. If I think of some other issues, I’ll post. For the time being, THANKS TO EVERYONE for reading and posting their suggestions!!! PLEASE feel free to email responses to me and also post to share with the group…thanks!!! Scott —
Response:
Hi, Sounds like a great new townhouse you are moving to. My own cats learned to use a screen cat door to my enclosed deck a few years ago. It took a while. My Pepper who is the mechanic of the other girls learned first and to this day gets in and out so naturally that her tail does not get caught the way my Sapphire’s tail does. I showed them the door. Pushed them through a couple times and then left them inside while I sat outside on the deck with my snacks. It didn’t take too long for them to figure it out. If I were you I would leave a litter pan outside and another in the house at least until they are used to using the cat door. Best of luck with your new home, Barb
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Everyone! > I’m new to the group(s) (sorry for the 2-group cross-post) but didn’t > know which group was more suited to my questions ) > So I have a few issues (well, alot of issues…just gonna hit ya with > the *cat* issues) that I hope a kind person or two might be able to help > me with. Here goes…. > Little background…I have 4 cats, all female. Two oldest ones are > sisters (same litter, age 4). Those two moved with my girlfriend and I > from NJ to FL. In Florida, we got our third cat who just turned 2 and > our fourth cat who is 9 months. After all the new-smell introductions, > hissing and dominance indications, everyone really gets along well. We > often wake up with all four on the bed!! Anyway, all are spayed and > healthy. > ONE PROBLEM we ran into last August (2001) when we moved to our current > house is that one of the oldest females (yes *female*!!) started > spraying. Our move from NJ to FL was to an apartment for a year where > there was NO spraying. Our second move from the apartment to a > townhouse was when the spraying started. We took her to the vet and it > does NOT seem to be a medical problem but more behavorial. Also doesn’t > seem to have to do with a litter box problem either. She tends to spray > *targets*–an empty box, mat, jacket mistakenly left on the floor, > papers on a table. She’s gotten *better* in the past year but hasn’t > kicked the habit. We think the problem stems from a combination of (1) > looooong introduction of our fourth cat to the house and (2) the fact > that the previous owners had a cat in the house. The fourth cat was > quarantined for a good few months in her own bedroom prior to being > introduced to the rest of the cats and we think that such a long time > went by without the older cat knowing the source of the "new smell" in > the house that she started marking territory as a dominance move and > never really kicked the habit. Also, I think the prior-owner’s cat > smells were still in the house and might have been a bit threatening, > especially coupled with the 4th cat :-(( > So, in about 2 weeks, we’re making the move with the 4 cats to a new > home. Our current townhouse and the new home are both 2-story but the > new house is almost twice as big. The new home is VERY clean from a > human standpoint but I know they owned 3 long-haireds (and a puppy for > about a month). > So, here are my issues/questions/thoughts for which I’m seeking > advice!!!: > ISSUE 1: CLEANING THE HOUSE: > To start everyone off (us included, but most importantly, the cats) on > the same clean foot, I intend on having the home professionally cleaned > top to bottom prior to moving in. APART from obvious instruction to the > cleaners that they use ONLY pet-friendly cleaning agents, I was > wondering if I should request or do anything specifically to get rid of > the "prior-owner-cats-scent"?? As I stated above, I believe the > spraying problem was associated with being subject to (1) the > prior-owner’s cat and (2) our fourth cat and need to sorta "claim stuff > as her own." I am HOPING that cleaning the house prior to moving in > might keep her from spraying and, instead, cause her to mark by rubbing > her face scent glands WITHOUT spraying as she happily did with our > initial move from NJ to to the apartment in FL. Any areas in the house > to concentrate on? Anything special to use on the carpets or other > suggested cleaning agents? Anything really GOOD at neutralizing > prior-pet ordors and scents?
Just having the entire house cleaned by a professional is an excellent idea. I don’t know of anything for pet odors in particular, but this is something you need to talk to the professional cleaners about. Talk to more than one and go with the one that seems to have the most knowledge and experience about cleaning pet stains and odors in particular. They do this every day for a living, so they should have *some* good ideas. > ISSUE 2: CAT DOOR – LEARNING TO USE > Our new house has a "professionally installed" cat door which gave our > prior owner’s cats access to a clean, screened-in porch. We were hoping > to treat our cats to a little outside sun and recreation through > teaching them to use the cat door. My question is HOW to teach them? > Do you just SHOVE them through? Put a trail of treats to the door and > outside? What are suggestions for teaching them to use the cat door to > the outside deck??
I had no problem teaching mine at all. He wanted to go outside and was always searching for ways to get outside, so he found it on his own. You may have to push them through the door once so they know it’s there, but that’s about it. You could probably just do nothing and they would find it on their own anyway. The only problem might be if they just don’t want to go outside. Don’t force them in this case. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> ISSUE 3: CAT DOOR – LITTER OUTSIDE > The prior owners of our new house also placed their litter boxes > outside. I actually do not recall seeing a litter box inside the house > at all. The screened-in area outside has a VERY substantial overhang > which proved to TOTALLY shield the litter boxes from any inclement > weather. My question here is HOW to teach them that the litter boxes > are outside? Is it the same way you would show them the placement of > litter boxes INSIDE? I’m foreseeing some ADDED problems with TWO new > situations: (1) the existance of the unfamiliar cat door and (2) the > placement of the litter boxes outside NECESSITATING the use of the > unfamiliar cat door. Do you think I can teach them the location of the > litter outside and ONLY have outside boxes?? Should I also keep litter > boxes inside for their choice? Is there a way to "wean them off" a > litter box placed inside at first and eventually teach them that they > should use the litter boxes outside?? I have visions of grandeur with > only having a litter box outside for the rest of my life but perhaps > that isn’t practical….or is it??
I’m not sure why it’s necessary to place litter boxes outside. The cats are perfectly capable of finding their own spots unless they would be digging up your flowers or the like. I just cleared a few spots in my yard where it’s hard to grow something anyway, and my cat usually just uses those spots because the dirt is loose. I would think leaving some litter boxes on the screen porch makes more sense. You probably don’t want to leave the pet door open 24 hours a day. Other animals do like to come into your house through the pet door at night. I’ve had other cats try it, even rats. If you do keep litter boxes outside, it shouldn’t be necessary to do anything. Cats will naturally use the easiest place to go to the bathroom. Litter boxes are designed for this, so they will most likely prefer it to digging in hard dirt or grass. My cat always goes to the bathroom outside unless he’s shut in the house for so many hours he can’t hold it anymore, then he uses one of the litterboxes inside. Cats generally like to go to the bathroom on the edges of their territory, far from the places where they live most of the time. Assuming they stay indoors most of the time, they will probably naturally prefer to go to the bathroom somewhere outside. Bill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I think that’s about all of my main questions for now. If I think of > some other issues, I’ll post. For the time being, THANKS TO EVERYONE > for reading and posting their suggestions!!! PLEASE feel free to email > responses to me and also post to share with the group…thanks!!! > Scott > —
Response:
Hi Everyone! I’m new to the group(s) (sorry for the 2-group cross-post) but didn’t know which group was more suited to my questions ) So I have a few issues (well, alot of issues…just gonna hit ya with the *cat* issues) that I hope a kind person or two might be able to help me with. Here goes…. Little background…I have 4 cats, all female. Two oldest ones are sisters (same litter, age 4). Those two moved with my girlfriend and I from NJ to FL. In Florida, we got our third cat who just turned 2 and our fourth cat who is 9 months. After all the new-smell introductions, hissing and dominance indications, everyone really gets along well. We often wake up with all four on the bed!! Anyway, all are spayed and healthy. ONE PROBLEM we ran into last August (2001) when we moved to our current house is that one of the oldest females (yes *female*!!) started spraying. Our move from NJ to FL was to an apartment for a year where there was NO spraying. Our second move from the apartment to a townhouse was when the spraying started. We took her to the vet and it does NOT seem to be a medical problem but more behavorial. Also doesn’t seem to have to do with a litter box problem either. She tends to spray *targets*–an empty box, mat, jacket mistakenly left on the floor, papers on a table. She’s gotten *better* in the past year but hasn’t kicked the habit. We think the problem stems from a combination of (1) looooong introduction of our fourth cat to the house and (2) the fact that the previous owners had a cat in the house. The fourth cat was quarantined for a good few months in her own bedroom prior to being introduced to the rest of the cats and we think that such a long time went by without the older cat knowing the source of the "new smell" in the house that she started marking territory as a dominance move and never really kicked the habit. Also, I think the prior-owner’s cat smells were still in the house and might have been a bit threatening, especially coupled with the 4th cat :-(( So, in about 2 weeks, we’re making the move with the 4 cats to a new home. Our current townhouse and the new home are both 2-story but the new house is almost twice as big. The new home is VERY clean from a human standpoint but I know they owned 3 long-haireds (and a puppy for about a month). So, here are my issues/questions/thoughts for which I’m seeking advice!!!: ISSUE 1: CLEANING THE HOUSE: To start everyone off (us included, but most importantly, the cats) on the same clean foot, I intend on having the home professionally cleaned top to bottom prior to moving in. APART from obvious instruction to the cleaners that they use ONLY pet-friendly cleaning agents, I was wondering if I should request or do anything specifically to get rid of the "prior-owner-cats-scent"?? As I stated above, I believe the spraying problem was associated with being subject to (1) the prior-owner’s cat and (2) our fourth cat and need to sorta "claim stuff as her own." I am HOPING that cleaning the house prior to moving in might keep her from spraying and, instead, cause her to mark by rubbing her face scent glands WITHOUT spraying as she happily did with our initial move from NJ to to the apartment in FL. Any areas in the house to concentrate on? Anything special to use on the carpets or other suggested cleaning agents? Anything really GOOD at neutralizing prior-pet ordors and scents? ISSUE 2: CAT DOOR – LEARNING TO USE Our new house has a "professionally installed" cat door which gave our prior owner’s cats access to a clean, screened-in porch. We were hoping to treat our cats to a little outside sun and recreation through teaching them to use the cat door. My question is HOW to teach them? Do you just SHOVE them through? Put a trail of treats to the door and outside? What are suggestions for teaching them to use the cat door to the outside deck?? ISSUE 3: CAT DOOR – LITTER OUTSIDE The prior owners of our new house also placed their litter boxes outside. I actually do not recall seeing a litter box inside the house at all. The screened-in area outside has a VERY substantial overhang which proved to TOTALLY shield the litter boxes from any inclement weather. My question here is HOW to teach them that the litter boxes are outside? Is it the same way you would show them the placement of litter boxes INSIDE? I’m foreseeing some ADDED problems with TWO new situations: (1) the existance of the unfamiliar cat door and (2) the placement of the litter boxes outside NECESSITATING the use of the unfamiliar cat door. Do you think I can teach them the location of the litter outside and ONLY have outside boxes?? Should I also keep litter boxes inside for their choice? Is there a way to "wean them off" a litter box placed inside at first and eventually teach them that they should use the litter boxes outside?? I have visions of grandeur with only having a litter box outside for the rest of my life but perhaps that isn’t practical….or is it?? I think that’s about all of my main questions for now. If I think of some other issues, I’ll post. For the time being, THANKS TO EVERYONE for reading and posting their suggestions!!! PLEASE feel free to email responses to me and also post to share with the group…thanks!!! Scott —
Response:
Hi, Sounds like a great new townhouse you are moving to. My own cats learned to use a screen cat door to my enclosed deck a few years ago. It took a while. My Pepper who is the mechanic of the other girls learned first and to this day gets in and out so naturally that her tail does not get caught the way my Sapphire’s tail does. I showed them the door. Pushed them through a couple times and then left them inside while I sat outside on the deck with my snacks. It didn’t take too long for them to figure it out. If I were you I would leave a litter pan outside and another in the house at least until they are used to using the cat door. Best of luck with your new home, Barb
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Everyone! > I’m new to the group(s) (sorry for the 2-group cross-post) but didn’t > know which group was more suited to my questions ) > So I have a few issues (well, alot of issues…just gonna hit ya with > the *cat* issues) that I hope a kind person or two might be able to help > me with. Here goes…. > Little background…I have 4 cats, all female. Two oldest ones are > sisters (same litter, age 4). Those two moved with my girlfriend and I > from NJ to FL. In Florida, we got our third cat who just turned 2 and > our fourth cat who is 9 months. After all the new-smell introductions, > hissing and dominance indications, everyone really gets along well. We > often wake up with all four on the bed!! Anyway, all are spayed and > healthy. > ONE PROBLEM we ran into last August (2001) when we moved to our current > house is that one of the oldest females (yes *female*!!) started > spraying. Our move from NJ to FL was to an apartment for a year where > there was NO spraying. Our second move from the apartment to a > townhouse was when the spraying started. We took her to the vet and it > does NOT seem to be a medical problem but more behavorial. Also doesn’t > seem to have to do with a litter box problem either. She tends to spray > *targets*–an empty box, mat, jacket mistakenly left on the floor, > papers on a table. She’s gotten *better* in the past year but hasn’t > kicked the habit. We think the problem stems from a combination of (1) > looooong introduction of our fourth cat to the house and (2) the fact > that the previous owners had a cat in the house. The fourth cat was > quarantined for a good few months in her own bedroom prior to being > introduced to the rest of the cats and we think that such a long time > went by without the older cat knowing the source of the "new smell" in > the house that she started marking territory as a dominance move and > never really kicked the habit. Also, I think the prior-owner’s cat > smells were still in the house and might have been a bit threatening, > especially coupled with the 4th cat :-(( > So, in about 2 weeks, we’re making the move with the 4 cats to a new > home. Our current townhouse and the new home are both 2-story but the > new house is almost twice as big. The new home is VERY clean from a > human standpoint but I know they owned 3 long-haireds (and a puppy for > about a month). > So, here are my issues/questions/thoughts for which I’m seeking > advice!!!: > ISSUE 1: CLEANING THE HOUSE: > To start everyone off (us included, but most importantly, the cats) on > the same clean foot, I intend on having the home professionally cleaned > top to bottom prior to moving in. APART from obvious instruction to the > cleaners that they use ONLY pet-friendly cleaning agents, I was > wondering if I should request or do anything specifically to get rid of > the "prior-owner-cats-scent"?? As I stated above, I believe the > spraying problem was associated with being subject to (1) the > prior-owner’s cat and (2) our fourth cat and need to sorta "claim stuff > as her own." I am HOPING that cleaning the house prior to moving in > might keep her from spraying and, instead, cause her to mark by rubbing > her face scent glands WITHOUT spraying as she happily did with our > initial move from NJ to to the apartment in FL. Any areas in the house > to concentrate on? Anything special to use on the carpets or other > suggested cleaning agents? Anything really GOOD at neutralizing > prior-pet ordors and scents?
Just having the entire house cleaned by a professional is an excellent idea. I don’t know of anything for pet odors in particular, but this is something you need to talk to the professional cleaners about. Talk to more than one and go with the one that seems to have the most knowledge and experience about cleaning pet stains and odors in particular. They do this every day for a living, so they should have *some* good ideas. > ISSUE 2: CAT DOOR – LEARNING TO USE > Our new house has a "professionally installed" cat door which gave our > prior owner’s cats access to a clean, screened-in porch. We were hoping > to treat our cats to a little outside sun and recreation through > teaching them to use the cat door. My question is HOW to teach them? > Do you just SHOVE them through? Put a trail of treats to the door and > outside? What are suggestions for teaching them to use the cat door to > the outside deck??
I had no problem teaching mine at all. He wanted to go outside and was always searching for ways to get outside, so he found it on his own. You may have to push them through the door once so they know it’s there, but that’s about it. You could probably just do nothing and they would find it on their own anyway. The only problem might be if they just don’t want to go outside. Don’t force them in this case. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> ISSUE 3: CAT DOOR – LITTER OUTSIDE > The prior owners of our new house also placed their litter boxes > outside. I actually do not recall seeing a litter box inside the house > at all. The screened-in area outside has a VERY substantial overhang > which proved to TOTALLY shield the litter boxes from any inclement > weather. My question here is HOW to teach them that the litter boxes > are outside? Is it the same way you would show them the placement of > litter boxes INSIDE? I’m foreseeing some ADDED problems with TWO new > situations: (1) the existance of the unfamiliar cat door and (2) the > placement of the litter boxes outside NECESSITATING the use of the > unfamiliar cat door. Do you think I can teach them the location of the > litter outside and ONLY have outside boxes?? Should I also keep litter > boxes inside for their choice? Is there a way to "wean them off" a > litter box placed inside at first and eventually teach them that they > should use the litter boxes outside?? I have visions of grandeur with > only having a litter box outside for the rest of my life but perhaps > that isn’t practical….or is it??
I’m not sure why it’s necessary to place litter boxes outside. The cats are perfectly capable of finding their own spots unless they would be digging up your flowers or the like. I just cleared a few spots in my yard where it’s hard to grow something anyway, and my cat usually just uses those spots because the dirt is loose. I would think leaving some litter boxes on the screen porch makes more sense. You probably don’t want to leave the pet door open 24 hours a day. Other animals do like to come into your house through the pet door at night. I’ve had other cats try it, even rats. If you do keep litter boxes outside, it shouldn’t be necessary to do anything. Cats will naturally use the easiest place to go to the bathroom. Litter boxes are designed for this, so they will most likely prefer it to digging in hard dirt or grass. My cat always goes to the bathroom outside unless he’s shut in the house for so many hours he can’t hold it anymore, then he uses one of the litterboxes inside. Cats generally like to go to the bathroom on the edges of their territory, far from the places where they live most of the time. Assuming they stay indoors most of the time, they will probably naturally prefer to go to the bathroom somewhere outside. Bill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I think that’s about all of my main questions for now. If I think of > some other issues, I’ll post. For the time being, THANKS TO EVERYONE > for reading and posting their suggestions!!! PLEASE feel free to email > responses to me and also post to share with the group…thanks!!! > Scott > —
Response:
Hi Everyone! I’m new to the group(s) (sorry for the 2-group cross-post) but didn’t know which group was more suited to my questions ) So I have a few issues (well, alot of issues…just gonna hit ya with the *cat* issues) that I hope a kind person or two might be able to help me with. Here goes…. Little background…I have 4 cats, all female. Two oldest ones are sisters (same litter, age 4). Those two moved with my girlfriend and I from NJ to FL. In Florida, we got our third cat who just turned 2 and our fourth cat who is 9 months. After all the new-smell introductions, hissing and dominance indications, everyone really gets along well. We often wake up with all four on the bed!! Anyway, all are spayed and healthy. ONE PROBLEM we ran into last August (2001) when we moved to our current house is that one of the oldest females (yes *female*!!) started spraying. Our move from NJ to FL was to an apartment for a year where there was NO spraying. Our second move from the apartment to a townhouse was when the spraying started. We took her to the vet and it does NOT seem to be a medical problem but more behavorial. Also doesn’t seem to have to do with a litter box problem either. She tends to spray *targets*–an empty box, mat, jacket mistakenly left on the floor, papers on a table. She’s gotten *better* in the past year but hasn’t kicked the habit. We think the problem stems from a combination of (1) looooong introduction of our fourth cat to the house and (2) the fact that the previous owners had a cat in the house. The fourth cat was quarantined for a good few months in her own bedroom prior to being introduced to the rest of the cats and we think that such a long time went by without the older cat knowing the source of the "new smell" in the house that she started marking territory as a dominance move and never really kicked the habit. Also, I think the prior-owner’s cat smells were still in the house and might have been a bit threatening, especially coupled with the 4th cat :-(( So, in about 2 weeks, we’re making the move with the 4 cats to a new home. Our current townhouse and the new home are both 2-story but the new house is almost twice as big. The new home is VERY clean from a human standpoint but I know they owned 3 long-haireds (and a puppy for about a month). So, here are my issues/questions/thoughts for which I’m seeking advice!!!: ISSUE 1: CLEANING THE HOUSE: To start everyone off (us included, but most importantly, the cats) on the same clean foot, I intend on having the home professionally cleaned top to bottom prior to moving in. APART from obvious instruction to the cleaners that they use ONLY pet-friendly cleaning agents, I was wondering if I should request or do anything specifically to get rid of the "prior-owner-cats-scent"?? As I stated above, I believe the spraying problem was associated with being subject to (1) the prior-owner’s cat and (2) our fourth cat and need to sorta "claim stuff as her own." I am HOPING that cleaning the house prior to moving in might keep her from spraying and, instead, cause her to mark by rubbing her face scent glands WITHOUT spraying as she happily did with our initial move from NJ to to the apartment in FL. Any areas in the house to concentrate on? Anything special to use on the carpets or other suggested cleaning agents? Anything really GOOD at neutralizing prior-pet ordors and scents? ISSUE 2: CAT DOOR – LEARNING TO USE Our new house has a "professionally installed" cat door which gave our prior owner’s cats access to a clean, screened-in porch. We were hoping to treat our cats to a little outside sun and recreation through teaching them to use the cat door. My question is HOW to teach them? Do you just SHOVE them through? Put a trail of treats to the door and outside? What are suggestions for teaching them to use the cat door to the outside deck?? ISSUE 3: CAT DOOR – LITTER OUTSIDE The prior owners of our new house also placed their litter boxes outside. I actually do not recall seeing a litter box inside the house at all. The screened-in area outside has a VERY substantial overhang which proved to TOTALLY shield the litter boxes from any inclement weather. My question here is HOW to teach them that the litter boxes are outside? Is it the same way you would show them the placement of litter boxes INSIDE? I’m foreseeing some ADDED problems with TWO new situations: (1) the existance of the unfamiliar cat door and (2) the placement of the litter boxes outside NECESSITATING the use of the unfamiliar cat door. Do you think I can teach them the location of the litter outside and ONLY have outside boxes?? Should I also keep litter boxes inside for their choice? Is there a way to "wean them off" a litter box placed inside at first and eventually teach them that they should use the litter boxes outside?? I have visions of grandeur with only having a litter box outside for the rest of my life but perhaps that isn’t practical….or is it?? I think that’s about all of my main questions for now. If I think of some other issues, I’ll post. For the time being, THANKS TO EVERYONE for reading and posting their suggestions!!! PLEASE feel free to email responses to me and also post to share with the group…thanks!!! Scott —
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