When Home Improvement Spirals Out of Control

[shabbychick]

So, as some of you know, one of my cats has a severe case of SVLBC (Strictly Voluntary Loss of Bladder Control). For the last four years she has lived in my bathroom and the attached walk-in closet. Though she'll urinate on anything I leave on the bathroom floor, she generally left the carpet in the closet alone. Recently, though, I detected the unmistakable aroma of cat urine and investigated. There was a big, big spot where had been relieving herself (I'm glad one of us is getting some relief) and it had been there long enough to soak way down deep.

Well, I had wanted to take the carpet out of there for a long time, anyway, because it's so hard to vacuum into the corners of a full closet, so off I went to Home Depot to buy some peel and stick planks that create a floating floor (no adhesive necessary). Good enough. I took them home and discovered that I couldn't get the rug out of the closet without taking out the clothes. So I unloaded the closet, pulled up the stinky carpet, pulled up the carpet pad, and pulled up the carpet tack strips and hauled everything out to the garbage. I had bought some "Advanced" Nature's Miracle for Cats and am still waiting for it to do its job. I've scraped all the old paint off that section of the subfloor, pulled out all the nails and staples, and soaked the floorboard with Nature's Miracle. Maybe it'd work better if I sprayed it on the cat instead.

It's guaranteed to work, so I've got the fan blowing on it right now. Supposedly once it dries, the smell will be gone. Well, while I was at it, I discovered the urine had soaked parts of one of the baseboards, so off that came as well, and I sprayed the drywall under it. Then I figured, well, as long as I had everything out of the closet, I might as well paint it.

I cannot figure out how to get the wire shelves off of their supports. A couple of the shelves popped off, but the others resist all my efforts to remove them, so I guess I'll be painting around them. That's going to add some time to what should have been a fast paint job.

So I'm off to the store now for a can of the brightest white paint I can find. Then it'll be back home to wield a paintbrush and try not to step in the paint can (something I usually do once or twice per painting session). And of course, I'm having out of town company on Thursday, so this all has to be done by then. So does having my car serviced, spending a day with my sister, and running a bunch of other errands. Funny, I thought this was going to be such a relaxing summer...

[Nikki]

I can totally sympathize with you! Relaxing summer, I wish! No matter how hard we work and how many sunny weekends we sacrifice, the to-do list only gets longer, I swear! At least you have a sense of humor about it....that definitely helps! (BTW, you must have tiny feet if you can step in the paint can! I usually just trip over it and nearly break my neck :D)

Do you have the luxury of closing the closet up if you're not finished by the time your guests arrive?

[chyna]

I just had to laugh, been there and still in the midst of one of those "easy" jobs. :p I think it would be think it would be easier to just get rid of the cat. LOL Before anyone jumps on me, I'm just joking. If I really meant it I would be at least 5 dogs leaner and probably 2 cats lighter too. :eek:

Do tell how the natures miracle works for you, I have a few dogs here that for some reason have decided they don't have to go out the back door and use the outside.

[shabbychick]

I can totally sympathize with you! Relaxing summer, I wish! No matter how hard we work and how many sunny weekends we sacrifice, the to-do list only gets longer, I swear! At least you have a sense of humor about it....that definitely helps! (BTW, you must have tiny feet if you can step in the paint can! I usually just trip over it and nearly break my neck :D)

Do you have the luxury of closing the closet up if you're not finished by the time your guests arrive?

I could close up the closet, but the clothes that used to be inside it will still be lying on my bed (instead of me). I got the closet painted tonight...one coat of white on the ceiling and walls. It's not perfect, and I'm not going to obsess about it. It's better than it was. Boy, it really soaked up the paint, too. I went through almost a whole gallon just on one walk-in closet. Tomorrow I'm going to try to get the floor in, even if I have to leave that one section undone so it can continue to dry out. It is improving.

Now it's after midnight, and I'm too keyed up to sleep. I shouldn't do all that exercise just before bed. I will be sleeping downstairs on the sofa bed tonight as it is the only bed in the house that's not covered with stuff.

Here's to a productive Sunday.

[shabbychick]

I just had to laugh, been there and still in the midst of one of those "easy" jobs. :p I think it would be think it would be easier to just get rid of the cat. LOL Before anyone jumps on me, I'm just joking. If I really meant it I would be at least 5 dogs leaner and probably 2 cats lighter too. :eek:

Do tell how the natures miracle works for you, I have a few dogs here that for some reason have decided they don't have to go out the back door and use the outside.

I keep threatening to get rid of the cat. There's a no-kill shelter not too far from here, though there is a long waiting list. This cat is so destructive...she's ruined three rugs so far and cost me hundreds of dollars. Plus, she beats up on the other cat. But when she gets in the shower with me in the morning to get her daily drink of hot water and bath, she's just so dang cute that I can't bring myself to get rid of her. She's now living in the guest bath, which is smaller, but there's not closet attached. Now I have to replace the bathroom door with a screen door so she can at least look out and I can get the benefit of the light that comes through that bathroom window.

The Nature's Miracle seems to be working slowly, but so did the other product I used before that was eventually successful in eliminating the odor from another part of the house. I know you have to let the product get down into the area where the urine is still soaked in, so I drilled some small holes in the subfloor (managing to break a drill bit in the process) and then squirted some more of the product. Currently there's a fan up there drying it out, so I'll see what it looks like (and smells like) in the morning. My plan is to then paint over that spot with some Kilz before laying the floor over it.

I hope this works!

[yarborough house]

Hope the closet fix gets done quickly. that has to be frustrating. And all of us who are doing kitchens right now are totally aware of the spiral effect.. :)
I actually went and ordered cabinets from Lowes yesterday..so another item that will be done soon.
Hang in there.

[Lynzee]

I hear ya, Shabbychick. That seems to happen to me every time I take on a new project so I know how frustrating it is--especially when there are houseguests on the way!

Keeping my fingers crossed for you that the rest of the project moves along quickly and smoothly. :)

[vintage girl]

You definately have your hands full with this project and the cat!! Just wondering if you have taken your cat to be checked out by the vet. Years ago I had a cat that was doing the exact same thing, and it turned out she had a medical condition, that once treated, solved her urinating problem. Might be worth checking into if you haven't done so already. Good luck with the closet:)

[LindaLK]

Good Morning Everyone, :)

ShabbyChick, you know you have posted to the right bunch of ladies. That`s what we are here for. (hugs) We are all so different, but ohhhh so much the same.

What are days off? Weekend projects only??? A small project?? The last one is the funniest one of all. A small project? Anything that seems small, rest assured, it will take days or weeks to complete. Ask me how I know this? :D

Projects are never ending when you have kids and pets. I am forever touching up paint on door ways, and bottom moldings. I am constantly washing walls. What is it with kids, that they have to run dirty hands down a wall, or scuff up paint? Ughh!!

I vac non~stop between the kids and animals. I have an indoor and outdoor petting zoo at my house.:eek: I vac so much, I am considering inventing a ride~on vacuum. It would be so much faster riding, than pushing the darn thing all over the house. LOL!

My small project of adding wainscotting to our main bathroom took a whole weekend. The package stated how easy it was to install. Yeah, right! Well, if you have walls that are off, and tight areas to work around, that you have to cut to fit, it changes the ``Easy To Install`` greatly.

It`s nice that we all have a place to come to, to share our woews, and our accomplishments. And to know we are never alone. Enjoy the day everyone.



Hugs,
Linda :

[RoseMary]

LindaLK~I LOVE your idea of a riding vacuum:D. With pet hair, I am constantly vacuuming, too. Duct (Duck) tape is fantastic for the stuff, too:p.

[LindaLK]

Hi RoseMary, :)

Glad you liked my idea. I should draw up a prototype, and send it off to several vacuum companies. Remember....if I hit it big, you heard it here first. :D

I will have to try your duct tape idea. Thanks for the suggestion. If I were smart, I would have nothing but hairless animals. Cresteds, Sphynx, etc,.. I haven`t heard of hairless horses, hairless bunnies, featherless birds, or non~pooping ornamental gold fish. I wonder if waxing works on animals? :D Just kidding....Just kidding.

Enjoy the day!


Hugs,
Linda :)

[chyna]

Waxing is too harsh but you can use Nair on them. :p But be very careful, you can burn the skin. Hairless dogs really do make a difference, I have looked at my cats with that look a few times. ;) I'm thinking a Rex next time, just can't make that step and get a Sphynx. Even I gotta say enough is enough on nekkid animals. LOL

[LindaLK]

Hi Chyna, :)

Good idea. I will try the Nair. Thank you. :D J.K. J.K..

I think I would draw the line with nekkid animals too. I did have a wonderful Crested Hairless years ago. I kept telling hubby to make sure he didn`t get sun burned. I got home and my poor baby was red! Hubby said normal people don`t have hairless dogs that need sunscreen. The funny thing with him was, people would walk up to me when I had him out in public. They would ask to pet him, which I let them. Then they would say: ``Oooh... he feels like skin.`` Well, no duh! That`s what the fur is attached to. Skin. ROFLOL!

A few years ago, our third daughter wanted a Naked Mole Rat that she had seen in a pet store. Good Lord that thing was ugly. It was bald with bucked teeth. She insisted it was adorable. I did have her eyes checked, the eye doctor said she was fine.

Have a great day!


Hugs,
Linda :)

[annielinz]

Linda K, you make me laugh, your humor is right up my alley :D

[LindaLK]

Good Morning Everyone, :)

Annielinz, I was happy to hear I made you laugh.
I try to find the humor everyday. They say laughing keeps you young. At this rate, I should look darn good when I hit 90! :D

Today we aren`t hearing about that dreaded four~letter word. No, not that one. I meant....RAIN. :)

Have a great day!


Hugs,
Linda :)

[CohenCottage]

Linda-

I know I've probably mentioned this before on another thread, but 'The Equalizer' stain and odor eliminator really really works on cat urine. You can get it at some vets and on amazon. It is an aerosol so it dries fast, and it's great for carpet and cushions and things that take forever to dry. It saved our couches when our cats started using them exclusively to potty. Do you think that your cat could become an outdoor kitty? Good luck!

[LindaLK]

Good Morning Everyone, :)

Hi Cohen, it was actually ShabbyChick that has the peeing kitty. Thank you for the info, I am sure she will see your post. I only have problems with shedding dogs, cats, bunnies, and moulting birds that are inside the house.

Have a great day!


Hugs,
Linda :)

[CohenCottage]

Sorry about that! I guess I need another cup of coffee before I start posting :eek: We battle hair too, so I'll try the Nair. Consumer Reports said that the furminator really did remove more loose hair than regular brushing, but we are too lazy to use it. I kind of like those fuzzy sheets made by 3M that stick onto a plastic handle. They seem to work much better than regular sticky rollers.

[RoseMary]

I've never had any sort of hairless animal, though there are days that I wish my cats were:p.

I used to have a little dachshund that didn't mind having duct tape used on him to remove hair, fleas, etc. . It was a little weird, but it worked well.

The duct tape works the same way as the 3M on the plastic handle that Cohen mentioned. It's a little cheaper to use, just be sure to buy the really good duct tape. The cheap stuff is worthless.

[LindaLK]

Hello Ladies, :)


Not a problem Cohen, I have caffeine deficient days myself. Even when I do have coffee, it doesn`t always help. :D

Thank you RoseMary and Cohen for the 3~M & Duct Tape idea. It is worth a try. Any thing weird would fit right in here at my house. :D

Enjoy the day!


Hugs,
Linda :)

[chyna]

Wonder if you can use the tape to remove the odd hair on my hairless'. :D

Linda
Was your crestie a true hairless or a hairy hairless? I just adore my little nekkie bodies and I swear they don't get dirt when outside in the garden or yard. Now the really hairy hairless.... I swear he attracts dirt! That's a puppy for you.

Know what you mean about people petting them and then uttering those phrases. I get the leather comment alot too. :rolleyes: And I'm really good at witty responses to that stupid Ugly Dog Contest thing. Like I appreciate people saying my dog is ugly! Well Gus is getting there but I still wouldn't enter him.:o

[LindaLK]

Hi Chyna, :)

Rogaine was a ``True Hairless.`` Yes, his name was Rogaine. :D Our oldest named him. He looked like a mini Clydesdale. He had fluffy feet, tail and top knot on his head. The rest was as nekkid as a Jay Bird. Where did that phrase come from any way? The poor thing would also get black heads and pimples. It was like having a teenager in a doggy suit. We placed him with friends of ours that had lost their beloved dog. He lived to a ripe old age of 15.

Like you, I got every ``Ugly`` comment you could imagine. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
He was the best little dog. Did yours also use their front paws like hands? Ours could pick things up when he tucked his paws in. Too funny to see him do this. It was nice talking about Cresties with you.

We also had English and French Bulldogs. One of our little female Frenchies was thought to be a Pot Belly Pig piglet. How that could happen, I don`t know???

Have a great day!


Hugs,
Linda :)

[RoseMary]

Thank you, Linda~I've had my first big grin for today~a dog being mistaken for a pig:D!

[chyna]

Oh Rosemary if you only knew!!! Some friends of ours adopted a shih x crested and I swear to you he looks like a little black pig. Ren is one of those dogs you just have to love to appreciate. I adore him and look forward to seeing them just to see the dog. :D They were going to name him Chemo but decided that was too offensive to other so it was Ren from Ren & Stimpy.

Egads, the blackheads!!!! 3 of mine have nice skin and zitless but my heart dog Chyna. We do daily battle against the blackheads and we are still losing. I did learn that mixing up yogurt and honey and slathering it on them helps tremendously. It is true it does work quite nicely, just messy as all get out and you have to store yogurt around the house for those improptu baths. When pupper was a puppy she had white go-go boots on the front, they were just darling. Now they look like boots that have been run over by a truck. I need to trim them so maybe they will look cute again. Flowing socks is not on the agenda. :(

Some of mine use the monkey paws more than others. Chyna is the most agile about it but she is also the one we call Scrounger. My vet called her the crazed squirrel when she was a puppy. Yes she is really a character. :p

Now our hairy hairless (really hairy) is one of those boneless dogs when it comes to sleeping. and is a major snuggler, Chyna thinks of us as her cushions to sleep on but Tree just wants to touch us as much as he possibly can if he could merge with us he would. silly puppy!

[RoseMary]

Yikes, dogs with blackheads~the poor things. Can you use Witch Hazel on their skin? I use it on my cat that has skin problems and it really helps.

[LindaLK]

Hi Ladies, :)

Sorry I haven`t been on here as much as I would like to be. RoseMary, I am always happy to make you and anyone else smile. I never tried the Witch Hazel. I can`t see where it would hurt. Great suggestion. Thanks. :)

Have a good night all.


Hugs,
Linda :)

[chyna]

Actually the crestie gang suggests a mixture of witch hazel and plain ol' mouthwash. And you use it on them each and every day, that didn't get far at my house. I'm way too scattered and running all over the place to even remember to do that. I'm lucky I remember to yogurt the poor things once a month!:eek:

[shabbychick]

Sorry I haven't been around. I got my closet floor installed just in time for company to arrive, and then we went on vacation. I had a great time, which more than made up for the blood, sweat, and tears (okay, no tears, but some intemperate language) that went into the installation of the vinyl floor. I thought I'd post some pictures here. You can see the damage the cat did to the floor in the first picture (it's the large, dark stain). It took me a couple of days to get enough Nature's Miracle onto that sucker to get rid of the stench. I ended up drilling holes in the subfloor to get the product to soak in. While I was doing that project, the clothes had to go somewhere, so I discovered that you don't really need to hang bed curtains for privacy.The last couple of pics are of the completed floor. Now that I'm back from vacation, I have to get a new piece of baseboard and a new threshhold on there, and it'll be complete. I like the look of the vinyl, and it's a lot easier to keep clean than the carpet. I didn't take any pictures of the bruises and bloody nicks on my legs from gouging myself with the corners of the vinyl tiles, but I'm sure you can imagine that quite nicely. :) The cat is now banned from the closet forever!!

[Heather]

Good repair job, Shabby.
How was your vacation?

[LindaLK]

Good Morning Ladies, :)

ShabbyChick, the closet looks great! I can imagine what your knees looked like, and how they felt. Been there and done that. I was saying how our cats have not peed in the house. I now take that back. Our neutered male has found that my very large cactus is the perfect potty place. Grrrr! I have tried using baking soda, vinegar, and Nature`s Miracle. You can still smell the pee. This is why I prefer no cats, or to have them stay outdoors. The cactus is too large to move with only two people, so I will have to call in the troops to help hubby and I get it outside. I will try digging out most of the dirt, and replacing it. I hope this works. I certainly don`t want to kill it, I have had it for years.

I hope you had a great vacation. Details my dear. Details. :)

Once again our plans for painting the exterior of the house have been axed, due to rain. 2~summers in a row, of nothing but rain and humidity is enough already! (sigh) I should contact the Guiness Book of World Records, and see if I hold the record for the longest amount of time taken to paint ``ONE`` house. :D

Enjoy the day everyone.


Hugs,
Linda :)

[shabbychick]

My vacation was great, thanks. We drove down Interstate 5 to Eugene, Oregon, the cut over east to Susanville, then south to Tahoe to get to the cabin we rented there for the weekend. We stayed in a couple of cute B&Bs on the way down, a mountain cabin up at Tahoe, and some sweet little motels along Highway 101 on the way back up the coast. I think I have decided I want to live on the Oregon coast. What absolutely beautiful country that is!

Between stops for coffee, bathrooms, meals, and pictures (and the occasional nap) we put in some very long days of driving to make our reservations each night. I think next time I'll forgo the reservations and just take my chances on looking for a place when I get tired of driving. If any of you are going to the Oregon Coast, I can recommend the Trollers Lodge in Depoe Bay. They've got some cute little rooms with or without kitchenettes and a couple of houses with views of the ocean. We just rented a small room with a mini-kitchen for our overnight stay, but I'd love to stay in one of the houses someday. The views are spectacular (when the fog lifts, anyway). We're going to "do" the Northern Oregon coast during my next spring break. After our Tahoe stay, we drove over to Sacramento to deliver someone to the airport then headed west and caught 101, so we saw the coast of Northern California (and the redwoods) and Southern and Central Oregon. Aside from long waits due to road construction, the drive was lovely.

If any of you ever get inland to Susanville, California, there's a nice little B&B there called Roseberry House. It's a hundred years old. We stayed in a three-room suite with nice views of the town and the surrounding countryside. The food was great. We also stayed at The Oval Door B&B in Eugene, Oregon, and had a great experience there. It's a new building, as its previous incarnation burned to the ground some time ago, but it looks old. It has a beautiful wrap-around porch where we spent a pleasantly warm evening sipping complemetary wine and eating chocolate chip cookies while we surfed the net using their free wi-fi. The rooms were comfortable and the breakfast was delicious. The drive down I-5 from Seattle to Eugene is nothing to write home about, but from that point on, the drive was quite lovely (even taking into account the semi-terrifying winding mountain roads between Eugene and Susanville).

The wonderful thing about the west is that you can see so many different environments in a relatively short time. We took in mountains, deserts, and beaches, towering forests and sun-crisped scrubland, hundred-degree heat and chilly fog. This was just about the best vacation I've ever had, and now I'm ready to get in my car and do it all again!!

Below is a picture of the Roseberry House in Susanville.

[Lisa S]

Two more stops for you in Oregon: Our lake house in the coast range and our home in Portland. I'll pour a cold drink and we can visit!

[annielinz]

Shabby, sounds like a wonderful vacation!

We leave tomorrow for So Cal to visit my DS. The drive is not near as scenic as yours sounded but the destination will be worth the drive.

BTW the closet came out great too!

[shabbychick]

Two more stops for you in Oregon: Our lake house in the coast range and our home in Portland. I'll pour a cold drink and we can visit!

Sounds like a plan, Lisa. Oregon is a beautiful state.

[shabbychick]

Shabby, sounds like a wonderful vacation!

We leave tomorrow for So Cal to visit my DS. The drive is not near as scenic as yours sounded but the destination will be worth the drive.

BTW the closet came out great too!

Thanks, MaryAnn. I was not sure at all about my choice for the closet, but I simply had to get it done. Maybe it's better when I'm under pressure and don't have time to be paralyzed by indecision. I'm just glad it's done and hoping the cat doesn't find a way to ruin the bathroom floor, too. If she does, I'm afraid it's off to the animal shelter for her. I'm out of rooms!

[chyna]

I'm telling you ladies... peppermint extract. Cats avoid it, pour directly on cottonballs or mix with water and into a spray bottle. You have to reapply it daily if not twice daily but eventually it is so soaked in they stay away.:eek: Yes I got scratchers at my house. Mangy brats!

[RoseMary]

The closet turned out great! I'm glad you came through the ordeal without tears:p!

I've never had a problem with cats peeing in the house, either, but I'm sure there's a first time. I don't have any carpet, as it is just too hard to keep clean and it made our allergies worse when we had it.

I hope that taking the dirt out helps, Linda. Have you tried putting a few briquettes of charcoal in the pot?