Another cat peeing question

Question
Hello, I have 3 female spayed cats. 2 are sisters (about 4 yrs old) and another
was integrated into our family (about 2 yrs old). I am not sure which cats are
peeing, but it seems that they pee on one area mostly. However, the bed has
become a recent target as has a scrap booking bag( I am not sure how they
even figured out how to pee in it). I recently had a baby so there may be
some jealousy. Please help! We are on the verge of giving up. Also, there was
a similar question and your suggestion was to clean with an enzyme cleaner,
where do I find one? Thank you!

Answer
Carla,

It sounds as if they are stressed and jealous of the new baby. I am including some links to good articles about introducing new babies to cats and behavior problems: (copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar)

http://www.petplace.com/cats/helping-your-cat-and-new-baby-get-along/page1.aspx

and

http://westwoodanimalhospital.com/BhvArticles/Infants,%20Children,%20And%20Cats....

As far as which cat is doing the peeing one solution veterinarians use to help identify a problem cat in a multicat household is to give a fluorescent dye to one cat at a time. The dye will pass in the urine and can be detected through what's called a Wood's Lamp. To figure out which cat is leaving gift piles, ordinary food coloring will do. Place a few drops of green or blue in the cat's mouth before he eats. The stool of the marked cat should come out darker than the others.

And here is some helpful (I hope!) information on cleaning cat urine:

HOMEMADE CAT URINE REMOVER

1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon of liquid soap

Gently mix all ingredients in a non-metal container. Do not mix or shake vigorously! The mixture is best used when fresh but can be stored. DO NOT keep mixture in an airtight container as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide when mixed together release a lot of oxygen and can cause an explosion.

The recipe is effective because the reaction from mixing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda produces large amount of oxygen. The oxygen molecules bond to the thiols, breaking them up into carbon dioxide and ammonia which evaporates quickly thereby effectively neutralizing the thoils and their foul-smelling odor.
Always check for color fastness as hydrogen peroxide can be a bleaching agent. If you don't know where an odor is coming from you might need to use a small battery operated blacklight called a 'Stink Finder' (PetSmart, Petco, etc.) at night to find the soiled areas.


HOW TO REMOVE CAT URINE ODOR FROM CARPETS

FOR INDIVIDUAL URINE SPOTS ON CARPET:
If fresh, sop up as much cat urine as you can with a paper towel first. Use a spray bottle to saturate the spot completely with the recipe - do not blot. The recipe must penerate the padding and possibly the floor boards underneath, where the urine has penerated for it to work. Wait 24-48 hours until dry then vacuum. If the urine odor is still present - repeat the procedure. It usually takes 2-3 applications to completely neutralize the cat urine odor.

FOR LARGE AREAS OF CARPET:

You can use a carpet cleaning machine  using the recipe instead of the shampoo. You will need to make several gallons of the recipe depending on the size of the carpet. Don't use the vacuum part of the machine - you will want to let the solution soak and dry for 24-48 hours before vacuuming. Most carpet cleaning machines are not made for this use and baking soda can clog the nozzles of the machine.

A 1 gallon garden bug sprayer (Home Dept., etc.)  works great too.  Rinse the nozzle out frequently by filling the tank with hot water and spraying it in the  bathtub. If using the sprayer, saturate the entire carpet with the recipe, let dry for about 24-48 hours, and vacuum. You will have to probably repeat the procedure again. Areas heavily saturated with old urine may take 3 applications over a week.

If the cat urine is old and dried, the smell will probably be worse a day or two later. This is because you are rehydrating the uric acid crystals in the urine to neutralize them. The smell will get better with each application!

MATTRESSES:

You must saturate the spot throughly to get deep down into the padding and springs to neutralize the urine. If the cat has urinated alot in one spot, the mattress can be soiled all the way to the other side! Let the area dry for 24-48 hours without bedding then reapply if necessary.

SOFAS:

The same directions as above  but always check for color-fastness in a hidden area before using. Cotton is used in alot of upholstery fabrics and is easily bleached. If your sofa pillow cushion covers can be unzipped and taken off (must be color-fast and washable) you can put them in the washing machine using the instructions for clothing and bedding.

CLOTHING, COMFORTERS, AND BEDDING:

Put the items in the washing machine and pour in enough of the recipe to cover throughly. This might take a few gallons depending on the size of the load. Soak for at least 24 hours. Rinse and rewash using normal washing detergent. If any of the odor is still present, soak again for 24 hours, rinse and rewash.

A small area on a comforter can be spot treated by saturating the area throughly, letting it dry for 24 hours, then washing the comforter normally in the washer with detergent. Always check for color-fastness before using.

AREA RUGS:

They can be spot treated with a sprayer or put in the washer. Test for color-fastness before treatment.

HARDWOOD FLOORS:

When cat urine seeps into wood flooring it causes the fibrous cells in wood to swell and warp ruining the flooring planks. The only way to fix this is by replacing the wood. You can treat the wood with the cat urine remover recipe but wood is preamable and it could make the wood swell further, causing further damage.

HARD SURFACES:

Spray or mop the area soiled with the cat urine. Saturate it completely and let the area dry for 2-3 days.

I hope this helps.

Tabbi