HEllo James,

On Mon 2038-Dec-06 16:34, James Bradley (1:342/77) wrote to Richard Webb:

 RW> On Sat 2038-Dec-04 12:30, James Bradley (1:342/77) wrote to Richard
 RW> Webb:

 JB> Back to topic, that bleach is going to take out the smell, and
 JB> likely the  mattress. I'll bet if the bleach smell alone was
 JB> stronger than pure urine,  that might discourage further squatting.
 RW> YEah, wanna dilute it a bit, but it might be the only tool
 RW> ya got.  AS we both agree though, that smell's gotta go.
 RW> Even if you think you got 'er done, their noses are much
 RW> more sensitive than ours, and they'll go to that spot
 RW> again, and again, and ...

 JB> My initial concern was the caustic nature of bleach. Even diluted,
 JB> you're  going to get a nice white spot where the yellow one used to
 JB> be. Lesser of  two evils to be sure! But Matt - I presume - will
 JB> want to sleep on the bed  too.  I'm pretty sure the
 JB> chlorine gas isn't going to be  poisonous, even straight out of the
 JB> bottle, but I'm sure I would need some  adjustment period to fall
 JB> asleep on the thing.

 RW> RIght, but you gotta get rid of that smell, even if that
 RW> means new mattress.  WHatever way you do it, that smell's
 RW> the trigger, and it's gotta go.

JB> Yuppers, but then there the habitual part has to be addressed.
JB> That's where  your bleach could come in. Once they stick their noses
JB> in that, their  thoughts of relief go to fleeing. I wonder if
JB> cayenne pepper might encourage  that also. I've read it might help
JB> with Cat Scratch Fever.

NOt being a cat person I'm not that familiar with their
behavior patterns, but two things have to happen.  Get rid
of the smelll which is the trigger, then deny them the area
when you're not there.  removing the trigger should suffice, but just in case,
deny them the area when one's not home as
well.

I have to laugh at people that say "... doesn't get up on
the couch."  YEah right, soon as you're not around fido's on the couch
snoozing away.  HE hears your car pull up, off the couch he comes, because the
unpleasant part is you catching
him on the couch.  OTherwise the couch is just as comfy as
it ever was.  One reason I don't deny my dogs the furniture. IT's an exercise
in pointless #1, and I have dogs.  IF you
choose to enter my home you know i have a dog at the moment. IF that offends
the nondog person then he/she doesn't need
to enter.  My mother complains about the fact I have a dog,
because she's allergic.  When I saw this little bit in funny I posted it to
her in email.
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front
door:

RULES FOR NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

1. They live here. You don't.

2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the fu
niture.(That's why they call it "fur" niture.)

3. I like my pets a lot better than most people.

4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is
short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Dogs and cats are easier than kids:

A) They eat less;

B) They don't ask for money all the time;

C) They are easier to train i.e. usually come when called, never drive your
car and don't hang out with drug-using friends;

D) They don't smoke or drink;

E) They don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions;

F) They don't wear my clothes;

G) They don't need a gazillion dollars for college; and

C) If they get pregnant, you can sell the children.



 JB> I could buy a new pillow-top for about $200 Canadian, but that
 JB> doesn't help  Matt out a smidgeoun. Short of replacing the mattress
 JB> and disallowing the  animals admittance....

 RW> YEah that's about what I think they probably go for around
 RW> here, haven't bought one in a long time.  I'd try your

>$1K last I checked.

  I think somebody gave us one after Katrina.  Before
that I inherited a king size, preacher and his wife got a
new water bed setup and we got their old king.  That was fun getting up and
down a flight of stairs.

JB> There's a fix! As a finish, I'd tend toward using a bleach mix
JB> through a  "steam" (Really, just a hot water-bleach infusion, as
JB> mentioned on another  echo. ;-) cleaner over the whole shot to even
JB> out the colour.  


THere ya go.

I'd also suggest that Matt get some books on canine behavior from his friendly
local library.  From some of the questions he's asked in this echo over the
last year or so I'm
gathering that he's not acquired a lifelong familiarity with dogs.  THere are
some good ones that predate Caesar, not
that Caesar isn't good, quite the contrary, he's very good,
but I think some others start from a better place to the
neophyte to dogs.  They're very much social animals though,
and what we often think is a controlled behavior is only
controlled when we're around, because it's our reaction to
the behavior they're trying to avoid, which doesn't really
solve the problem.

Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin:  (1:116/901)