My cat will not go to the bathroom unless she thinks she is alone. Sassanach will sit outside of her litter box and wait for several minutes until she can be sure that there is no one around and then she quickly gets in, does her thing and jumps out. It’s really quite amusing. Today I accidently walked into the room while she was in her box and she leapt out as soon as she saw me, litter flying everywhere and gave me this look that could only say “I wasn’t in there! Me? Whatever.” In the 13 years that I have been living with Sassanach, I think I’ve only seen her go into her cat box twice.

I’m fortunate. Sass has never gone outside of her litter box. She covers it up and there’s rarely ever any odor. I don’t worry too much. In the past, I have been around other cats that make me so much more appreciative of my little orange companion.

If pet odors become a problem, here’s a few ways to help:

· For pets that completely disregard their designated bathroom facility and soil carpet instead, blot the area with a paper towel to absorb as much as you can, unless it is poo and blotting will only make things worse! You know what to do with that. Once the most of it is picked up or blotted up, use a vinegar and water solution to clean it up. This will help with the stain and freshen the area to eliminate the odor.

· Urine Gone is actually pretty effective stuff! Follow the directions on the bottle and it works quite well. I know because my mother walker around her house for two years with a bottle of it permanently attached to her left hand. Very sad.

· Arm and Hammer makes a multi-cat cat litter and it works very well. Air fresheners are always a good idea, put one of the sticky ones on the box and it’ll last for several months.

· Wet dogs never smell good. Keep a towel handy for when your dog goes out to use the bathroom on a rainy day. Muddy paws wreak havoc on floors.

· Febreze the furniture regularly. You can also Febreze the carpets and drapes as well.

· I once went on a tangent and bought three of those Glade Plugins for my apartment. Bad idea. One of these is plenty strong enough to fill a room. Three is well…three is awful. Don’t do that. But one situated near the kitty box will work wonders!