On The Prowl:  A Feline Purr..spective

Feliway & UrineOff - A Purrfect Compliment

By Stacy Mantle

When you live with 14 cats, 10 of which are male, you know you’re going to have to deal with certain things in life.  It’s like living with ten young human boys.  There’s going to be fighting, there’s going to yelling, there’s going to roughhousing and there’s going to be wetting the bed.  Well, with male cats, there’s going to yowling, there’s going to be territorial disputes, there’s going to be fighting, and there’s going to be spraying. 

Now my very patient husband (who I personally believe is St. Francis of Assisi reincarnated) and I have tried just about everything to stop our males from spraying.  This is not to say that females are incapable of spraying, because they are.  It’s just that males tend to do it more often (and more accurately).   It’s sort of like the contests that young boys (and lots of middle-aged men) engage in while they are standing outside of a bar after a night of drinking.  Well, you get the idea.  Bottom line is they are good at what they do and, more importantly, they enjoy showing off their skills. Cats are much the same way. 

nd so, when the doorbell rang last week and the dogs raced to be the first to reach the UPS man (while I bravely fought them back with a stick that I keep nearby) I knew that the product I was signing for was going to change the way that I viewed urine forever.  I unwrapped the box and stared at the 55 oz black bottle of liquid, much like Frodo gazed at the golden ring in the movie Lord of the Rings.  You see, the manufacturer, Bio-proresearch, who manufactured the product known as Urine-Off had prepared me for this particular delivery.  Earlier in the week, they had sent me a large packet of information, complete with instructions on how to use my little UV light so I could see urine stains that were invisible to the naked eye – something I wasn’t really excited about at first.  But, their promises of a product that could dissolve every trace of urine so thoroughly that even a Crime Scene Investigation unit couldn’t tell that a cat lived there, was promising.  As I walked through our house, which looked clean enough without the black light, was like looking at a slaughterhouse with the light.

But, I digress…  I removed the black bottle from its package, and warned the cats that their day of reckoning had come.  I was determined to live in a clean house, and if this bottle promised such a clean home, it had better deliver.  The cats shivered at my words, and disappeared under the comforter on our king sized bed …

And Urine-Off did deliver. This was the stuff that dreams were made of…  However, let me clarify:  Urine-Off works does not stop spraying, it eliminates odor.  Simply spray the area down thoroughly, allow to remain moist for a few hours (cover with a moist towel if necessary), and then allow to dry.  After drying, you can follow up with a carpet cleaner, but I can promise you – there will not be a urine smell there again.  You can even view it with a black light once more, and like magic – it’s gone.  The trick is in the product’s ability to eat away the uretic crystal, which causes the odor.  No other product (that I know of) does this.  While it is a bit pricey, (averaging $19.95/qt) it is the best way to spend your money when treating urine areas.  It can even be used on clothing, tile, grout, and wood. 

Of course the ultimate goal is to stop your felines from spraying in the first place!  How does one stop cats from doing something they have been doing for thousands of years?  By using another miraculous product known as Feliway.  As I mentioned before, we share our home with 14 semi-psychotic cats and 3 dogs (one of which is a wolf/coyote hybrid), so tensions can sometimes run a little high.  Feliway is the first product I have seen which can almost completely eliminate spraying (and a host of other maladies) in a household. 

Farnam Pet Products has worked with veterinarians to develop this incredible product that works in the same way that pheromones in felines work.  If Urine-Off is the Ring, then Feliway is the diamond pendant that gives life to the elves (and I’m hoping you’ve all seen the movie?  If not – run out and rent it so you’ll understand these analogies)! 

I have fallen in love with UPS, simply because of all of the wonderful products they send over for me to try out.  And once again, when the UPS man showed up with my Feliway diffuser, I was in awe.  I held it up to the light, paid homage to the beautiful crystal plug-in figure, thanked the good Lord for electricity, and plugged it into the wall.  That night was one of the calmer evenings I had ever spent in my home.  The cats were happier, the dogs could do little to upset them, and over the course of the next few days, I had less use for my other new product, Urine-Off.  That’s right – the cats were not spraying as much.  In fact, they were not fighting as much either.  They weren’t hissing, they weren’t yowling, and they were sleeping contentedly beside us – not walking all over us – throughout the night.

The diffuser was wonderful, but the Feliway spray was even better.  The few problem spots that remained were quickly taken care of with the small spray bottle.  Just a couple of sprays that smelled a bit like alcohol at first, but quickly dissipated into a smell of nothing, stopped the cats from returning to their favorite areas.

The drawback is that the products are on the expensive side.  The payoff is that it is worth every cent.  With fewer veterinarian bills due to catfights, fewer household cleanups, and more peace of mind, it is perhaps the single best purchase you can make as a cat care provider.  And if you have more than one cat, Feliway is a “must have”.

From the cats:

Hisses & Spits:  None!  We love it!  We have reached a harmonious Zen oneness in our home.

Purrs:  Unanimous.  We sleep better, eat better, and feel better.  Even the dogs leave us alone!

From the humans:

Two opposable thumbs up!

Drawback?  A little on the expensive side, but worth every cent! 

About the Author

Stacy Mantle is a freelance writer who currently resides in the southwestern deserts of Arizona with a number of cats, a coyote/wolf hybrid, and a very understanding husband. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Arabian Horse Times, Today’s AZ Woman, and Pets Illustrated. Many of her stories and articles have been translated into several languages, and now reach an international audience. Quickly becoming known as "…the Erma Bombeck of animals", her writing has skyrocketed to new heights as she records the stories of those she loves, inspiring the reader to learn why we have all come to love the animals we share our lives with. She is the author of Conquering the Food Chain: Living Amongst Animals (Without Becoming One), which is available in Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide, as well as online at www.bn.com or www.amazon.com.