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Pet Predicaments
By dan the roommate man, Fri Dec 9th
When you're choosing a pet, you never consider the mark thatyour new dog or cat is going to make on your home ... literally.Even if you manage to housebreak your pet with complete success,you'll find evidence of your furry friend throughout the house-- from hair on your bedspread to snags in your sofa to theslight stench that's been hanging in the dining room ever sinceFido shook himself dry after a romp in the rain. If your furniture is dark and your pet has white, orange oranother light-color fur, you've got your work cut out for you.There's nothing worse than approaching a sofa covered in hair,which then transfers to your own clothing. To pick up what yourpets leave behind, dampen a cloth (don't saturate it), and runit over the surface of your sofa, bedspread or chair cushion.This is the easiest way to pick up the majority of that fur andrestore your furniture to top condition. You can also use apiece of masking tape. To avoid using multiple strips andexperiencing the frustration of having the tape tangle up, trywrapping a piece around your hand, sticky side out. Of course,you can always use a brush or tool on your vacuum cleaner toremove pet hair from your furniture, but that takes more timeand often isn't as effective. Pet stains are a tricky area. Due to the combination of a highprotein diet and their hormones, male cats are considered theworst offenders, followed by female cats and then dogs (dogstend to have diets higher in carbohydrates, which means lessoffensive odors). If your dog or cat had an accident on awashable surface -- a cushion with a removable slipcover, anitem of clothing, a pillowcase or bedspread, for example -- youmay continue to smell what your pet left behind even afteryou've run the item through the cycle of your washing machine.Try adding some white vinegar in your next cycle along with yourlaundry detergent. The vinegar should cut any residual odors.
If your pet had an accident on the carpet, you're facing achallenge. Generally speaking, if you find the accident andclean the affected area immediately, you can restore your carpetto its previous condition. If you do notice the spot soon afterthe crime has been committed, blot the stain using a white papertowel (colored paper towels might bleed into your carpet, makingthe spot even more noticeable). After you've blotted the area asmuch as you can (you may even consider placing something heavyon top of the paper towel to help speed up the absorptionprocess), rise the area using a household cleaning solutioncontaining ammonia. Blot the area again with another white papertowel, and then rise again using a solution of diluted whitevinegar. Blot the area again. Then, tear off a few fresh papertowels, and place them over the spot with something heavy on top(a stack of books, a wine bottle, etc.). Leave them there forseveral hours to ensure that the spot is dried thoroughly. If your pet is clever and chooses a low-traffic spot that youdon't find until several hours later or even the next day, youmight experience faded carpet (your pet's mess actually bleachesthe carpet) or a stubborn odor. Depending on the dye used inyour carpet, you might see a fading or other type of colorchange in your carpet. This is particularly true if the spot hastime to
sit, and your pet's "accident" has had considerable timeto seep through to the bottom lining of your carpet. If thestain sits for several days or even weeks, not only will the dyediscoloration become permanent; the fibers of your carpet willbegin to weaken and deteriorate. The area around the spot -- andeven the room itself on a hot summer afternoon -- will take on astrong, acidic odor, reminiscent of ammonia. The bad news isthat there's not much you can do about that smell. Adding to theproblem is that the presence of urine in the fibers of yourcarpet attracts bacteria in the carpet and its padding.Unfortunately, attempting to wet the area with various householdcleaners will probably intensify, not diminish, the odor. Some finicky pets are so problematic when it comes tohousebreaking that they constantly find new, out-of-the-wayplaces to leave accidents. Their owners find them weeks laterwhen it's too late. Other pets routinely leave their messes inthe same spot, regardless of how much scolding their owners givethem. If you're facing either one of these scenarios, it'sprobably time to call a professional. If you're lucky, a carpetcleaning company may be able to restore the color to your fadedpatches of carpeting, and disinfect the affected areas. If you're not so lucky, even the pros won't be able to restoreyour carpet to its pre-pet condition, and you'll be facing theexpensive proposition of replacing your carpet. The fact is thatonce those "accidents" make their way down to the padding ofyour carpeting, there's not much you can do. And when the summermonths arrive, you'll constantly be reminded of their presence.Of course, it goes without saying that it's also time toconsider sending your pet to a housetraining school (if your catis a perpetrator, you might be out of luck, short of anunconventional kitty training video or book) or even finding himor her a new place to live. You may want to contact your vet, aswell, to see if something in your pet's diet is causing aproliferation of accidents. If your lifestyle has experiencedany upheaval lately -- for example, the departure of a child tocollege, a move, the arrival a new baby or a spouse -- thatcould be the problem. Animals are extraordinarily sensitivecreatures. Even the most housebroken, model pets can fall intoregression if they're facing a stressful event. If you do, indeed, replace your carpet, it's time to regroup. Doyou want to shell out thousands of dollars for brand-newcarpeting, only to have it destroyed again by your pet? Manytraining centers have excellent success rates with theirfour-legged students. Although pets are considered familymembers, the expense of replacing your carpeting isn't somethingyou want to experience twice. Your best bet is to meet with yourvet before you empty your wallet for new carpeting or place anad in the newspaper to give away your pet. Your vet is your bestresource for making sure you've tried everything possible tocorrect the problem. Only then is it time to take drasticmeasures. In more than a few cases, pet owners have pinpointedthe problems leading to their pets' accidents, and they've hadto replace their carpeting only once -- and without sayinggoodbye to their four-legged family members.
About the author:Since 1989 dan the roommate man has helped 1000's of people findroommates. Need help? Contact him at 800-487-8050 orwww.roommateexpress.com
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