Hi everyone

My nine-year-old female cat has just starting weeing on the carpet behind the TV! She goes outside usually and this hasn't been a problem before.

So, how do I get the smell out the carpet and how do I stop Mira from going back there? I'm baffled. And a bit angry with the cat too, as you can imagine.

Looking forward to your responses. Thanks in advance.

Do not on any account use a detergent or carpet cleaner - we made that mistake. You will need to neutralize the enzymes in the "cat widdle" to get rid of the smell. Your Vet should sell something that will do the job. We use a product called Urine Off which is pretty good. It is a little pricey though:

http://www.urineoff.co.uk/domestic.html

I think it may also deter your cat from returning to the scene of the crime to leave another deposit.

Good luck!

is she still using her litter tray for peeing in? There could be a chance she.s got cystitis and it would be good to check her tray for spots of blood. Another thing is upset can change their toilet habits. For the smell of cat pee i can only recommend washing the carpet with smelly disinfectant making sure you dry the area thoroughly. Can you put something on the carpet to stop her going there? Maybe a big ornament or even small plastic boxes. Enough to deter her. You could buy cat spray that people use on furniture to stop cats scratching it. Also cats don't like the smell of anything citrus so maybe try a citrus disinfectant. Are you changing her litter tray daily? I have to do my cats tray every day and they won't use fullers earth either. Sorry for the ramble i.m on my phone out the house at the mo. Don't be angry with her. She.s not doing it out of badness.

It is probably a good idea to have her checked over at the vet, as others have mentioned, to rule out a urinary tract problem.

There is no reason to avoid using detergent to clean the area - in fact the ideal product is biological detergent, which is a lot cheaper than a special product (especially if you already have it in the house anyway) and equally effective. This will kill the proteins in the wee and remove traces of smell - which is important so that the cat does not identify the place as a latrine and reoffend. Spraying surgical spirit on the area after using the bio detergent is often recommended too, but it may harm some surfaces.

Where does she usually wee - does she have a litter tray, or does she have to go outside? Has something happened in the household/outdoors that may have upset her? Building works/new cats outside who may be bullying her? If she does not have a litter tray you could probably solve the problem by providing one, if she does have one already, you could try moving it to a place she thinks is 'safe' (i.e. probably not by the back door). But best to get her checked at the vet first.

Try not to be angry with her - it will just increase whatever stress she is experiencing.