Cat Closet

[user 4020]

Hi All,

I have a closet where the cat box is located. Unfortunately, the cats pee all over not just in the box. The floor of the closet has squares of linoleum that could possibly be asbestos. They have the look and are the right size. My concern is that they are starting to warp due to the urine and it's really hard to clean and no longer remotely level, so I can't just put new linoleum over it. I have found some solutions for the cat pee (putting down absorbent material) but I need to cover up these original tiles first and I don't know what to use. I need to be able to seal them away and put something else on top that is level before I put down inexpensive linoleum and the absorbent material that I can replace when needed. Because this is a closet, I can't raise the floor too high or it will impede the doors. I don't want to disturb the tiles at all. My only thought right now is to completely cover them with self leveling compound and then inexpensive linoleum and then the absorbent material. The problem is the far end of the closet is the water heater so I can't move that. Any other ideas of what I can use? Thanks!

 

[DarisMulkin]

Whatever you do DON'T put any bleach on it. Makes for a poisonous gas. Maybe paint over it with Kilz to seal in the oder if you don't want to disturb it. Then go over it if that is what you want.

Daris

 

[user 4020]

Baking soda and water is what I use, but the tiles have curled up so the whole space is uneven...I can't put anything else on top until I level it.......

 

[Floorist]

What is the subfloor, wood or concrete?

 

[zannej]

It may not lay completely flat, but you could try putting a large litter mat under the box.

I use this kind http://www.petsmart.com/cat/supplie...rrfect-paws-litter-mat-23027.html?cgid=200097 for my hallway. The little pockets catch litter and debris.

I have 11 cats and they like to tip over their boxes from time to time so having mats to catch stuff really helps. I just fold the mats up and pour the spillage back in to the litterboxes and if they get too nasty, I can take the mats outside and hose them down.

Another thing you can try is puppy training pads. You can use them in addition to the mats.

If you wet the tiles can you try to smooth them down and put some weight on them to see if they will stay?

 

[user 4020]

The subfloor is wood - Thanks Zannej - the debris I usually just sweep up but more often than not they stick their butts over the side and pee on the floor hence the problem. I then have to cover everything with baking soda so soak up the urine before I sweep it out. The puppy training pads are for after I replace the floor lol.

 

[Floorist]

You can put 1/4" plywood over the tile and then a piece of vinyl. Won't hurt to nail through the asbestos tile.

 

[zannej]

The subfloor is wood - Thanks Zannej - the debris I usually just sweep up but more often than not they stick their butts over the side and pee on the floor hence the problem. I then have to cover everything with baking soda so soak up the urine before I sweep it out. The puppy training pads are for after I replace the floor lol.

I have a few who can't keep their butts in the box-- and some don't like to bury their crap either. I still do have to sweep sometimes because my cats are messy, but those mats have really helped a lot. Eventually, I plan to build a box to hide them and to make sure the cats can't tip them over-- and to add some storage for litter and cleaning stuff.

Speaking of cats, my eldest just charged in to my room and pounced on me while I was typing this. LOL.

 

[user 4020]

Oh, I didn't consider putting down another sub floor but that might do the trick, especially if it's thin 1/4" plywood. Thanks!

As for the cats - yes they are messy, and they track the littler all over the house it drives me crazy. This is a first step in trying to fix it - thanks for your suggestions everyone!

 

[zannej]

Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.
Do you have the taller litterboxes? They have some without lids (because some cats won't go in ones with lids for some reason OR they try to sleep in the boxes with lids). I got a taller one with an opening in the front to keep them from splashing stuff. I have it in a different room though and don't have a picture. Found it at Walmart on clearance.

 

[user 4020]

I have a regular 8 or 9 pound cat and then a Maine Coon who is around 18 pounds - she doesn't fit in most so I just use the largest I can find - I actually have two, a normal sized one and extra large sized box. Neither one is high sided.

 

[zannej]

I bet the Maine Coon is gorgeous. None of mine are that big. But I have one of these litterboxes.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Petmate-290055-Stay-Large-Rimmed-Pan/34195517
Thus far the a-holes have not tipped it over. *knocks on wood*

In addition to the high-sided boxes and the mats, I have long-handled scoops that I got from Petsmart. They have telescoping handles so they can be made smaller for storage. They have been a back-saver for me. Keeps me from having to bend as much and I don't have to get my face near the boxes.

I also got a metal long handle pooper scooper/scraper for dogs that I use when the litter sticks to the boxes (I also use it to clean up after the dogs).

 

[Hardwood]

I had a Maine Coon or partial Maine Coon (she came from pound when a kitten). She was 15-18 lbs. I went to storage bin area of Walmart and got an under the bed storage bin and used the bottom of that for her cat box. She could fit it.

 

[winnwoodflooring]

Whatever you do DON'T put any bleach on it. Makes for a poisonous gas. Maybe paint over it with Kilz to seal in the oder if you don't want to disturb it. Then go over it if that is what you want.

Daris

I guess the mustard gas thing makes sense. Isn't it amonia and bleach that does this?

 

[DarisMulkin]

I guess the mustard gas thing makes sense. Isn't it amonia and bleach that does this?

I don't know about mustard gas but ammonia and bleach don' go together. I had to pay for motel expenses because I bleached a whole bunch of cat urine spot in a customers house. Found out the hard way.

Daris

 

[zannej]

Yeah, ammonia from the urine.

Also, never mix acetone and bleach. If you chill it with ice it can become chloroform, but if it gets warm it becomes chlorine gas.

I hope Lanie finds a satisfactory solution to the litter scattering problem. My little monsters just knocked over one of the boxes again.

 

[winnwoodflooring]

Yeah, ammonia from the urine.

Also, never mix acetone and bleach. If you chill it with ice it can become chloroform, but if it gets warm it becomes chlorine gas.

I hope Lanie finds a satisfactory solution to the litter scattering problem. My little monsters just knocked over one of the boxes again.

Weird, I didn't know the temperature would change it but that makes sense.

 

[zannej]

Weird, I didn't know the temperature would change it but that makes sense.

Yeah. If someone were going to make their own chloroform (which is not advisable-- because the kind you can make is almost guaranteed to cause cancer), they would need to do it with ice. At room temperature it degrades in to gas.

 

[Ernesto]

I can smell that closet from here. Ugh Once you undercut a previously saturated door casing you never forget the smell.

 

[Don Monfils]

10-4 on undercutting those 🤢there is nothing like the smell of burnt piss.