This was how I finally figured out root cause of Scout not using her box. I just happened to see her use box to urinate, and I was so happy, I decided to scoop urine ball immediately, to keep her box clean. The urine ball was reddish in some spots. I called vet right then and there, and while I didn't know it at time, I had finally found source of Scout's discomfort with her litter boxes!

NOTE: If your cat stops using litter box, but you find her squatting in either bathroom sink or tub, you can easily see color(s) of her urine - lucky you!

Why is this lucky?

- Because your cat's urine will show up brightly against porcelain; - It's easy to clean up; - She has right room and idea, but wrong appliance!

Here's another clue your kitty will give you:

After she uses box and covers her business, if she licks her genitals excessively, and meows, you can be pretty sure she has a feline UTI. So, it's time for a consultation with your friendly neighborhood vet, and some testing to determine if a UTI is haunting your kitty. Particularly if you see this behavior coupled with "accidents" around house, you can be pretty certain vet will conclude kitty has a UTI.

Taking a few minutes out of your schedule each week, watching your kitty use box, and quickly analyzing her urine production can save you a lot of heartache and puzzlement down road.

And, by evaluating her behavior in litter box, you're saving kitty lots of pain and agony from a feline UTI. You're also saving time and money by not having to seek out and clean up multiple cat urine spots on your floors and furniture.

Nancy has successfully eliminated cat urine odor from her home, and kept the kitty that caused it.

Does your dog tend to get away from you during a bath?

Bathing your dog is a challenging, but essential, part of dog grooming. It’s funny how your dog will cleverly evade you when you try to get him into a dog bath, but will be just as determined to get past you when you don’t want him to jump into water at beach.

If you’re washing your dog in a room with a door make sure to close it so that your dog will not see an escape route or get very far if he prematurely gets out of bath. This way you’ll have an easier time getting him back in tub to finish job. It can be a challenge bathing a dog that’s wiggling around but challenge gets a little tougher when your dog is an escape artist. If your dog takes any opportunity to get away from you at bath time you may want to consider restraining your dog.

Restraints are used during bath time to avoid injury to you as well as your pet. Some pet bathing tubs come with restraints included. With these your dog will be safely and securely restrained and you will be able to give your dog a quick and hassle-free bath.

Is your dog slipping and sliding in bath?

Slipping and sliding can be most stressful part of bath time for a dog. Put a rubber mat down on bottom surface of tub to prevent your dog from sliding and getting hurt. A sure-footed dog will be less resistant and much more at ease during bath time.

Things to have on hand at bath time:

Raised Dog Bath - This is a fantastic idea for a dog bath. It’s ergonomically designed for both you and your dog’s comfort. Your local pet groomer is likely to have just such a bathing station set up in their shop. If you’re thinking about buying a tub or basin to bathe your dog in, ask them if you can check out their tub set up. If you have room or more than one dog, you may find it worthwhile.

Pet Shower or Plastic Pitcher - A Pet Shower is great, but if that’s not possible make sure you have a large plastic pitcher for wetting and rinsing your dog.

Drain Screen - Make sure to protect your plumbing from hair clogs with a simple to use drain screen.

Cotton Balls - Can be placed in each ear to prevent water from running into your dog's ears.

Pet Shampoos - There are many different pet shampoos each formulated to work on problems such as dry itchy skin, inflamed or dry scaling skin, fleas