Sleeping Bag First Aid...

“So my, er...negligent [expletive deleted] roommate doesn't clean out the cat litter, like I had been asking her too all week because it was just too nasty for even me too look at -- I don't even want to imagine how the cat felt. So the cat decides to use my sleeping bag, which I had left out in the living room to dry and loft, as its new litter. A nice surprise to wake up to, eh?

Now, while those responsible have already been read the riot act several times over, I'm really hoping I can somehow salvage this bag. I found some of that bacteria/enzyme remover under the bathroom sink and soaked the hell out of the bag with it -- it's now spread out to dry -- away from the cat.

Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Any hope for my sleeping bag? I really don't want to get rid of it. It's a 0-degree rectangular down bag with a hood. I can't find an exact replacement for it anywhere. Or am I just going to have to bite the bullet?

Well this enzyme cleaner is supposed to take 24-48 hours to do its thing. I guess we'll find out. Really sucks though...”

“:( How hard is it to clean a litter box??? I scoop mine daily”

“Vinegar does a pretty good job of getting rid of urine smells.”

“Vinegar, eh? I'll have to try that if it still smells after this bio-chemical stuff.

I'm not too concerned about plain chemical smells afterward, such as vinegar, since i plan to wash it after (if) I can get the piss smell out.”

“Hey PS, I know for a fact there is a thread about this very thing, but before I dig it up I do have a tip that maybe your roommate can help you with.....a friend of mine got sprayed by a skunk and someone recommended a feminine hygiene product (Summer's Eve) and he said it was....heh, heh....the cat's meow. Might want to try it---on the sleeping bag, I mean..

I'll find the link to the other thread.”

“is she hot?”

“Here's one:

http://thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/32766,-1.php”

“summers eve...we have that ehre at the hospital! :)”

“Is she hot? Kind of -- but very high maintenance, as displayed here. And the worst part is that we're not even dating...

Thanks for the link. I did a quick search myself before, but it came up empty...”

“ask her for a replacement and/or show her the door.”

“cat urine is the worst and no remedy to rid of the smell. Iffin I were you I would bounce up to CAMPMOR and buy another and send me your bag so I can make my dog a personal Bag. He loves cats. Once cat urine sprayed always cat urine.That's why I don't have a cat.”

“or....you can send it here.....to me. I will find some use for it...”

“Yeah that's what I'm afraid of. Anyone know of anyone who makes a down rectangular bag with a hood?”

“Check Cabelas. They have a few odd type bags but I'm guessing they might be a little on the heavy side if they do have one.”

“and this is the reason i always hang my bags up to dry! lol”

“There's some stuff called get serious which is great for getting stains out and getting rid of the smell. Try petsmart for it.”

“Drink your self silly on your next camping trip. You may get too drunk to notice the smell...”

“Treebeard tooooooooo funny. I see you know the deal. I had fun pulling a yankee out of the fire. Especially the time he rolled over and a burnt stick was in his mouth kinda stuck on his TOOTH. Looked like my Lab fetching a stick. You should have seen how he made it to the tent and how he managed to get into his sleeping .........Don't worry Phantom , I won't tell heheheh
Hey are you sure that's cat peeeeeee remember sitting at the door way of my tent kinda hangin out tooling you self. Hope you didn't pee on your bag.

Okay enough joke here I'm glad it didn't end up tragic like all his front teeth missing or falling off Giant Ledge in the Adarondaks and taking a dump in the tent.

Good luck with your bag Phantom. I know from my experiences with my rental homes cat urine will stain and smell for ever.”

“Some cat pee smells worse than others. Male tom cat pee is way worse than a spayed or neutered cat pee.

When visiting friends, I have had stuff get peed on by their cat. If it's just a one-time occurance, I have had good luck just throwing the item into the washer. If it's a situation where there have been repeated pees and poos, then it's a lot more difficult to get out.


So George, I am sure your bag is salvageable. However, I'm not as confident about your roommate. ;)”

“That's really ironic, too, because I'm 99% sure Treebeard had no clue about that story before Fridge's post...

Anyway, tomorrow I get to find out if the bag will live or not...”

“I'm not as confident about my roommate either. I think there's something wrong with the cat and she keeps neglecting it. The cat's always been quiet and never cause any problems right up until about a month ago or so. I mean, it constantly wails at the top of its lungs, especially after using the litter box, and is constantly dragging its rear on the floor. If you ask me, the inappropriate peeing is just a desperate call for attention. And though the cat's not spayed, I also highly doubt it's heat because that would occur on a regular every few weeks cycle, no?

But my roommate appears to not care. I guess I'm just going to have to keep all my stuff out of reach of the cat...”

“How old is the cat. This is the sort of behavior for it being in heat. It wants to get out and get some. Try to see if your own or your roommates pee will neutralize it ;o)

Sounds like ya got a great roomate there.”

“urinary tract infection, perhaps..”

“Hey PS,”

“Hey PS,”

“Now that I have your attention
I need to stay away from the enter key!

Try dusting the bag with baking soda and sealing it in a plastic garbage bag for a couple days.”

““urinary tract infection, perhaps..”
Onifactor
6:34:53 PM
3/05/06

Exactly what I was thinking. I had a cat that had a UTI...first time, I didn't know the signs but he got it twice after and I recognized them immediately.

Same as her cat: constant wailing, dragging his butt across the floor and peeing in places he NEVER would normally pee (usually small quantities of urine and occasionally a bit tainted with blood). She needs to get it to the vet immediately, I'd say. If it goes too long without treatment, cat could die.

FWIW - the dirty litter box is probably the cause of the UTI. Vet might put it on some medication and then tell her to buy special cat food for UTI's...which is not cheap.

Good luck. :)”

“did the smell come out? Usually the enzyme cleaners will work pretty well. If you aren't using the bag for a while, go to the pet store and buy a big thing of zeolite (found in the aquarium section). Throw it in a big filter bag and either throw it in the bag or hang it right next to the bag. The stuff is an ammonia sponge”