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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 9:21 am
Bladder infections are not the only reason cats urinate in inappropriate places. Changes to their routines. Dirty litter boxes. As Karen has discovered. I bet the clean litterbox will solve the problem! Cats can't talk. But they sure can show their displeasure in other ways!!!
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 10:11 am
Karen, we are having that problem with Dopey, he gets very jealous if he sees me love a puppy. I put the natures miracle on the blankets and then wash them, it only takes 1 wash that way I asked vet and she said it is a stress thing or behaviour thing. Dopey's is behaviour, is there anything new in your house that could stress your kitty?
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 2:19 pm
When the first husband and I were getting divorced, the cat peed on his pillow. Naturally that cat stayed with me after the divorce. I already thought she was the smartest cat in the world. After that little incident, I knew she was really a god.
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 2:56 pm
All that talk about litterboxes goaded me into changing Ophelia's litter.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 8:05 pm
LOL Juju! Your cat has good instincts, too! 
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Karen
Member
09-07-2004
| Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 8:43 pm
So by the time we went to bed last night, around 2am, the mattress was dry and not too stinky. We sprayed it again this morning with the Nature's Miracle stuff, and it seems to be doing OK. It may just be a temporary solution, though - growing up we had cats who would pee on EVERYTHING, and I'm really sensitive to the smell. ICK. So I may be in the market for a new bed soon, regardless. Holly is talking to me today. She wouldn't look at either of us all day yesterday - she KNEW she'd done bad. I do think it was just a "Clean my BLEEPING box, MOM!!!" message, nothing more. But neither of my cats are allowed on my bed until the smell is completely gone. I don't want them getting a whiff and thinking it's OK to go there.
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 1:37 am
RN, I am so tired of my downstairs neighbors. They aren't HORRIBLE, but to me, they annoy the crap outta me. They are two single girls, my age, and it just seems that everything about the way they live ends up annoying me. They have a little "patio" just under my BEDROOM window, and even though they've been TOLD about the apartment setup, they just do things that really bug me. They have recently put up thee ridiculous wind chimes. Really tiny, so really high pitched. Well, it's 1230 am, and I'd like to sleep. But it's windy, so these freakin' chimes are dingle-dingling away, annoying the crap outta me!!! I feel like going down and pounding on their door and asking them to move their stupid wind chimes to outside of THEIR bedroom windows, and not mine. Second thing that annoys me is that they smoke on the front patio. We have water heat, so we have to keep our windows open, or we'd melt in here. So whenever they smoke out on their patio, it comes RIGHT in the windows, and my couch and bedding reeks. I complained to my landlord, as this is supposed to be a non-smoking building, and he TOLD THEM not to smoke on the patio, but they still do. They stopped for the first little while, but now they're back out there, several times a day. I've complained about their music in the past (as our bedroom is right over their living room), and they CAME UP and chatted with me. They are nice enough girls, but I shouldn't have to be more tolerant of crap, just because they came up to be friends with me. If you smoke, why move into a non-smoking building? And then they start telling me how much the landlord loves them. So now I feel like if I call my landlord, he won't bother doing anything. I feel like going downstairs, and stealing their windchimes so I could get some friggin sleep! But it would SUCK BIG TIME if I got caught! LOL I try to write notes to these girls, but I always throw them away, because I know I come off as too terse or antagonistic. Maybe sarcastic or biotchy too. I just don't know how to say things nicely, when they make me so mad!
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 1:58 am
we ran out of litter about a week ago Around here Bosley's will deliver FOR FREE! within the day. I order my huge bags of litter and Kitty food delivered right to the house here is a link to one on Davie >??? http://www.greyhoundpetsinc.org/booth/bosleys.html By the way, anyone who is interested in something really great, please try the Worlds Best Cat Litter...made out of corn. No chemicals, no clay and way better for cat lungs.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 2:08 am
Noise Bylaw. I bet you can get them removed due to Noise. As for the smoking, Some pictures will force the landlord to do something. Once this Manager knows how serious you are, he wont want the problem. I would do everything in writing and that way he cant claim he didnt 'get it.' Also, if he tries to have YOU evicted cause he's PO'd, you have proof of why he is 'targetting' you. And if you are as irritated as I think you are, as a last resort I'd go above the manager's head and ask to speak to the owner of the building- his boss. **************** OH I just about forgot. Plastic mAttress covers work excellent for sealing in foul mattress odors. Mine are from Dollar store and Walmart You can get them that fit tight like a big Pillowcase with a zipper at the end OR just a Fitted Plastic Sheet. My mattress got moist during a move and ended up with that musky smell....plus whiskers Whizzed profusely on the side of it shortly after the move LOL
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Karen
Member
09-07-2004
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 2:20 am
Thanks, Sunshyne... that's my Pet Store, the Bosley's on Davie. Had no idea they'd deliver. Must look into that.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 2:42 am
Eeyore, they may be aware of the setup of your apartments, but they may not know that their little windchimes are loud enough to be heard in your bedroom (that would drive me insane, btw.) Could be the same for their smoking as well, just not aware it's going straight into your apartment. I'd take a deep breath and try to take a friendly tone and inform them. Then if they don't listen, go to the landlord no matter what they say about being so loved. Our first apartment, we had some downstairs neighbors who slept all day and stayed up all night. Took me exactly three days to intensly dislike those people. Their music was so loud and went all night long. Finally after months of dealing with it (Darren was working nights and had no clue what was going on) I went down to talk to them. We'd gotten to the point we were friendly enough to say hi how ya doing. Knocked on the door and they invited me in and I was shocked to hear my music, which I knew wasn't turned up loud enough to be heard outside my door. That's when I realized their music, which was pretty loud upstairs, wasn't turned up that loud in their apartment. Luckily we moved into a different apartment and we got to be pretty good friends with them. LOL, the new upstairs neighbors from us were a completely different story that involved calls to the landlord and several to the cops. When we moved into the house, the neighbors next door to us used to get raided once a month (always in the middle of the night) and I wasn't about to go knocking on their door! A couple tennants after them though, was the car mechanic. He was up all night long working on different cars. He had this flood light he put up on the corner of his garage and the damn thing shined right into both ours and Caleb's rooms. We're talking daylight bright, lit up the whole back of the house enough I could read in bed without turning on my own lights. We were only able to put up with that for a couple weeks before we had to go talk to him about it. He was pretty apologetic, didn't realize he had it pointed towards our bedroom windows and later that day he moved it to the other corner, pointing away from our house. There is the chance they just don't know the wind chimes and smoke are coming into your apartment and they might change those things when you bring it up to them. Course they could end up being not so nice about it like our upstairs neighbors (10 years later I still credit those people with forcing us to take house hunting seriously!) in which case it's definitely time to take your complaints to the landlord. If you feel yourself starting to get tense and angry when you go to talk to them, try to remember you might have better luck if you approach them without letting on how annoying they are, lol.
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 3:10 am
Well, when the girls moved in the noise and smoking was bad and I complained to the landlord dozens of times in the first month alone. He told them the set up and also said the smoking was not allowed. When they finally got sick of the landlord calling them all the time, they finally came upstairs. They said they didn't realize how much the smoke came in until they did it once and they came into their own apartment and they admitted it stunk. They smoked in the back lane for a few months but then they had a Halloween party and ever since then, they have just continued to smoke under our window, despite KNOWING how irritating it is already. Did it suddenly become LESS irritating? I think I'm going to have to buck up and call my landlord again. He is a really nice guy, a Romanian immigrant that loves us female tenants like daughters (not in a pervy way). So its hard for him probably to take sides for two tenants he likes I think. I just feel so bad calling him yet again, especially after these girls have come up and tried to be friends. I personally think their reaching out was really just a manipulative way to sort of disarm me from complaining all the time. And it worked! I am totally hesitant to complain and now I just let them annoy me all the time. :-( Sunshyne- unfortunately the building is owned by an offshore (Hong Kong) owner, so there really is nobody above my landlord.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 3:24 am
Oh, in that case, definitely call the landlord. Considering that you've already talked to him and he's already talked to them, I wouldn't feel too bad about calling him. It's his job to deal with stuff like that. If they've already been talked to about, you'll have to go back to the landlord. You shouldn't have to be miserable in your own home.
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Chiliwilli
Member
09-04-2006
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 3:45 am
Put it all in writing always. Verbal communication means nothing if push comes to shove. You have to have written proof. It wouldn't hurt to keep a diary of problems either listing dates, time of day and the problem. Also, pictures of them smoking on the patio and tape recordings of the noise wouldn't hurt. It's too bad you have to resort to these things but at this point it may be your only option. Animals peeing on my bed would definitely mean a trip to the pound and a whole new bed. UGH!
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Rissa
Member
03-20-2006
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 5:48 am
Eeyore, except for these neighbors.. you really like the building? Would it be possible for the landlord to move you or these girls to another suite? I have done this before (when I was managing a rental tower). Our owners allowed smoking and we had ended up with one floor where over half the suites had smokers and the hallway REEKED. When one tenant complained we offered the same suite type on another floor and problem solved. PS We allowed smoking but only with a $350 NON-REFUNDABLE add-on to the security deposit. We always had to paint the entire units including ceilings when they moved out and that constituted damage. Maybe suggesting your landlord is losing money will motivate him? Makes him look good to the owners if he ups their income (or stop a loss).
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 5:56 am
Since it sounds like the girls downstairs at least try to be civil with you, I'm betting that they just need to be talked with again. Seeing how it's cold now, they may assume you have your windows shut and can't smell the smoke. My mother has those confounded windchimes and I have asked the neighbors if they bother them. She and I have a duplex (side by side). The neighbor to the side of her says that she can't hear them inside her house. Still, on a windy day I take them down because they drive ME nuts! I would just approach them in a nice way (put on your best nice person face) and let them know that the smoke smell is coming in again and that you thought they were supposed to smoke in the alleyway. I'd also say that windchimes normally don't bother you, but at night you are kind of hypersensitive to them. If nothing else, could they please take them down in the evening or something. I have never lived in an apartment, so I can't imagine having strangers right across the wall from me. Has your boyfriend talked to them, or just you? Maybe they think you're their age and female and they have no respect for you. I hope you can get this resolved without having to punch their lights out. That's always an option...
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 7:51 am
Are you in a position to hit those wind chimes with a glue gun? 
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Beekindpleez
Member
07-18-2006
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 11:25 am
I always find that situations like this go better in the long run by offering up a bit of humble pie. Perhaps if you approached them by saying something like, "you know, I sometimes tend to play my music a bit loud so if it's ever bothering you, just let me know and I'd be happy to turn it down." This often leads to the other person saying the same thing in return which then opens the door to telling them that the smoke is hard on you or the chimes are a bit loud at night. That old saying, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar" is true. And it's always much better to try to make and keep peace with neighbors than to threaten or be outraged constantly.
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 11:31 am
My husband was fond of saying, 'The thicker you spread it, the further you slide.'.
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 12:18 pm
You guys are all saying the things I think. 1.) I seriously lack the ability to be nice. Honestly, I don't know how to write a NICE letter. Even when I think I am being nice, I hold off on sending it, go back, and it still sounds biotchy. (OT - I really wish we could write B I T C H Y without it being modded. I mean, we get to write "shit", which I think is more crude. Any word allowed on prime-time TV should be allowed here. LOL) I think I might BEG BEG BEG for my boyfriend to go down there and ask them to take the chimes down and stop smoking out there. He's not one to complain (and he sleeps right through any noise), but every so often he comes to my rescue when situations bug only me, and he'll say something on my behalf. It must be so hard for him, having a girlfriend who gets irritated by other people so easily. He always has to listen to me complain! LOL 2) I find that talking to them, they say OK, an then a couple of weeks later, it's happening all over again. The girls gave us their phone numbers, and one time I text messaged them asking them to turn down their music at 3am, and all I got back was "Done". I felt so bad for even asking. I was so apologetic in my text request, and explained that I had to work at 7am the next morning, so I just needed to get some sleep. You'd think they'd say "Oh sorry! We'll turn it down" or something more apologetic, seeing as it was 3 am. But no. Just a short curt "Done." 3) Rissa - I LOVE LOVE LOVE my building. Here in Vancouver, it's reallllllly hard to find cheap rent, in this area, with a decent apartment. My rent is 725 for a 1br, but it's huge, has south facing windows that are almost the size of the entire wall, with hard wood floors, and all that jazz. Laundry in the building is only a dollar per side of each load. There are only 11 suites in the building (3 story walk-up), so moving around is hard. The girls downstairs have the only 2 bedroom suite. The only other 1br suite is above us, and those people just moved in. Also, my rent is 725 because I've been here so long, but the new landlord upped the rents for all new tenants by about 30%. The exact same place, above me, it renting for 1000 dollars. And the thing is, for how nice the suites are, that's a good price. So I think there might be some motivation for the landlord to keep NEW tenants happy, and not look after MY needs too seriously, as he is technically losing almost 300 a month by me staying here. But the landlord is nice, and I honestly don't think he ACTIVELY wants me out. He really is a nice man. Just a bit removed from the building, and a bit passive or polite. He's like an immigrant parent; he says in his cute little accent, "Girls you can't smoke, the tenant upstairs, she complains," and they say, "Yeah yeah" to him, and then smoke anyways because he doesn't live in the building. 4) Honestly, I feel sooooooo petty complaining about friggin' WIND CHIMES. They are supposed to be sweet and pretty and nice-sounding. Sure, when you're an old man sitting on a patio sipping lemonade in a rural town. But man, we are having a bit of a wind storm last night/today (90 km/h winds and power outages) and somehow, they are driving me batty. I'd rather have to sleep through a dripping faucet sound, or a running toilet. And noise-bylaws? Not very enforced in Vancouver. And wind-chimes would have to be the most ridiculous attempt at enforcement of the by-law they have ever seen. I've done a LOT of research on noise bylaws here in Vancouver, and there isn't much of a leg to stand on. Police complaints are our only real recourse. I think I'm just going to wait for my bf to wake up, and then BEG him to pop downstairs, or call, and ask them to take down the wind-chimes, or move them to outside one THEIR bedroom windows. And then I'll be calling the manager about the smoking. That is something he should know about, because he has forbidden it on the patio, and they are going against his rules.
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Beekindpleez
Member
07-18-2006
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 1:25 pm
Eey...when they texted you "done", had it been done? If they did it, what's the problem? I think maybe your expectations are a little high if you are expecting that they text that they are sorry or whatever. People rarely meet our expectations, so if they have done what you requested, find solace in that. And I don't really get the thing about the smoking. Would it get in if you closed your windows? I think smoking outside is okay, but if your landlord has expressly told them not to, then he should be the one to take it up with them. Like it or not, smokers have a right to smoke. And maybe earphones and some soothing music would help you sleep without hearing the windchimes. I have windchimes all across my porch...probably twenty of them in various sizes. Now, I don't live in an apartment and I have a lot of land around me, but I enjoy them and find them quit soothing. No one has ever complained to me about them, but then again, I don't complain to my neighbors about how they live either. Sometimes it's hard to let go of annoyances and they fester and become bigger problems. You may be thinking about it night and day while they are giving it no thought at all, and by that you are making it harder on yourself. Maybe you could try to find a solution for yourself with the thought in mind that if there was nothing that could be done about it, how would you make it better for yourself on your own. There will always be folks who annoy us in life. It's how we choose to deal with it within ourselves that makes it tolerable or difficult. Good luck. I hope you find some peace, one way or another.
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Monday, November 12, 2007 - 2:07 pm
Good points Bee. Our windows are old single pane, poorly sealed windows. Even with them CLOSED, the smoke gets in. The argument behind them not spoking on the patio, is that it is still part of the suite. They are still responsible for damages to that area, and therefore it is still officially part of the private property that the landlord has jurisdiction over. So, it being a non-smoking apartment, there should not be smoking allowed on the premises. I realize smokers smoking outside are hard to control, but they are still on the property. Also, here in BC, smoking is somewhat taboo, as there are a larger percentage of health nuts up here. There are PLENTY of court cases and laws now, stating that smoking is not allowed within "x feet" of public spaces, or windows, or doorways, not to mention the prohibition of smoking around intake vents, etc. Many condo strata councils have also prohibited smoking on balconies, so there's more of a case for MY SIDE, than there is for the smoker's side, here in this city.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 3:27 am
I have an evil mind If this balcony is able to be seen from your bedroom window, you could probably get a long reacher and Swipe those windchimes. Or better still, cut them down and just leave there. After a few times of being cut down they may get a clue. OR........ evil plan #2 Whenever they are out on the balcony smoking, you sloppily Water your plants on the windowsill....liberally splashing and spraying water from whatever you chose to use. Of course, it would be a terrible mistake You'd say if they hollar up at you. It may be a passive aggressive way to make your point as they shouldnt be smoking out there anyways. Can't you just see their complaint?? We were out having a smoke and this crazy lady sprayed us with water LOL Landlord would probably just laugh. Or you'd be arrested?? 
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 4:12 am
Muah ha ha. I've thought similar things Sun. My first thing I thought of, was to drizzle sugar out of my bedroom window. It's so humid/wet here, that it would really just melt into a sticky coating all over their patio. I can't personally reach the windchimes, but my bf was ready to take them down for me late last night, but I chickened out and told him don't worry about it. I'd hate for him to get caught. Especially considering the are windchimes, and just tampering with them would have been loud. LOL I've also thought of just hanging my butt out the window and just peeing on their patio. Or pouring ammonia on their patio, so it was too stinky to hang out on. But I think that stink would drift up, so that is out of the question. The chimes were non-existent today, as the wind storm is over. I think it was just the windstorm that was making it so obnoxious. I didn't bother saying anything today, because I think the noise was an isolated incident. I was just so tired and couldn't sleep. I was up til about 530 or 6am today, then back up again around 10. Brutal!! Now I'm just up finishing an assignment that is due at 8am. :-(
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 6:35 am
They sell white noise machines, maybe that would work? Oh wait, that would take all the fun out of planning your evilness. Never mind.
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