I'm so sorry for the grief and stress you've felt throughout this time. You've done a kindness -don't forget that. It was difficult, but you did it because you loved Keo and wanted her to stop hurting. I've had to do it a number of times, and it's always so incredibly difficult, and always followed by weeks of melancholy. But I've never regretted it. Right now I know of a kitty, about 17 years old, who weighs about 3 lbs., and is truly suffering every day from many ailments. Her owners believe they'll 'know' when the time is right to put her down, but to everyone else, it looks like the time is right here, right now, and we feel such sorrow and pity for this poor, frail, hurting kitty..... You did the right thing. I don't know whether you're familiar with this poem, or whether it will resonate with you, but I thought I'd pass it on... The Last Battle If it should be that I grow frail and weak And pain should keep me from my sleep, Then will you do what must be done, For this " the last battle" can't be won. You will be sad I understand, But don't let grief then stay your hand, For on this day, more than the rest, Your love and friendship must stand the test. We have had so many happy years, You wouldn't want me to suffer so. When the time comes, please, let me go. Take me to where to my needs they'll tend, Only, stay with me till the end And hold me firm and speak to me Until my eyes no longer see. I know in time you will agree It is a kindness you do to me. Although my tail its last has waved, From pain and suffering I have been saved. Don't grieve that it must be you Who has to decide this thing to do; We've been so close "we two" these years, Don't let your heart hold any tears. - Unknown

I see there is interest in this so I'll link to my animal communicator's website. The communicator, Gayle Nastazi, has always been very helpful to me. I have used her services with many of my cats in various situations; from dire emergencies (missing animal- found after 3 weeks!), to behavioral issues, to intergration and rescue issues with feral and abandonned cats that come into my care. I always learn something from every session. Although I know the whole idea strikes some people as pretty far-fetched (and that's OK), I feel comfortable saying that it has worked very effectively for me, and that I think it makes resolution of some difficult issues much easier. One thing I can say for certain is that Gayle is completely legitimate. I have met her in person. I also have no financial interest in this referral - just a hope that my suggestion might be useful. Click on the clink below and look for the Animal Communication link at the top left of the page. Carry on from there if you are interested. RE: Various Animal pee cleaners/destinkes - I think many (most?) employ some kind of enzyme. My conclusion after using all of them is that after the bottles are opened and partly used that it's possible that exposure to air in the emptying bottle degrades the enzyme significantly. It always seems to me that they work like gangbusters at first and then less so, particularly if not used up in a short time. Then I try another brand and it seems to work better (even tested side by side), but eventually poops out, too. I have tried Odor-X, Nature's Miracle and Get Serious, along with scads of others. The pattern seems to hold for all, so now I only buy in quarts not gallons, even though it's 'way cheaper in big jugs. I haven't experimented with decanting a gallon into smaller jars and keeping them closed until I've used up the other portions. Also I find it's helpful to vigorously shake the plastic bottle before applying. The idea mentioned by olychik about using rags is v. interesting and I will keep it mind. I hope that my link may be useful to you. Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Gayle Nastazi, Animal Communicator's webpage

We use the crystal type litter and find there is very little smell, especially if we scoop the....er...solids....out and flush them. Our cat's litter tray lives in the laundry. Sounds like Bushido has an issue with Lauren. As others have suggested, it might be her scent, but with cats it could be anything :-) I'm not sure he's peeing on her clothes to mark them: when out cat does that sort of thing it's to let us know she's PO'd about something. I'd let Lauren deal with her laundry by herself if she's going to leave the clothes here the cat can pee on them. A few late drying sessions and she might feel it's easier to put the clothes in the hamper. Out of curiosity, why does your dryer take three times longer to dry? Lint trap or vent need emptying? I ask because we recently stayed in a vacation apartment and couldn't get over how long the dryer was tasking until DH checked the lint trap and discovered we wee the only tenants in forever to do so.

It wouldn't have helped when its THAT far advanced for that one cat BUT it would have hopefully prevented another cat from ever getting those health issues to begin with. Sorta like changing a MC donalds diet after you've had a massive heart attack isn't going to help the 71 year old heart disease victim find instant cure for severe heart disease , but if you don't start a 3 year old on the same diet he/she probably won't get the heart disease. Yes letting go when there that bad is good however it does pay to research so it hopefully doesn't happen again with another cat.