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Aug 10, 2008 16:44:28 GMT -5
Post by meljoanimallover on Aug 10, 2008 16:44:28 GMT -5
We moved into a new house 7 months ago. First let me explain our other house. It was very small 1200 sq feet with 3 people, 12 dogs, 31 cats, 30 rats, 12 hamsters, I forget how many mice, etc, etc It was the worse place I have ever seen...animal feces and urine everywhere. Dirty filthy cages . It was a mess!! And I am completely ashamed. I did post pictures of it on the Squalor survivors forum, but I have deleted those pictures and we started a new life at our new, much larger house. We have 11 dogs now, 19 cats, 11 rats (Already found someone take 6 more of them), 4 hamsters, 1 mouse, and 2 turtles. Yes..we WERE animal hoarders at some point (Well, my mother was). She got help..and we are much happier now with our pets, and our life.
The reason I am back is because we are having some issues again...not as bad as before. Our living room, kitchen, and dining room are beautiful rooms now where NO animals are allowed, They are very clean and they represent my organizing skills, and my love for interior design. But there are a few areas of our house we haven't been keeping up with, and have been letting decline. First I will start with my bedroom (Which I don't have pictures of it before I did the massive cleaning). I had piles of garbage, litter boxes that were not cleaned at all, cage shavings, feces all over the floor in corners.Last weekend I spent 4 hours cleaning it, and I still have stuff left to do, and I will post the room after I cleaned it showing what I have left to do. I have not slept in my bed in months...atleast 3-4 months because of how horrible it was up there, and I refuse to sleep in it until I am completely finished.
Next we have the family room (Which is directly under my bedroom). The dogs spend the majority of the time in there with the dog door to the backyard being in the family room bathroom. There is my issue with making piles..I do that when I clean, I sweep things into piles and leave the piles on the floor rather then picking them up. The piles in the family room consist of dog feces...and torn up things (Like paper and fuzz from stuffed toys). The carpet is saturated in urine, and pretty much the bottoms of everything in there are covered in urine from the marking. My plans for this room is to pull out the carpet and leave the cement that is underneath it Then all I have to do is make sure to mop and sweep it often..and attempt house training 11 dogs. (This room was a garage, and the previous owners made it a room).
Next would be the family room bathroom, which nobody uses...except the cats, who use it as a place to pee. The counters and floors are covered in urine. All I need to do for this room and scrub it..its a fairly easy room to clean.
Next we have the office and hall..which is where a lot of the cats hang out at. Its not too bad..the floor was ugly to start with (Whoever lived here before us did a horrible job staining it). But there is litter and shavings from my rat cage on the floor, and a few piles of cat feces because I didn't clean the litterbox in time.
I really wish I had pictures to share of our home before this one. I never let anyone over..there was not ONE clean room in that house. It was horrible...and sickening for me to live in. And I need to work harder to keep our new house clean and not allow it to get bad like our last one. (Which is one of the reasons we moved. Now the other house is very clean..and it has new carpet, new paint..new tile..and we are renting it out.).
I will post the pictures in a minute, ones they are uploaded! I hope to get some ideas for how to better organized,and how to help me maintain keeping a room clean...for me, my mother, and my brother its hard for us to KEEP a room clean once its been cleaned. It ends up looking like crap again in a matter of days.
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Aug 10, 2008 17:23:12 GMT -5
Post by meljoanimallover on Aug 10, 2008 17:23:12 GMT -5
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Aug 10, 2008 17:56:35 GMT -5
Post by messymimi on Aug 10, 2008 17:56:35 GMT -5
Glad you are here, meljo . It's good that you recognize animal hording for what it is and have taken steps to deal with it. It is not loving the animals to keep them in that condition, as you well know. Finding homes for a few more of your beloved pets is a good thing, too. It is so difficult to give them the individual attention they need when there are so many you can barely keep up with maintaining the property. Be proud of yourself for catching the downward spiral before it got totally out of hand. Coming back to find people to cheer you on as you clean up again is a wonderful step. You can do this, and you will have us cheering for you as you do . messymimi
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Aug 10, 2008 18:10:50 GMT -5
Post by heylady1 on Aug 10, 2008 18:10:50 GMT -5
WELCOME Meljoanimallover I'm glad you're here!!! First I have to say that I think it's wonderful that you have kept those 3 rooms in good condition!! That is an excellent start!! Keeping up with all those animals is hard....and I do understand the animal hoarding because I have those tendancies myself. A long time ago I had 8 cats and having that many was starting to get out of control. I could barely keep up with feeding, vet bills, cleaning up after them, etc...not to mention the toll it took on my family too. I ended up giving away all of the cats which was best for my family and even the cats in the long run. I haven't had cats since, because I know how I am. Even knowing this about myself has not stopped me from hoarding another type of animal. This time it's fish. I have 7 tanks right now and it's a daily fight not to start up any more! I read craigslist every day searching for free tanks or fish and when I find them, I talk myself out of getting them. I know, bizarre behavior but I fight with this obsession every single day. I keep up with the maintance of the tanks, all the fish are healthy but it can be quite a chore too!! So I do understand. The best advice I can give you is to give up as many animals as possible. The less you have to care for, the better you will be able to care for the ones you still have. I gave some fish away a couple of months ago. It was hard but I was able to combine other fish that way and avoided starting up another tank! Make it a rule that no new animals are allowed in your house. That is one of my rules too. I can look all I want at the stores or on-line but I'm not allowed to buy or get any new fish. Is there any way you could build an outside kennel for some or all of the dogs? Having 11 dogs peeing outside instead of inside would be a great advantage and it would also give you time to crate train one or two dogs at a time so they could eventually come back inside.....and again, the less time you would have to spend cleaning up after the dogs would give you more time for cleaning the litter boxes and cages. As for keeping up with already cleaned areas, I guess the best advice is what they call here, "erase the evidence". In other words, everyone picks up after themselves. If you get something to drink, put the dirty glass in the sink. If you take off your clothes, don't throw them on the floor, put them in the laundry basket. If you eat a candy bar put the wrapper in the garbage can. That kind of thing. I'm glad you found your way here Meljoanimallover!!
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Aug 10, 2008 19:06:09 GMT -5
Post by meljoanimallover on Aug 10, 2008 19:06:09 GMT -5
"Is there any way you could build an outside kennel for some or all of the dogs? Having 11 dogs peeing outside instead of inside would be a great advantage and it would also give you time to crate train one or two dogs at a time so they could eventually come back inside.....and again, the less time you would have to spend cleaning up after the dogs would give you more time for cleaning the litter boxes and cages" No..we won't make them live outside . The door to the outside is open all day long. We just want to get rid of the carpet so that I can actually get somewhere with the cleaning. I find it very useless to even bother cleaning it, I have cleaned the carpet with a rug doctor last month, and it looked EXACTLY the same! Now, let me tell you there is not much of a smell in that room. I have had outsiders (My friend) come into that room and he didn't smell any forum of urine. (I guess the incense and febreeze work to an extent. The only animals I am trying to find new homes for are the rodents...All of them. The mess upstairs was created by 3 cats. All the other cats are inside and outside..and they all use the alley behind our house as a litter box, or the flowerbeds (Which I could care less about). And the kittens (Who are not ours, they are foster kittens) are the ones who are in the office and hallway...and they actually go IN the litter box. Most of the dogs are housetrained..Its the boys (Even though all but 2 are neutered) who mark the family room..And when I have to lock the dogs up inside (At night, so they don't bark and disturb neighbors), and if we are all not home because I don't want them to find someway out of the yard and get lost. I am very protective of my dogs. They sleep with me, and my mom in our beds (or the couch for me) and they are my life. I even do agility with them, and we go to the dogpark..So my dogs are not just there because I felt the need to hoard them. It was the cats that was my mom's problem..and we rehomed 12 of them! (Which was hard enough considering how much of an overpopulation there is in my city..thats the only reason we ended up with as many as we do. Funny enough, my next door neighbor has 12 cats, the volunteers and foster parents for the cat rescue I have been fostering kittens for this summer they also have a lot of cats, a lot have more than me. My problem mainly is making the house easier to clean and preventing them from going into most of the rooms. The dogs will always be allowed in the family room..and once the carpet is removed, and I scrub that room from floor to ceiling, I will actually be able to house train them. The biggest problem was the fact that when we moved into this house, that carpet already had urine stains on it from the previous dogs that lived there..So it was nearly impossible to housebreak them cause the floor smelled like strange dogs!! But for the most part, the dogs are good about going outside. All of our animals are well taken care of, and are not lacking in vet care, none have fleas (All treated with flea medication), all are fed a good food (Chicken Soup for dog lovers soul), and the cats are fed a high quality food as well (Kirkland Signature). Now that we have a manageable amount of cages (I had over 20 cages before we moved here, and now there are 6...and so its a lot less time consuming to clean their cages (And I have managed to litter box train the rats..so thats makes it even easier!). So its not that our animals are diseased, and not taken care of! They are the love of my life! We only have 1 litter box . And thats for the kittens who are downstairs in the office and hallway. The rest of the cats go outside (And since I put one of the cats that was upstairs in the office with the kittens, and I got the one who was doing all the damage in my bedroom spayed and shes going outside now) not one cat is using our house as a litter box. I think my room is very thankful for that, and has finally had a chance to air out and for the feces to dry up! We won't be able to actually replace the flooring for several months...but if I can clean it the best I can, I can probably move back in my own room in a couple months!!! "In other words, everyone picks up after themselves" Gosh, I wish that would work for my family! My mom is good about that, but my brother...he does not at all no matter how many times anyone tells him to cleans up after himself. He leaves dishes and cans all over the desk and coffee table in the living room that I have to clean...His room is really bad, it doesn't have animal feces or urine in it, but you can't see the floor due to all the clothes and cans, and bowls, and dishes,etc. So pretty much I have to maintain the house AND work.\ Does anyone know of any good websites for removing pet odor stains, and getting stains out of carpet and even on counter tops and in showers..etc. Pretty much any good house cleaning sites? EDIT to add: The reason the Family room looks so bad is because when we first moved in, we had to keep ALL the cats in that room for about 2 months they were all in that one room, and it was horrible!! But we had to do it so they would learn that this is our house, and wouldn't get lost outside. So the majority of the carpet damage was done in those first 2 months of us living here.
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Aug 10, 2008 19:32:11 GMT -5
Post by zinnia on Aug 10, 2008 19:32:11 GMT -5
You have a nice home. You have a lot of animals even now-- if you create a routine/schedule it might be easier to keep up with things. (Sort of like people who have a lot of children need to be more organized in some ways.) Welcome!
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Aug 10, 2008 20:08:11 GMT -5
Post by meljoanimallover on Aug 10, 2008 20:08:11 GMT -5
Zinnia, that is what I have been working on! I am not good at creating and STICKING to a schedule. I have written out so many different daily schedules that are even timed. Like wake up at 8am, 9am clean this, etc..but I just had a hard time sticking to it, and then got behind..and stressed with it!! Luckily we free feed, so our pet feeding schedule is just making sure all the dog/cat/rodent bowls are filled, and the waterers and bowls are filled up. "I read craigslist every day searching for free tanks or fish and when I find them, I talk myself out of getting them." That was my problem as well, but instead of fish tanks/fish it was cages/small animals!! I still tend to do it, but I never actually email people. I always have the mentality that we do NOT need anymore, nor do we really even WANT anymore..its an "Addiction". And I am always able to talk myself out of it, and luckily my mom doesn't even go online...cause I know it would be hard for her with dogs/cats.. I forgot to add, there ARE other rooms of this house. There is my mothers bedroom, which is very clean now. She sleeps with 6 of the 11 dogs and they are in her room for about 8 hours every night, and they do NOT go to the bathroom on her floor. Its a wood floor, with an area rug. They seem to like urinating on the floor in the family room. Then there is the spare bedroom upstairs, across from mine...This might be a first on here, but this spare bedroom doesn't have ONE thing in it . And then there is the Laundry/Storage room. Its very organized. There isn't any laundry (I do laundry everyday, I try and maintain atleast that). The cats do hang out in there alot (Its a large laundry room, was part of the garage), and they do not go to the bathroom back there. There is a lot of shelves for storage and we keep tools and litter and whatnot organized on the shelves. And we keep bikes and our mopeds back there as well (I will get a picture). And then the bathroom that connects onto the "kittens hallway" which is also clean and we even clean the toilet very often cause thats the bathroom everyone uses!. So that is actually 7 rooms we keep very clean, 2 areas/rooms we keep semi-clean (The office and the hallway), 1 bedroom that is not getting dirtier and is being worked on and won't have dogs or cats up there again, and then that really only leaves one really gross, nasty, urine covered room left that and that just so happens to be the room the dogs and cats spend a lot of their time in, and that we tend to neglect when it comes to daily cleaning (and as you can see dusting..there are TONS of spiderwebs in that room, and going up the stairs, especially around the sky light). Anyone want to see backyard pictures? I maintain the yard as well. We mow the grass once a week, and I weed the flowerbeds and sweep the dog poo off the deck every 2-3 days (Thats one of their favorite places to go at)...I spend a lot of time in the backyard: (That gate on the left of this part leads to a gated off patio which has some cat trees..and my cats spend a lot of time back there so the ones who don't like dogs don't have to be near them.) The deck and pool (We plan to rip the pool out, stain the wood on the deck, and fill that hole in with more wood..We don't need the pool.) The pond The patio my seeds growing! another section and I am still missing some more parts of the yard. I thought I would post pictures of some of my pets, just to show how well taken care of they are: Thats Paris, one of the 3 cats that were in my bedroom causing all the damage. Thats Jannah, one of the 7 Dachshunds Bob 2 of my female rats Elliot Top part of the cage (The girls part) bottom part is the same size, but is the boys cage. Foster kittens Barry Peanut Bjorn (I get asked if all my pets have names..and I can't help but think why someone would ask me that. OF COURSE! They are like my kids.) Oh, did I forget to put I have a turtle as well? Hes in the kitchen though..and not a messy pet whatsoever! And as soon as I get a new pond filter for the 2,000 gallon pond we have in the backyard, that will be his house. Reese and Bob Cartman Reese and Charlotte Chad I have two photobucket accounts filled with all my pictures (most being pet pictures) so I won't bore you will too many pictures!! I found a picture of my other closet! it pretty much looks the same, minus the dirty clothes hamper. (The door was always closed, so it was never trashed by cats) And I found a picture of part of the kitchen Another part leading to the butlers pantry alright..thats it.
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Aug 10, 2008 20:55:03 GMT -5
Post by AnnieOkie on Aug 10, 2008 20:55:03 GMT -5
Hi there and welcome!! I just love your Dachshunds!! I have one too, her name is Tootsie. She is our only pet and enough for me to keep up with.
Your kitchen is awesome!! Good luck with the work you have to do, I know it is tough. But you can do it!!
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Aug 10, 2008 21:58:28 GMT -5
Post by houseworkhater on Aug 10, 2008 21:58:28 GMT -5
your house is lovely. congrats on your move and on maintenance.
the only thing that occurs to me is that it would be completely impossible to maintain a clean house with that many pets, or even half that many unless you cleaned 24/7.
is it not even under consideration to adopt out some of the other pets? at the very least, don't neutered animals spray less? and if they are used to going everywhere, is it even possible to train them now?
i wish you much luck!
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Aug 10, 2008 22:07:30 GMT -5
Post by meljoanimallover on Aug 10, 2008 22:07:30 GMT -5
All of them are spayed and neutered except 2 dogs and that is because of their age. All the cats are spayed and neutered...And no, it doesn't always stop the marking. All my male dogs mark. Now, I do have a plan of action. I am going to buy these male dog "diapers". You put them around their waste, covering their genitals..and it usually discourages them from marking..and if they do, its in the "diaper"...and that way, I can just take them outside on a leash every hour or so and make sure they go outside and praise them when they go to encourage them to go outside. I do basic cleaning on the rooms that are clean. The cats are fine, they don't cause any of this mess. The only cats that did were the ones upstairs, and they are now going outside. So I have been scooping the one litter box everyday, and as you can see in the picture of my bedroom I DO have a littermaid that I am going to set up again and use instead of the cat box. Once I stop the dogs from using that room as a toilet...I won't have any problems! So for now my main problem is actually getting the work done, and not creating anymore messes. I keep telling myself that when I eat something, don't just leave the plate or bowl on the coffee table until it piles up into 5 bowls,and 5 cups, and wrappers and whatnot. so I have been being really good about actually washing the dish right after I use it! Once the 6 rats that are leaving next weekend (To a rat rescue), that will leave me with 5 rats and one cage of rats..The 4 hamsters and 1 mouse are no problem at all. I clean their cages once a week and fill their food dishes and water bottles and they are good to go. Trust me, we went from a much large amount of pets..our current number is very manageable! It may not be to some people, but it is to us. And its not like we ever plan on getting anymore!!
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Aug 10, 2008 22:16:53 GMT -5
Post by crazycatlady on Aug 10, 2008 22:16:53 GMT -5
Welcome to SooS, MelJo. I think that for some people, just posting, and looking at their pictures can help show them where to start. It actually sounds like you have already made a lot of progress, in giving up animals, and in cleaning up the mess.
Is there any chance of getting the unspayed/unneutered animals fixed? That often helps to end marking behaviors. And it sounds like you are ready to let the rats go to new homes. If you find that you cannot give up any of the other animals (except the foster kittens, of course), you could make a plan not to replace anyone when they pass on. That is my plan for cats. I ended up with too many cats after fostering for a few years. I do not choose to give any of the current cats up, but I do not allow myself to adopt more, and I will not replace any that pass away. Most of them are very young, so I will probably have alot for another 10-15 years, but they have a home here for as long as I can provide it.
For additonal cleaning tips...I'm not sure how much free time you have currently. It sounds like you are already doing most of the cleaning in your home, and working. But if you could find an additonal 15 minutes a day to "de-poop", it would make a big difference. Especially since you have limited the animals access...you could start with the rooms they cannot go into, and each day just clean a small area.
I have heard that Listerine used in a carpet shampooing machine really gets the pee smell out of carpet. Vinegar and water is supposed to help, too. Best of luck to you in training the critters (and your brother )! I'm so glad that you joined!
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Aug 10, 2008 22:43:47 GMT -5
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Aug 10, 2008 22:43:47 GMT -5
- Hello there!
I remember you from the Squalor Survivors site. I remember that you took great photos and that your pets are well-loved.
I also remember that you used to have more pets than you do now. Congratulations on managing to rehome some of them..... but my brother...he does not at all no matter how many times anyone tells him to cleans up after himself. He leaves dishes and cans all over the desk and coffee table in the living room that I have to clean...His room is really bad, it doesn't have animal feces or urine in it, but you can't see the floor due to all the clothes and cans, and bowls, and dishes,etc. So pretty much I have to maintain the house AND work.\ I remember that you were a very young woman, and did most of the cleaning in the house, and most of the animal clean-up, and that your brother was hopeless. It always seemed unfair to me.Yes..we WERE animal hoarders at some point (Well, my mother was). She got help..and we are much happier now with our pets, and our life. It's wonderful thing that your mother has gotten some treatment. I would encourage that she continues with treatment, if possible.The biggest problem was the fact that when we moved into this house, that carpet already had urine stains on it from the previous dogs that lived there..So it was nearly impossible to housebreak them cause the floor smelled like strange dogs!! But for the most part, the dogs are good about going outside. Congratulations on moving into a new home!
Glad you explained that the previous residents left pet urine in the carpeting. That explains a lot! It really is difficult to get a pet to stop spraying if they can detect the odor of another animal -- or even if they can detect their OWN urine odor in a spot.Does anyone know of any good websites for removing pet odor stains, and getting stains out of carpet and even on counter tops and in showers..etc. Kennel Odor Eliminator (K.O.E.) is supposed to be the very best stuff. Use it for cats and dogs. The company makes a product for cats, but most people online recomment the KOE for all pet odors.
Regular size: www.thornell.com/Product.aspx?prod_id=5
Gallon size: www.thornell.com/Product.aspx?prod_id=13
FAQ explaining the science of pet odors -- worth reading! www.thornell.com/faq.aspx
Welcome! I am glad you are back. I've often wondered how you are doing.-
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Aug 10, 2008 23:49:18 GMT -5
Post by meljoanimallover on Aug 10, 2008 23:49:18 GMT -5
"Is there any chance of getting the unspayed/unneutered animals fixed" The only animals that are not fixed are two male dogs, and they are too old to go under for surgery..its too risky. Everyone else, all the cats and all the other dogs are fixed already.
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Aug 11, 2008 10:40:27 GMT -5
Post by crazycatlady on Aug 11, 2008 10:40:27 GMT -5
Oops! I must have been typing while you were posting! Sounds like the diaper idea for the dogs is a great plan. And great on having everyone else speutered! You have made a lot of progress. I hope that by posting here at SooS, you will get the additional support to keep moving forward.
Taking care of that many animals is a huge commitment, but it sounds like you are willing to provide the care. And even giving back by fostering. I enjoyed that for a few years, but got burned out eventually. If you have the heart to keep fostering kittens, you will provide a huge blessing to the world. And even if (like me) you don't do it forever, the time you do foster will make a difference.
Keep posting. It is great to see someone who has overcome so much already!
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Aug 11, 2008 18:06:34 GMT -5
Post by heylady1 on Aug 11, 2008 18:06:34 GMT -5
I really like your kitchen!! Looks like you have a lot of counter space, something I lack so I'm very jealous!! You've done a wonderful job on maintaining it and your other rooms too!! You've got a lovely backyard too!! I wish I had a pool, I'd be in it as much as I could! Your dogs, cats, rats and turtle are all beautiful! They all look very healthy to me! I wanted to say that the only reason I suggested an outside kennel was because I got the impression that all 11 dogs were untrained and I couldn't think of any other way to housebreak 11 dogs! I didn't mean to imply that they would be out there forever, just that you could crate train maybe 2 at a time, then when they were good, you crate train 2 more, etc....but the doggie diapers sounds good! You see I've never had to house train multiple dogs before (we only have one dog, 11yr old chow mix) and I didn't even know they had a product like that to help you housebreak your dog! Oh, and before I forget you might want to seal that concrete. After you pull up the carpet and give a good wash, let it dry and then get a good sealer so the concrete doesn't absorb any odors. It might also help to keep the dogs from marking if they can't smell the odor from the concrete. And the only reason I suggested giving more animals away is because I also got the impression that you do the bulk of the work around the house. Cleaning up after the animals, maintaining the home and working too? Am I correct in this? Even though you're still young enough to have plenty of energy, you can have burn out too!!! I am concerned for your own well being....it is so very easy to be overwhelmed when you are the only one doing the work! Your brother needs to get with the program. If he won't actively help with cleaning the least he can do is pick up after himself!! BTW, I think it's great that you are finding homes for all the rodents. I'm sure that is very hard for you to do, so on taking that step!!! BTW, my son had two female rats; Bubbles and Squeak. He had them for years I think maybe 4 or 5?? Anyway, they were nice pets but boy was I allergic to them!! And what's even weirder is that I really liked them but wild rats are a whole 'nother matter! Wild rats scare the crap out of me.... I am sure that eventually you will get your entire house under control....you've already got an excellent start on it!!!
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