Since we moved into this house in June, I've had to get used to having the neighborhood cats roaming around. We don't have a ton of them, but there is one that loves to hang out by my birdfeeder that really annoys me and apparently there are a couple of tomcats around here. The first week or two I would notice occasionally in the front yard that I could catch that undesirable odor of cat spray. Yuk! As the summer went on, it hasn't been quite as bad, but I noticed it some again last week, but in a different area. Schatzi has always been fascinated by the vents around the foundation of the house, and I figured it had to be from the dampness and the possibility that a cat had gotten in there at some point.
This morning, when I got out of the shower and Schatzi came in to visit, she was fascinated by the cabinet that holds the water heater. I didn't think much about it then. When I first came home from work, she once again went to the cabinet and was interested in it. I still didn't do anything at that time. The next time she was near that bathroom she once again was doing that doxie sniffing at the cabinet door, so I decided I might should open it. She had herself right inside there sniffing the area beside the water heater and the wall wouldn't you know it, there was a small space where the wall meets the floor that probably lets air up from underneath the house. I'm talking 3 inches by 1/8inch but enough for Schatzi to smell. Now comes the fun part. Schatzi immediately ran from the bathroom, through the doggie door, down the ramp and to the vents she will always go to and sniff. After that it was back up the ramp through the door and into the house. I had closed the bathroom door since I knew there was a good chance she would try to dig her way into that cabinet since she was determined to get to that smell. She did this for at least 5 or 6 times and is finally resting. I did open the access door that goes under the house since Randy had left it open the other day and it is possible a cat is under there and needs to get out. I think we would have heard it if that were the case, but at least I gave it a chance. I'm going to go and close the door now that it is dark. Schatzi reminded me of Kendall-angel in our first house we had. It was an old house and we had a neighborhood cat that would always get underneath it. Kendall-angel would run from one heating vent (they were on the floor) to the other sniffing out the critter. This could go on for hours if we didn't get her distracted. I hope that isn't the case tonight and Schatzi and I get to sleep!
Or maybe there's another critter under the house. Possum? Skunk? Go git 'em Schatzi!
I just hope it's not that family of ground hogs that lived around here right before we moved in! I think they finally captured them and moved them away. I'm going to send Randy under the house tomorrow with a flashlight to see what may have been or may be living under there. He has needed to go and check on something under there anyway, so why not tomorrow? In the meantime, the doggie-door is blocked for the night and the bathroom door is closed.
It was really funny a short while ago when I opened the cabinet and apparently the scent wasn't as strong (making me think something was trapped under there). Schatzi kept pawing my arm and moving it to the water heater. Apparently she wanted me to move the heater out of the way so she could get in the cabinet a little more! I have pictures and will post them tomorrow.
At 2:00 this morning, it was Benadryl to the rescue! Schatzi slept about an hour and then was up again. I had closed our bedroom door, but she decided she would sit there and bark until I opened it. I gave her half a Benadryl and left our door open, the doggie door closed and the bathroom door closed (I made sure had been out to potty so she was okay in that department). After half an hour or so she came to bed and stayed the rest of the night. Randy came home from the fire department and thought she was fascinating. He loves to watch her nose in action. He is thinking about crawling under the house later and maybe taking her with him. I told him to only do it if he was sure he could get to all corners under there. Otherwise he may not get her out! I guess he could always use her long lead if her gave it a try...
Long line a must and if you need the recipe for skunk shampoo I have it somewhere in my filing cabinet good luck on your hunt.
papbouv
Hey, Schatzi.......did you find the "critter" yet? Sarge n Duggie
Dats whut we were wonderin' too !!!
Rudy and Brandy
Us too what did you find ???? Patches & Buddy papbouv
We drove up to see Meghan today, came home and she is worse than ever. Here is my plan. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote the size of the opening in the wall. This is an older house and the floor, of course, slants down a little. Where the water heater sits in the closet is one of the areas that it slants. It has left an opening about an inch wide along the wall of the cabinet, but the tub actually is against it on the other side of the wall. If something ever wanted to get through there, they probably could, soooo, I'm getting some of the Great Foam expanding foam tomorrow and filling in the space. Hopefully that will help with whatever she is smelling. Sometimes she will go in there and sniff around and it doesn't seem to be as strong. It is like she can't find the scent. This morning, she was in there and the tail was just a going.
After I get the foam in the hole, Randy or I one will put her NEW leash on her and let her go under the house. It actually has a light on it, but a huge flashlight will be used. Hopefully we will see whatever is or has been under there. WE can't close off the vents because we need the circulation, but I think I know where something may be getting in and may be able to take care of that area.
Tonight will definitely be another Benadryl night. She is currently trying to jump up to the doorknob of the bathroom door since I have closed it. She is determined to get in there again. She isn't as interested in outside as inside.
Oh, and we occasionally have dirty pawprints in our bathtub. She seems to think the drain has a connection with all of this! Amazing how her mind knows it is all right there together.
She is "seeing" something !!!! Too funny - not for you though !!!!
My sister in law has a schnauzer that would sit in their extra bathroom and just stare at the shower...... for hours and hours..... they could never find anything and had exterminators check and everything. He did this for months on end and then just stopped..... guess the "unknown" went on its way :2funny:
I may have solved one part of the mystery, though I'm not so sure I want to have solved it this way. I'm determined to figure this out today. It is driving Schatzi crazy and I'm right behind her :idiot:
A short while ago, I go in the bathroom, open the cabinet door and get on hands and knees and investigate. Yes, you can barely see under the house from there (not much longer-I'm heading to Home Depot). As I'm looking around and figuring out how much Insulating Foam spray to get, I suddenly noticed a couple of tiny little mice droppings. Not at all what I want to see. The only good thing is the cabinet has been kept closed since Schatzi does drive us crazy over it and is really hard to open so hopefully they haven't gone anywhere else. I will admit I heard something when I was looking in there earlier, so i can understand why it is bothering Schatzi so much. When we lived in an older house once before and removed an old bathtub, we found a dead mouse or something between the bathtub and floor. I wonder if this is where these creatures are hiding since she keeps focusing on the piece of molding the runs along the side of the tub. I was considering crawling under the house, but I'm not a big fan of mice. Too unpredictable! I am going to seal off the area outside that has the largest access opening, too.
Here is a video of Schatzi from last night. I finally uploaded one to YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAWrsJLkuDA
(http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Animals/grenouille-saute.gif) I feel your pain ..... I KNOW there was somethin' in our heat vents, and I drove MaMa crazy. We never did find anything. Just one day I didn't care anymore. (http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Animals/mouse-28493.gif) eLlIe
Have you seen the video on the Great Stuff web site try and get some heavy screen or something metal to put down before using the Great Stuff helps keep the mice from chewing though the Great Stuff when it dries. We also have an old house have to wait until our 30+ year old Hot Water Tank goes out so I can get behind it and put some wire down then spray the Great Stuff in all the open areas in the Utility room.When we first moved here the washer/dryer area was in the garage so hubby enclose it in so broken concrete at the bottom of the wall so may need a case of Great Stuff.
Really odd Patches use to act like she would chase mice but now just turns her head (what mouse)???not sure if getting older changed her mind she will be 3yrs old in Jan.
I could only reach half the area with Great Stuff since my hand would reach behind the water heater, but not the can. I did manage to seal off the entrance they may be using to get under the house (probably not the only one, but the one Schatzi is obsessed with) and then block it from Schatzi. I will probably put down something for the mice behind the water heater since I'm sure Schatzi can't get to it. That is the only place I would feel safe putting down anything. I don't even want to put anything under the house, just in case she happens to end up under there sometime. There is still a possibilty we can remove the shelf above the water heater and Randy can reach behind it since he has such long arms. I'm going to let him tackle that job tomorrow. I've done what I can for now and hopefully that will settle the little one down somewhat.