REARVIEW 2007 (4)
CIGARETTES & CAT PEE
I am not a neat freak. I wish to god I was, but dust bunnies and grime have had one up on me in nearly every apartment I've rented - the exceptions have been the times when I have lived alone. I have not luxuriated in a single occupancy scenario very often in my life, but for some reason, living alone encourages cleanliness in me.
Roommates over the years have ranged from a super finicky acquaintance to a devil may care chimney stack of a best friend.
But, it has not been the quality of roommate that has influence my tidying up habits - it is the mere fact of sharing a living space with another that has the duel effect of inviting disorganization to my routine as well as dampening the impulse to set things in order.
I find I can live amidst the daily muck as long as the air in my home resembles something clean and/or is pleasing to the nose.
I'm not a big fan of scented sprays, but readily employ incense, candles, and oils to fight back less than desirable olfactory sensations emanating from used furniture and old rugs.
The pet that has companioned me through the last 17 or so years has made has presented a rather large challenge for my dislike of unsavory redolence. Eight years ago he met with an accident that left him incontinent. My approach to dealing with his incontinence has yet to be perfected, but I have a few - if not completely successful at least workable - methods for keeping the acrid odor of cat pee to a minimum.
Yet and still.
My current roommate (and very good friend) is a smoker. I gave up smoking 12 years ago - partly due to gag inducing odor that paints the air when it is released indoors.
For the first few months he would voluntarily take his smoking to the out of doors, but as the year has worn on (and the weather has turned) he has brought his smoking to the in of doors. He is polite and apologetic. He only smokes in the front room and only near an open window with a fan blowing.
Yet and still.
Even with my daily efforts to keep the amount of cat pee to a minimum, my cat has soiled the couch in our front room to the point where no amount of Amazing Oxy Orange! can erase the odor completely and the piece of furniture desperately needs replacing.
Cat pee has also appeared on the little rugs in the kitchen and bathroom as well as a one or two of my roommates blankets.
Due to Horatio's condition, bladder infections are unavoidable and when he is in the throes of such a consequence he leaves little puddles and dots of urine through out the house every 15 minutes or so and keeps at it until he's been on antibiotics for 3 or 4 days. He's had two such infections since we've moved in to 818 Las Palmas.
A benefit of cigarette smoke is that it can overpower the aroma of feline urine and between the two I most certainly prefer the smoke.
Yet and still.
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