r/cats • u/catseyesociety • Jul 23 '26

Video - OC My “squeeze” routine with 7 incontinent cats.

Squeeze my cats with me!
 
While this video is cut down to fit social media, the entire routine took only 13 minutes. 
 
This 13 minute routine twice daily is what saved these cats from euthanasia. 
 
Every day happy, healthy cats with paresis or incontinence are euthanized. The reasons stem from a perceived poor quality of life, or the slim chances of finding an adopter willing to take on a cat with different care needs. People see a cat in a diaper and automatically think they are incredibly time consuming and expensive. While yes, diapers, wipes, and pee pads can cost more than a bag of litter, is it that much different? While an incontinent cat may need a few more vet visits in their lifetime than the average cat, is that enough to deem them as unworthy of finding an adoptive home?
 
Do you have any questions about my squeeze routine? I'm always happy to answer questions!

Edited to answer some of the most common questions:

Why do the cats need to be squeezed?
These cats all have a spinal injury or defect. Most were born this way, but Poe, Athena, and Cypress (the longhair ones) had spinal injuries from trauma.

Why not the toilet or a bathtub?
Squatting at that height and hunching over hurts my back! I’ve tried many methods and this is what is most comfortable for me and the cats.

Why pee pads?
I get most of them donated! I prefer the large ones but I’ll use any size. I would like to make this more environmentally friendly with reusable ones, but it will create a lot more laundry (which I already do a lot of)

Why do I have so many disabled cats?
I run a cat rescue for cats with treatable conditions who would otherwise be euthanized in a traditional shelter. I don’t get paid by the rescue, but I do work in a municipal shelter as my day job. I’ve worked in animal shelters for nearly 10 years.

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u/misskittybop Jul 23 '26

Have you ever smelled cat pee? It’s notoriously smelly. A simple rinse would not be enough, you would want to treat your tub with an enzymatic cleaner before using it again, especially with several cats full bladders emptied in there. Showering in cat pee smelling steam would be horrendous.

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u/gene100001 Jul 23 '26

Yeah I can confirm this. One of my cats got in the habit of peeing in the guest bathroom shower a while back. It seems crazy, but rinsing alone was never enough. I'm eternally grateful to whoever invented those pee digesting enzyme cleaning sprays. They seem to be literally the only thing that will get rid of cat pee smell

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u/onyaasuminyasai Jul 23 '26

which do you use? I have a cat that got used to peeing on my bathroom rug and even after washing it many times, the second I lay it down in the bathroom he uses that instead of the litter box.

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u/flipfreakingheck Jul 23 '26

Honestly with a bathroom rug, I’d toss it. Especially if it’s a favorite pee spot it can be tough. For enzymatic cleaner though, I recommend Nature’s Miracle.

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u/onyaasuminyasai Jul 23 '26

dammit. I liked that rug. No chance they make that in a laundry detergent?

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u/Hands Jul 23 '26

Soak it in copious amounts of natures miracle (like get the Tide sized canister not the spray) for an hour or so and then wash it 3 times

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u/flipfreakingheck Jul 23 '26

You can use it on the bath mat. Follow directions on bottle. It may take several treatments though. Washing alone won’t take out cat pee smell.

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u/NightHawkCanada Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26

They do! It's a laundry additive. I've used Skout's Honor Laundry Booster but also Nature Miracle seems to have an enzymatic laundry booster as well.

You can often first treat it directly with an enzymatic cleaner, and then wash it with the additive in there.

I believe you should avoid hot water before applying the enzymatic cleaner as well.

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u/DaveyNicks Jul 23 '26

I had a cat that would piss on any rug I put down and it was very frustrating. I got tired of sniffing around on my hands and knees every day to source where my Stewie Cat had peed. I made sure all rugs were pee free with enzyme cleaner soaks and rolled them up to store them under my bed. My little buddy died peacefully in October 2024. The rugs came out again.