Cat, Mice and Odor Update

Finney can’t catch a break. Something in his mouth was bothering him, and I was hoping it was a dental issue, but of course it’s a tumor. AND, he has dental issues. I asked them to remove as much of the mass as possible while they were removing a piece for a biopsy, because I don’t plan to go through any kind of major surgery for this. This was just to buy him a little more time and comfort. They also cleaned his teeth and extracted a couple that were in bad shape. That too, was just to give him a little more comfort for whatever time he has left.

He’s miserable now though, and all he does is sleep. New York City is getting a fantastic snowstorm, and normally I’d be in a great mood about that, and heading out to play, but I’m staying in. I’m going to miss a choir party tonight as well, but I suspect a lot of people won’t make it due to this storm. Mice and dead mouse update below.

Quick backstory: I have mice, and what smelled like a dead mouse started a few weeks ago. On Thursday, one of the landlord’s guys pulled out the kitchen cabinet where the smell was strongest, removed a piece of sub-flooring, and we looked underneath. No dead mouse, but we could also pinpoint exactly where the smell was concentrated: the pipe pictured below. It didn’t smell like gas though, and he had a device to detect leaks and it didn’t show a leak. I also know what a gas leak smells like and this was different.

I washed down the pipes and the floor, then we cleared out the debris under the floor in that area, and it was a lot better. That was about six days ago. Even though it’s a lot better, I can still smell it. I’m not sure if that is a lingering scent and I should give it time or what.

Stacy Horn

I've written six non-fiction books, the most recent is Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York.

View all posts by Stacy Horn →

3 thoughts on “Cat, Mice and Odor Update

  1. I’ve just been having bathroom renovations at my house and one things can quickly lead to another! I hope you get the smell sorted out. Maybe now that it has been exposed, it will dissipate.

    I am so sorry about poor Finney. When my Labrador was on her last legs, I was at the vet regularly and she told me should would sure I made the right decision, whether to keep her comfortable or let her go. In the end, she died in my arms under the dining table, so I didn’t have to take that last, deliberate trip to the vet. Oftentimes, pets let us know what is the right decision to make. I learned that with my ‘starter pets’ which were a series of hamsters who as you know, don’t live very long. You have had cats before too, so you know. I am not telling you anything new. I feel for you.

  2. So sorry about Finney…. maybe it’s good he can sleep and dream about catching that elusive pigeon. 🙂

  3. He was actually back to his regular self by the evening. His regular self is also mostly sleeping, but usually he likes to sleep on or near me.

    Julia, this smell issue is driving me crazy. I’m resigned about Finney, but still dreading it. It never gets any easier, I’ve learned.

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