Disgusted, down right mad - quilt and cat
 

I've read on here about cats peeing on beds or on quilts and just couldn't imagine - now I don't have to imagine - my husband's cat peed on the quilt that was in my sewing machine - mid-quilt. I had already scalloped around each block and had FMQ'd in 2 of the 20 blocks. When I found the mess I ran a quilting line by the inner border, put it in to soak with Oxyclean and some vinegar. Soaked it overnight, then rinsed it this morning. Laid it out in the sun to dry. No stain, no smell, but the batting is pretty much gone in two places under the 4" outer border. I starched the dickens out of it and ironed it today and am finishing the quilting. I have some fusible fleece I bought for a bag project. I'm wondering if I can put that in where the batting is thready. It would fuse to the bits and pieces of batting that remain. Each place is about 6 inches long. The only other thing I can think of to do is to take off the outer border and end the quilt with the inner one.

Thoughts? (I read every thread I could find out here about cats and pee - that is being addressed - I need to know how to rescue this quilt!) :(

If you could taunt it, I would have said just finish quilting it before treating it with an enzyme treatment designed to remove urine smells. The stuff works great. If you had the quilt basted, I don't understand why the batting is now messed up. What am I missing?

Pam

What kind of batting did you have in it?

I KNOW warm and natural survives washing.

piece in batting?

and disappear the cat?

sorry for your mess :(

aileen

It's Hobb's 80/20 batting. I'm not sure what happened cause most of it is just fine. It was basted EXCEPT for around the outside edges - I sewed around the inner border, but not the outer one. I was concerned I'd end up with huge puckers, but should have basted it, taken the basting out - then proceeded. To continue pre-soaking I would have had to let it dry and I was afraid it would be worse. Otherwise I would have had to sew through the wet pee - did that a bit sewing down the inner border and that was quite enough.

You can cut piece batting into or around the edges by using quilt batting tape. Cut out any damaged batting, cut a piece to fit, and use the batting tape with an iron to fuse the edges together. That way you keep the batting type the same throughout. I would not try to mix fusible batting with Hobbs 80/20. I would just piece so it is all Hobbs 80/20.

If you don't have the batting tape, all it is is pre-cut strips of fusible nylon tricot.

Thanks Prism99 - that sounds like a plan.

I have an inside cat and know exactly the magnet a pile of fabric has for him. I had a screen door put in the door way to my sewing room, it keeps him out and I'm not closed off. I got this tip from Bellaboo. She has a screen door going into her sewing area.

Ugh I am so sorry this happened. I would patch the missing batting by sewing a new piece on by hand.

can you take it apart and replace the batting?

With apologies to all you cat lovers.... this, besides my silly allergies, is why there are no cats in this house!! We had dogs for years and even that was bad with all their hair mixed in with the thread snippets on the floor. Now, we have no animals and that's just fine.... (except I do have to admit I miss our Lab sleeping under my cutting table while I sewed away....) The screen door on the sewing room sounds like a good idea...

JanTx - I hope you get your quilt fixed!! Maybe you'll see this as funny some day.... well, maybe not so much..... :)

My husband is the cat lover and ... I love my husband. When I married him 39 years ago he came complete with a cat. When his last cat died at age 16 I thought we were done with them, but we live in an rural area with a field across the road and ... in came the mice so back came a cat. This one... who is about to be reassigned to the garage! When the advice about piecing the batting I think I can contain the damage and move on.

So sorry to hear about this! I hope your quilt ends up okay.

What a mess..I would try to hand piece the same kind of batting into it. I gave. Friend a quilt to practice on with her new long am quilter, her husband shut the door of her sewing room with the cat inside..you know the rest of the story! And it was a Hummell embroidered quilt. I washed it but still have not completed the binding, thought it best to put it aside until I was over it! Things happen!

next time consider just soaking the area w/ Nature's Miracle - no need to throw in the washing. After soaking it, just set it out to dry.

Sorry to hear about your quilt. I understand about the cat. We have one and just yesterday I told (yelled at her) that she should find herself a new home. She didn't ruin a quilt (thank heaven) but she did yakk 4 times on the stairs and on my bedroom floor, the aoly areas in the house that are carpeted and not hardwood. She's banned from the craft room entirely.

I love my dog!! Actually have cats too, because of my children..Just found out that cats are very dangerous around people with lung disease, such as I have...I am so NOT heartbroken that we need to find them new homes...So sorry to hear about your quilt. I hope it all gets repaired as good as new....I am not sure if that was me if the cat would still be alive right now..

I use to work at a chemical company and I had cats pee on my carpet :mad:. They had me clean with pure ammonia then clean it with pure vinegar the purpose of the vinegar is to neutralize the ammonia. Good luck.

sounds like your cat is mad and not getting enough attention or has a medical problem. I had a cat with liver tumers and she was peeing in the bathtub, and another cat hated my roommate (years ago) and peed all over her stuff. lol When I found she was in to the dark spirits she had to go (the room mate). my cat never did that to me.

Cats generally pee on things, to mark their territory. There are natural repellents you can use, to keep them out of gardens and such. Maybe you could make a few sachets, to hang around your quilting area.

I did notice that one of the first sentences said "My husband's cat . . . ."

Maybe the cat likes you as much as you like him/her?

Whatever - sometimes one has to keep critters away from the projects.

Jan, you've gotten the answers you needed. All I can say is I'm sorry this happened to you. I would be livid if this happened in my house even though I adore our cats.

If this was the only time that cat has done this, I agree with another poster that the cat might be needing attention or a vet.

Hope your quilt is OK. Hope your husband is OK. (Mine would be smarting if it were his cat.) :)

I think the cat probably has a bladder infection and peeing on something
is their way of telling you something is wrong. A trip to the vet may save a mess
some place else. Sorry about your quilt. Had a cat do worse than that on one of my
quilts.

I love my four cats, and of course they LOVE my quilts and feel it is the sworn duty to sleep on them to break them in right. I have several large white flat sheets that are used to cover quilts when I walk away from them. If it is in the machine, I would cover the entire machine, quilt, table, etc. The screen door to the sewing room sounds like a fabulous idea for you, but the cats are mine and would be terribly insulted. The batting can be salvaged with piecing. Claw rips are not so easily repaired.
God bless!

You could remove the damaged border/batting right at the correct seam line plus seam allowance, then, looking at the quilt from the back, you could piece in a new section of batting (for each border around the quilt) and add the current border back on.

1. Looking at the back of the quilt: fold down the backing so it is not caught in the seam you are about to make. I would pin it.

2. Turn the quilt over and line up the batting section and the border right-side-together with the raw edge of the quilt where the original border/batting was removed.

3. Sew the layers together along the correct seam line all the way across the quilt. Open just to check that you have the border now facing up just like the rest of the quilt, with the batting behind it.

4. Repeat on all sides, trimming the previous batting/border even with the raw edge of the adjoining side before adding the new batting and border

5. After all sides have new batting and replaced border, you can reapply the folded over backing and re-quilt that area. It will look like nothing has ever happened to it.

Caryl Bryer Fallert used to employ this technique on most of her quilt iN the 1990s; don't know if she still does, but her quilts sold/sell in the 4 and 5 figure range! http://www.bryerpatch.com/gallery/gallery.htm

Jan in VA

I am glad my dogs don't shed. We had cats for years, but now just a cat outisde. I have to admit I don't miss the hair, but I do miss having cats.

Cats can do no wrong, as far as I am concerned. But I would be mad as h... if one peed on my stuff, so what can I say? You did a reasonable thing; now maybe you should have the cat lover in your circle take the cat to the vet for a check-up. One that has never been guilty of that kind of behavior might have a medical (and treatable problem). Best of luck; and don't worry about the quilt--we are the only ones who will ever know when you get done with it, and we won't tell.....Right, folks.....

Thanks for not telling! I MUST swear my husband to secrecy - this is for a friend's birthday and SHE MUST NOT KNOW. I trust ya'll, but my husband would think it a funny story.

HIS cat. My husband is retired and I am not, but I am a teacher and home for the summer. I think I'm messing with their routine.

The quilt is finished and looks none the worse for wear. I sliced in new batting in the two small places where it disintegrated. I felt a difference as I was quilting the border and binding it, but know that it will not be under such scrutiny when it goes home wih her next week.

Thanks so much for all the help. I now know what to do better next time, but ... there had BETTER not be a next time!

It turned out sooo pretty after all you went thru with it!

Oh, how awful. I'm afraid I have no suggestions, just a fervent hope that you can save this.

OH! I see that you did save it. And a pretty quilt it is. What a blessing this board is, eh?

I am so sorry that happened to you. I can't tell you how much stuff I have had ruined by cats. My daughter is a cat lover. Just put it aside a couple of days and then see if you can't fix it some how. Bless you.

Been living with indoor cats for we will not discuss how long. I have had the experience of an otherwise entirely dependable cat getting into medical problems and urinating somewhere I would come across it. It was the way the cat told me about the difficulty and asked for help.

For your peace of mind and to make sure just what is really going on, please consider taking the cat to the vet.

Pat

I agree with w1613s. The cat is wanting you to notice something. With our girl cat, she objected to sharing a litter pan with her brother. We had to keep two litter pans so she wouldn't urinate where she shouldn't. That cat is telling you it needs help.
Pet stores carry effective products that remove the cat urine smell. Many are around $10.
Your quilt is colorful and will be loved!

I wouldn't use fusible fleece, I'd use batting tape an batting.

The pink and green quilt turned out nice.

If the cat is normally well-behaved - for a cat, anyway - try to forgive it.

Yikes! What a situation! I love cats, but NOT their pee on anything in the house. I wonder what that cat was reacting to when it smelled your quilt.
I do like the idea of inserting the iron on batting in the area that has thinned out. I've actually had a situation where I had to do that, (not from a cat!), and it turned out just fine.
I would make sure the door to your sewing was shut from now on...........can't let that happen again!

Great save! Beautiful quilt! Hopefully your husband will understand the need for silence!

Too late now, but I would have soaked up what I could with paper towels and let it dry, finished the quilt, then I would clean the spot.

the quilt is just beautiful! I love that pattern . .

thank you for sharing a picture of it!

Sorry to hear this!!! I have pieced Hobbs 80/20...........I do longarming and the batting got run over by my stool (castors) and I had a big hole in the batting ........right in the middle!!! I pieced the batting in -- kinda just laid it on and quilted (praying the whole time)...and you couldn't tell when I was done. I pulled on the cut edges to make them feather out so there wasn't a hard edge.