The scent that develops when your cat begins urinating outside the litter box can be challenging to get rid of and practically impossible to cover up. In order to keep your cat from peeing in the same places repeatedly, whether on the carpet, furniture, bed linens, or your clothes, it’s crucial to remove the stench. If the stench is not removed, cats will frequently go back to the same place where they have previously urinated. We’ll show you how to clean up cat pee completely in this guide.
A health problem or stress could be the source of this behavior, so it’s crucial to identify it. This is your comprehensive guide to getting rid of cat pee odors and figuring out why your cat is urinating outside the litter box in the first place.
How to Clean Up Cat Pee in Different Areas
Clean Up Cat Pee in Carpet
- As soon as you see the cat pee in the area, get some paper towels and blot up as much as you can.
- Put a towel or a stack of paper towels down on the surface, then stand on them. This may need to be repeated numerous times.
- Once you’ve soaked up as much as you can, use a carpet cleaner or a solution of a few drops of dish soap and water. This should be applied liberally, then left to sit for a couple of hours. Do not scrub.
- Gently dab the area to rinse it. Rinse the area once again after wetting a sponge with tap water.
- Club soda should be applied to the region for ten minutes.
- Club soda should be blotted up, and the area should be covered with fresh paper towels or a towel.
- Overnight, weigh down the towels with something substantial, like books, furniture, etc.
- Spray an enzymatic cleanser on the area first thing in the morning. On the market, there are numerous options. You can use Equalizer, a foaming carpet cleanser, F.O.N. (Feline Odor Neutralizer), A.O.E. (Animal Odor Eliminator), K.O.E. (Kennel Odor Eliminator), and F.E.O. (Feline Eliminating Odor). You must adhere to the instructions provided with each enzymatic cleanser.
- Never use ammonia or items containing ammonia on carpet. The smell may draw the cat to that location and tempt them to urinate there.
- Keep the cat away from the area.
- Replace the padding below and clean the area under the carpet if the scent is bad and the cat keeps using this spot despite all cleaning efforts.
How to Clean Up Cat Pee on Linoleum
- Use paper towels or a mop dipped in soapy water to dry up the puddle.
- Thoroughly clean the area, then give it a warm water rinse.
- Use a sponge wet with white vinegar to clean the area.
- Let the area dry.
Clean Up Cat Pee on Hardwood and Cement
- Use an enzymatic cleanser after you have blotted up as much liquid as you can.
- If the scent is overpowering, there is concrete present, or both, you should sand, bleach, and refinish your hardwood floors.
How to Clean Up Cat Pee on Clothes
- Launder your clothes in a machine with a cup of white vinegar and no detergent.
- Add detergent when the laundry cycle is finished, then wash frequently.
Products to Clean Up Cat Pee With
Cat urine stench can be eliminated by using a variety of solutions, including vinegar, baking soda, and enzymatic cleaners. These remedies will help you get rid of the stench of cat pee.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Despite having a slight odor of its own, vinegar works to eliminate the lingering scent of cat urine that has been sprayed because vinegar is an acid that dissolves the alkaline salts that develop in dried urine stains. For cleaning floors and walls, mix one part water with one part vinegar. According to supporters, the urine smell goes away after a few days along with the vinegar scent.
Enzyme-Based Cleaners
You can use an enzyme-based cleaner to get rid of odors in carpets, couch cushions, mattresses, and bed linens. The enzymes in these products actually help to eliminate the odor by breaking down the acid in cat pee. The good bacteria and natural enzymes help eliminate the harmful bacteria that is the source of the offensive odors. When cleaning any surface, it’s critical to reach a level where your cat cannot smell the urine in addition to you. The region will probably be used again if a cat can smell a prior urine stain (from themselves or another cat), according to Dr. George.
Avoid Products That Contain Ammonia
Avoid using any cleaning products that contain ammonia, especially. Cats are more inclined to visit if they smell ammonia, which is one of the ingredients in cat urine, according to Dr. Kornreich. Ammonia and other chemical cleaners can frequently set the stain, which is the exact opposite of what you want to happen.
Why Cat Pee Stinks
Cat Urine Gets Worse With Time
Outside the litter box, cat urine is typically not observed until it becomes an issue. After some time, the bacteria in the urine decompose and release an odor similar to ammonia, which is a sign of stale, old pee. The urine releases mercaptans, which are chemical substances that give skunk spray its very unpleasant odor, during the second stage of the breakdown process.
Older Animals Have Smellier Urine
Older cats typically have the foulest-smelling pee because their kidneys have lost some of their function.
Unaltered males have hormones in their urine.
The potent hormones that cats emit when they urinate add to the odor. Male cats should not be left unneutered because their testosterone-laced urine alerts females to their presence and warns other males to avoid them.
Why Cats Urinate Outside the Litter Box
A cat may start peeing outside the litter box for a variety of reasons. Cats lack the advanced cognitive capacities required to devise that type of revenge plot, despite some owners believing that their cat does it to exact revenge. Cats don’t urinate outside the box to “get back” at their owners, despite what the general public believes, according to Dr. Laura George of the Shoreline, Washington-based Cats Exclusive Veterinary Center. If your cat isn’t using the litter box, he or she is probably attempting to communicate something significant to you.
Why Cats Spray
Some cats will crouch and pee on the ground, carpet, furniture, and other horizontal surfaces, while others may spray urine on the walls and other vertical surfaces in the house. DeFeo explains that unfixed males spray to mark their territory, and unfixed females spray to signal tomcats when they are ready to mate. She advises spaying female cats at 6 months and neutering male cats at 6 months to prevent these habits.
Although hormones are frequently the cause of cats’ spraying, there are other causes as well. Cats who are subjected to conditions like restrictive diets, little play, or territorial battles with other cats may spray as a result of stress, anxiety, or frustration. You should make an effort to settle arguments if your cat is spraying due to disagreements with neighborhood cats or cats in your home.
Separate arguing cats in your home, then gradually rejoin them while rewarding good behavior with treats. Try a plug-in diffuser that emits a synthetic cat pheromone created to calm your cat and reduce anxiety. If your cat is spraying because it is stressed or anxious, talk to your veterinarian about these concerns and work together to come up with a way to reduce your cat’s tension.
