So, you love your cat, and you might think she is the unofficial queen of your house. But all the love and royalty is thrown out of the window when you enter your home and find it smelling of cat pee. You are in a difficult situation then, trying to know how to get rid of the cat pee smell. Cats peeing outside their litterbox is common problem cat owners face.
According to PetsWebMD, about 10% of cats face litter box problems at some point during their lifetime. Just as there are several reasons for cats peeing outside of their litter box, there are also some tried-and-tested hacks to eliminate the pungent odor from your house.
Read on if you need some brilliant tips on how to get rid of the cat urine smell. But before that, it is important to understand what may be causing this behavior.
Why do Cats Urinate Outside the Litter Box?
There are several reasons why a cat may start peeing outside her litter box. The three possible reasons behind this behavior can be as follows.
- Cats may start relieving themselves out of their litterbox because of health issues. They may do this as a way to let you know about their health problems, feelings about changes in the house, or some problem with their litterbox. So, it is always wise to observe your cat and keep an eye on any unusual changes in her behavior.
- Cat urine has a very pungent, ammonia-like smell. Cats dislike this smell just as much as their owners do. So, if you find your cat peeing outside of the litterbox, it may signal that the cat doesn’t want to go in her litterbox, and you need to clean it.
- It is advised to clean the pee spot immediately so that the smell doesn’t linger. The sooner you clean it, the easier it is to get rid of the smell. Cleaning it sooner will also stop your cat from coming back to the same spot to pee because cats are known to associate the place of peeing with the smell of their pee. She will always try to urinate wherever she can smell her own pee.
How to Get Rid of Cat Pee Smell?
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to get rid of the cat pee smell.
1. Finding Out the Spot Where Your Cat Has Peed
First things first! Even before you try to eliminate the cat pee odor from your house, you first need to find the exact spot where your cat has peed. Getting rid of the odor is crucial because after the pee is dried, its stench worsens. Secondly, once the pee stain dries, you may not see it, but the smell would still be there.
A common mistake made by cat owners is that they don’t clean the cat’s urine quickly enough. You should not repeat this mistake if you don’t want your house smelling of cat pee.
2. Blotting With Paper Towel
After finding out the pee spot, you need to dry the spot. Absorb as much pee as you can to dry the spot with a paper towel. Don’t rub it, as this might make the pee smell and stain hard to remove. Blotting it with a paper towel would be enough to do the job.
3. Neutralizing the Odor
The last and most important part is to neutralize the odor by breaking down the bacteria that cause the bad smell. You can do this by using cat urine removers, easily available in the market, that help creates an enzymatic reaction. The urea in cat urine is hydrolyzed, turning it into carbon monoxide and ammonia; these gases will quickly diffuse.
Above, we have shared a simple step-by-step guide on how to get rid of the cat pee smell. Below, we deal with some surface-specific cat pee emergencies.
How to Get Rid of Cat Pee Smell From Carpets?
Things get complicated if your cat pees on your carpet. This is because when a cat pees on surfaces like carpet, a couch, or even a bed, the pee is absorbed deep down to the base. It makes cleaning the urine smell harder because you can’t reach it. You can either clean it up using homemade cleaners or sprays and liquids available in the market.
Remember!
Always blot the area with paper towels before applying any cleaner to the spot.
1. Home Remedy
To eliminate the cat urine smell from your carpets, you can sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and let it sit for some hours. After that, wet vacuum the spot, and voila! The pungent cat pee odor is gone.
2. Market Products
If you want to purchase products specifically made to fight the cat urine odor, you can try this Simple Solution Pet Urine Destroyer, available at Amazon. This is ideal for cleaning tough pee stains and odors and discouraging future markings. This enzymatic cleaner helps to saturate the stain and removes the odor completely.
How to Get Cat Pee Smell Out of Clothes?
What if your cat has relieved herself on your clothes in the laundry basket? A cat can sometimes mistake the laundry basket for her litterbox. And this mistake can prove disastrous if the basket is full of clothes. Remember, if you ever find out your cat has accidentally peed on your clothes, don’t rush to load them into your machine because the smell will linger in there. By washing the stained clothes right away, you will be transferring the pee smell to anything you will wash in the machine after.
Home Remedy
So, your beloved cat has peed on your favorite clothes. Now what? One way to eliminate the smell is to treat it at home. First, blot it with a paper towel, then soak the soiled clothes in a bucket with ½ cup of oxygen bleach.
Never the Chlorine Bleach!
No doubt hydrogen peroxide will neutralize the cat pee smell, but it would also lighten the stained area, requiring to be sanded and refinished.
After soaking the pee-stained clothes for 2-3 hours, take them out and soak them in a mixture of vinegar and water in 1:3 proportions. Take them out after 15-20 minutes and add some baking soda to the stain. This will remove most of the smell and make the clothes ready to be washed in a machine. Wash them with cold water without any detergent and hang them to dry.
Market Products
If removing the cat pee smell from your clothes at home seems like a lot of work, you can look into some easy-to-use market products. A variety of products are available in the market, specifically manufactured for pet-related messes. There are sprays, laundry liquids, and stain removers that you can safely use on your clothes and remove the pee smell from your clothes.
How to Get Rid of Cat Pee Smell From Wooden Floors, Tiles, and Baseboards:
If your house has wooden floors, you have to be extra careful about your cat peeing on them. The reason behind this is that the smell of cat pee can reach the base of your floors and linger there.
Home Remedy
Getting rid of the cat pee smell from wooden floors is a daunting task. Hydrogen peroxide makes a great at-home remedy for neutralizing the cat pee smell from hardwood floors.
Simply pour some hydrogen peroxide over the stain. Now soak a clean rug in hydrogen peroxide and cover the stain with it. You can put plastic wrap over the cloth and, if required, put a lightweight such as a book on it. Now let it sit there for at least 8 hours, and there will be no urine odor.
Keep in Mind!
No doubt hydrogen peroxide will neutralize the cat pee smell, but it would also lighten the stained area, requiring to be sanded and refinished.
If you are unsure about risking cleaning the wooden floors on your own and are afraid of damaging the floor, you can instead ask professional cleaners to do the job for you.
Market Products
Some commercial products also help remove pee odors and stains from hard surfaces in a house. If you are a cat owner and want to be safe beforehand, invest in a cleaner like Nature’s Miracle Hard Floor Cleaner. This cleaner is safe for use on wooden floors, linoleum, vinyl, concrete, and ceramic tiles and helps remove tough cat-pee stains.
We hope all your queries surrounding ‘how to get rid of cat pee smell?’ have been resolved. Always keep your house clean and smelling fresh, no matter why your cat may be peeing outside the litterbox.
Read: How Do Cats Get Worms?
