When your cat starts urinating outside the litter box, the smell can be difficult to get rid of and nearly impossible to mask. Odor neutralizing is necessary.
Whether your cat pees on the carpet, a piece of furniture, bed linens, or your clothes, it’s important to neutralize the odor to prevent your cat from becoming a repeat offender. Cats often return to a spot where they have previously urinated if the odor is not eliminated.
It’s also important to determine the cause of this behavior, which could be a sign of a health issue or stress.
Although cats are often driven to spray by hormones, there are other reasons for it. Cats may spray out of stress, anxiety, or frustration with their circumstances, including such conditions as restrictive diets, insufficient playtime, or territorial disputes with other cats.
Clean Up Cat Urine Stains Before They Smell Worse
As bad as cat pee initially smells, the longer that urine sits, the worse the stench becomes. The smell gets more concentrated over time. When it comes to cleaning up cat urine, many cat owners make the same mistake—not cleaning it up quickly enough.
How to Get Cat Urine Smell Out of Carpet
Here’s what you should do to help eliminate the smell of cat pee from a surface.
1. Blot the Spot to Absorb the Urine
Find the stain as soon as possible and blot up as much of the urine as you can with a clean cloth.
2. Rinse and Vacuum the Area
Next, rinse the area with clean water and remove the liquid with a wet/dry vacuum. You don’t want to use a steam cleaner, as the heat can set the stain.
3. Soak the Spot in Enzyme Cleaner
While enzyme cleaners come in a spray bottle, spraying a light coat over the stain won’t do much. Instead, remove the sprayer and douse the spot liberally.
4. Let It Sit Before Blotting With a Clean Cloth
Let the cleaner sit for 10-15 minutes and blot up as much of it as possible with a clean cloth.
5. Prevent Your Cat From Returning to the Spot
To keep your cat from returning to the spot during the cleaning process, place a piece of aluminum foil or an aluminum baking sheet over the area, or cover it with an upside-down laundry basket.
6. Reapply the Cleaner if Necessary
You may need to reapply the cleaner and let it dry again for older or particularly smelly stains.
Keep Your Cat From Urinating in That Spot in the Future
Once you’ve cleaned a particular area, prevent a recurrence by changing the significance of that area to your cat. In other words, since cats prefer to eat and eliminate in separate areas, place food bowls and treats in previously soiled areas, or play with your cat in that space and leave toys there.
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