How to Clean Up Cat Urine?

Image Credit -

If your cat has a habit of urinating outside the litter box, it can be quite difficult o get rid of the smell. Whether it is a carpet, your furniture, clothes or bed linens, it is important to neutralize the smell to prevent your cat from repeating that gesture as they often tend to return to a spot where they have urinated before if the odor lingers.

Cats tend to mark their territory outside the litter box, be it hidden corners or carpets. The bacterium in the urine decomposes after a while and gives off a characteristic ammonia-like smell. After that, the decomposed urine starts giving off mercaptans, which are compounds that give the spray of skunks its characteristic bad smell. If your cat is older, there is a good chance that his kidneys have lost their efficiency and that can make their urine smell even worse.

The stench of cat urine gets worse with time. There are many ways to neutralize the odor of cat urine, including kitchen staples like vinegar, enzymatic cleaners or baking soda. Vinegar is especially effective as it is an acid that neutralizes all the alkaline salts that are found in dried urine. You can spray a solution that is one part water and one part vinegar on your floors and walls to get rid of the smell. Vinegar itself tends to smell strong, but it takes the smell of urine along with it in a few days.Enzyme based cleaners found in local pet stores are also a good alternative. The enzyme breaks down the acid in the urine and gets rid of the smell at the same time. Most of these cleaners contain helpful bacteria and natural enzymes that get rid of all the odor causing bacteria. When you clean the surface, you need to keep in mind that your cat shouldn’t be able to smell the remnants of his urine either. If he can, there is a good chance that he will use the spot again.Avoid cleaning products that have ammonia in them, as it is one of the most important components in cat urine and if your cat can smell it, there is a good chance that he will use the spot to relieve himself again.

If your cat pees on your favorite cushion, blot the affected area with an enzyme. Let it soak for fifteen minutes and squish out the excess enzyme cleaner before you blot it with a wet towel. Leave the cushion out in the sun to dry. Since cushions take a lot of time to dry, lay an aluminum foil over the cushion before you put it back and put another layer on top of the cushion to stop your cat from peeing on it again.