How to Get Rid of the Scent of a Cat

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By woot
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The perfect cat who never makes your house smell

Anyone who has ever been around cats can instantly recognize the peculiarly bad odor that their urine leaves on anything it touches. Frankly, the best way to get rid of cat odor is to get rid of the urine soaked item and then get rid of the cat! However, like so many cat lovers I strongly resist leading a catless life. Various surfaces hold cat odor more than others, so there is no one shot answer to getting rid of the scent. In this article I will discuss the various strategies that I have used to deodorize a cat "blessed" house.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Patience
Towels (preferably paper ones)
Water
Vinegar
Spray bottle
Detergent
Washing machine

Step 1

This delicate little cat demands a pristine litter box

Decide where the smell is coming from. If you are lucky the odor is coming from the litter box. The ammonia from urine breakdown can be a cause of bad odor. This is the easiest type of problem to fix.
* Change the box more frequently. or buy litter that clumps and then remove clumps frequently.
* In between changes, adding some baking soda helps.
* If the pan itself smells bad after you have removed the old litter, wash and dry it thoroughly before refilling it. Be careful not to use bleach to do this as it has a very dangerous chemical reaction when mixed with ammonia.
* Keep in mind if the cat doesn't like its litter box (placement, type of litter, wetness, smell) it may decide to relieve itself somewhere else. In that case, fixing the litter box problems might entice your cat away from using your rug, pillows, etc. as a substitute.
Step 2

Can you locate a particular room or level of the house where the scent is worst?
* You may need to add another litter box to this area if one is not located close by.
* If you find a particular corner, blot up any current wetness, clean carefully with detergent, and then spray with half water and half vinegar. Then try to make the area unattractive to the cat. One way to do this is to cover the area with something sticky like two sided tape. Once the cat learns to avoid the area you can remove the tape.
Step 3

If you find a particular object and it is still wet, it is extremely important to blot up as much of the urine as possible.
* It is much harder to control the odor after the urine has dried.
* Any item that can be washed in the washing machine should be washed as soon as possible. Use your regular detergent but add baking soda. Several washings may be necessary.
* If the item cannot be washed in the washing machine, can it be taken outdoors and hosed down? Do this if possible rather than taking the chance of causing a lot of water damage in your home. Scrub the item with detergent, and spray it with half vinegar and half water.
Step 4

Cats seem to love to pee on carpets. Actually smell around on the floor if necessary!
* Pet scent neutralizers can work but they usually do not work properly on surfaces that have already been cleaned with anything but water. Therefore, if the rug needs to be cleaned, and you think you might use a neutralizer, try cleaning the rug with just water first rather than use any cleaner that might counteract the neutralizer. Otherwise, use the detergent and half water half vinegar mix described above.
* If the urine soaked into the pad underneath, you may need to remove that piece of carpet and the pad. If you do this, be sure the floor underneath is clean and free of odor before you replace the carpet.
Step 5

After one or two cats, it is best to start collecting artificial ones!

If the steps above do not yield a fresh smelling house, you may have to do a total house cleaning. Wash floors, vacuum rugs and furniture, air the house out, wash curtains, air the bedding or wash it if necessary, etc. Ask someone who does not live in the house (and thus may be more able to notice the cat odor) to come by and sniff to see if the house smells clean now. It may take a number of steps until the house smells clean again.

Comments

coachniquenya said

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on 6/13/2009 I am a cat lover and currently have a cat and three small kittens. Keeping things clean and fresh is a daily challenge. These are great tips. 5* Recommended. :)