Bad cat urine odor... What will eliminate the smell?

Question

My girlfriends 17 year old cat died peacefully in her sleep. The last 2 weeks she was losing bladder control and had a number of accidents. The smell is terrible and I am afraid a new cat will think it can use these spots to pee. Any ideas on how to permanently eliminate the odor.

Answer 1

So sorry for your loss..However about the smell your really going to have to replace whatever was urinated on..cat pee spreads can be cleaned but it will resurface later..you can try and clean the areas and then take a black light over the areas to see if it is gone..(Cat pee glows under blacklight) this way you can be sure you get all the areas..otherwise the smell wont go away..

Answer 2

No bleach, no vinegar.

Nature's Miracle is the only one of the products out there that will truly neutralize the odor and not pull the color from the carpet. It can be used in the laundry (just add directly into the wash with your soap), and on upholstery. It also has just a nice, faint odor and won't have the room smell like cheap perfume.

You can buy or borrow a black light, which will show up old stains that may not be readily visible. Make sure you saturate the carpet...the liquid will soak down into the pad and 'wick' out, just like the urine did, but don't go overboard or it will take forever to dry.

Believe me...I go through about 2 gallons a month with rescues, an ill dog and a hideous cat who likes to poo on the bed. sheesh.

Anyway, Petsmart just yesterday had the 1.5 gallon for $21.99 with their saver card, and you can get it on-line for about $15/gal plus shipping and it's still usually cheaper than the store. Just go to www.froogle.com for Nature's Miracle and it'll tell you the cheapest price.

I would suggest waiting a few weeks before bringing any new pet in, just to make sure you got all the spots done.

My sympathy to your girlfriend, and you're a good pal to take care of this.

Answer 3

http://www.thefrugallife.com/cat_urine.html
Home Remedy Recipe Cat Urine Smell and Stain Remover

Ingredients
Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Dishwashing Detergent
Hydrogen Peroxide


Directions:

1. If the carpet is newly soiled, first absorb as much of the cat urine as possible using paper towels or an old towel. Place towels over the cat urine patch and tread on them so as to absorb as much wetness as possible. Repeat with dry towels until no more moisture can be absorbed.

If the cat urine has dried and you are not sure where the soiled area is you can use a black light (pictured above) to detect it. In a darkened room the black light will pick up cat urine and other stains. Hand held black lights can be purchased for between $15 to $25

2. Next, wet the area with a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Make sure it penetrates the fibres deep down. Allow it to dry. A fan can be used to assist drying. The acidity of the vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the cat urine. It will NOT remove all the cat urine smell.

3.When it's dry, apply baking soda over the affected area and drizzle it with hydrogen peroxide mixed with a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. Work it in with your a scrubbing brush or fingers to dissolve the baking soda and work it down into the carpet. Allow it to dry. Then vacuum.

Important. Never use ammonia or ammonia-based products on the carpet. The smell may attract the cat to that area and will encourage cats to urinate in the area

Additional hint

Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with dishwashing detergent will remove red wine stains from carpets and fabric like magic

Answer 4

Here are a few things you can try. I wouldn't try any kind of product that you spray on the spots..it doesn't work..it might mask it for a little while, but it'll never go completely away.
You can rent a steam cleaner..sometimes they have pet odor removal solution that you can use with the steamer. If you don't want to go through the steam cleaning yourself, there are places where you can have it hired out. It costs a little more, but they might know how to achieve maximum results.
If that doesn't work...replace the carpet with wood or ceramic tile. At least if it happens again there is less of a chance that the smell will stick with those materials.
Good Luck.

Answer 5

Use a carpet cleaner designed for pet odors--Resolve has a good kind. Then finish it off with some of that Febreeze. Works on my cats' accidents.

Answer 6

I'd get the Urine Gone, it works wonders but its a bit pricey. All the other home remedies don't really work as well. It also comes with a small blacklight to show exactly where the urine stains are, so you dont miss a single spot.

Answer 7

I use vinegar in my shampooer. It is the only thing I use in my home. The house will spell like a salad for a bit but it will pass. The new animal won't feel the need to use the same spots. My condolences to your girlfriend. It is very difficult to lose a pet.

Answer 8

Pull up the carpeting and bleach the floor underneath. I don't recommend putting the carpet back. You are right, New kitty will try to establish dominance over old kitty and mark it's territory in the spots that the old kitty went.

It's a vicious cycle.

Answer 9

You can wash the area in an enzyme boosted laundry powder, it breaks down the proteins that contain the smell and then rinse with white vinegar and water.

Answer 10

go to walmart or sams club and buy odoban it the best stuff to use for pet odors and it works great all around the house. i swear by it. my brother used to be a professional carpet cleaner and thats what he would use to kill pet odors in his clients homes