A headache for many owners of felines is the unbearable smell of the marks that their pets leave throughout the house. Coming to terms with the cat’s behavior means continuing to scrub away the yellow marks behind it and looking for new ways to deal with stains that have become embedded in the carpet or clothes. Previously, we wrote not only about the causes of this problem, but also that it is completely solvable - in several ways at once, the most effective of which is castration. But if you haven’t decided to undergo a planned operation, and you don’t want to live in the realm of a bad smell, you should go in search of a remedy that will save you from the annoying and quite tangible evidence of the presence of a real owner in the house - even a four-legged one.
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In this article we will figure out how to wash and remove cat marks and how to get rid of their smell. In our review, we will analyze the most unexpected methods and drugs that are being developed by leading veterinarians - they are designed specifically to wean your pet from sitting where there is no tray.
However, first things first.
How to get rid of the smell of cat urine: what the professionals suggest
- Nature's Miracle
This is the first remedy in our improvised hit parade of the most worthy. Before us is a destroyer of unpleasant and persistent “odors” left by our smaller brothers. Moreover, we are talking not only about odorous marks, but also vomit, blood, etc. Available in liquid form in two versions - in a spray bottle and in a bottle. The first option is more convenient to use because it has a sprayer. All you need to do is apply a small amount of Nature's Miracle solution to the stain, wait a certain amount of time (approximately 5 minutes) and wipe the treated surface dry. The smell of urine disappears, and no unpleasant yellowish stains remain. However, there are several rules: animals and small children should not be allowed near the area being cleaned; If the stain is stubborn or dry, use a coarse bristle brush.
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The peculiarity of the action of this drug lies in a special bioenzyme formula that reliably removes organic contaminants. Reviews from satisfied owners confirm that even the finest notes of aromas emitted by completely different surfaces disappear - soiled carpets, clothes, linoleum, even fiberboard. So, here you have a really working remedy against the smell of cat urine, which has proven itself to be excellent.
- "Brovadez-plus"
The next option was developed by veterinarians for villagers who constantly clean up after their farmed animals, and breeders working in nursery conditions where they need to maintain cleanliness. The drug has a bactericidal effect and perfectly disinfects, completely eliminating pathogenic microflora. Initially, it was intended for treating hatcheries, workshops and other premises in which animals are bred and kept. But you can try it in a city apartment.
"Brovadez-plus" is available in the form of a powder, the granules of which must be diluted in water. The prepared solution is used as follows: dosedly applied to the contaminated area using a spray bottle. You can also wipe the stained area with a sponge soaked in the composition.
How can you wash your favorite carpet if it has been marked by a cat, and at the same time get rid of potentially dangerous microorganisms? This drug will help you instantly.
- "OdorGone"
Another unique odor neutralizer. It is truly universal - it helps to remove not only the acrid plume of urine, but also other unwanted odors - sweat, burnt food, fish, fertilizers, etc. The composition of this product is completely natural - it includes plant extracts and oils. "Odorgon" is a hypoallergenic drug, which makes it an indispensable assistant for all hypersensitive people for whom any substance can become a potential irritant. You can use this life-saving weapon against animal marks (both cats and dogs) and asthmatics.
OdorGone is an aerosol in form. It is necessary to spray it on the surface that your pet has damaged and wipe the affected area.
How to eliminate the smell of cat urine if it has flowed under the linoleum? It's simple: take out a syringe, draw a little product into it and fill it in such a way that the composition penetrates to the source of contamination. In the case of old stains, several similar treatments may be required, but the result will pleasantly surprise you.
The creators of this miracle remedy claim that Odorgon acts at the molecular level and destroys not only bacteria, but also fungus. We just have to take their word for it and those who left positive reviews on the Internet. And there are many of them.
- Zoo Clean "ZooSan"
How to remove the smell if a cat marks? Use a domestically produced drug intended for disinfection of premises where our little brothers are kept. It is completely safe for both people and animals. Another plus is the absence of the pungent odor of bleach, as well as fluorine and phosphates.
However, some owners write that the product does not cope with old traces and cannot be used constantly - the smell does not always disappear without a trace. So it’s up to you to decide whether ZooSan is worth purchasing.
How to wash and how to remove cats’ marks if the described products do not inspire you and you want a greater variety of options? You can try other drugs whose action is aimed at disinfection and eliminating unwanted odors. This:
- Urine Off;
- DezoSan;
- Cleansan;
- Pet Stain&Odor Remover and other samples.
There are many effective domestic and foreign compounds on the market, which means we don’t have to search long for how and how to remove cat urine stains in order to not only remove traces, but also remove the acrid smell of cat marks. There are special products only for carpets and furniture, and others only for the tray.
If you still don’t want to spend money and are sure that you can get by with traditional methods, read on - we’ll tell you how to remove traces in a short time without buying special drugs.
But before we move on to the topic that interests us, let’s answer the question: how to find the place that the cat has marked? After all, very often we can only detect an unpleasant odor, but it is very difficult and almost impossible to understand where it comes from. A Wood's lamp will come to the rescue. Next we’ll tell you why, explaining how it works.
Why is the smell so strong?
Fresh urine of kittens has almost no odor, but with the onset of puberty its chemical composition changes - hormones and felinin greatly enhance the amber.
Compared to cats, unneutered cats have three times more feline in their urine. This substance itself does not smell, but its breakdown products frankly stink. The chemical composition of urine is not constant; the smell is enhanced by many factors:
- the cat drinks little or endures it for a long time - concentration increases;
- kidney disease, bladder disease, urethritis, cystitis, genitourinary tract infections;
- with chronic stress and pain, the amber intensifies - this is a defensive reaction, this is how the pet calms itself;
- improper feeding - excess protein, metabolic disorders, a lot of fish in the diet, cheap “food” from the supermarket;
- sexual abstinence. Unlike dogs, it is not normal for cats to undergo sexual heat. When there is no partner, the body “floods” hormones to attract him.
Once the urine has been absorbed and dried, it is impossible to eliminate the lingering odor with just one cleaning. When uric acid crystals get wet, they begin to release odorous substances. It takes moisture out of the air, not to mention a new mark on top of the old one. To completely get rid of the smell of cat urine, you will have to wait for all its components to decompose or speed up this process with enzymes.
I want to know everything: we are looking for the source of the problem
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Wood's lamp is a device used not only in forensic science, where it is used to find fingerprints left at a crime scene, but also in beauty salons and veterinary clinics. At home it can also be very useful. For example, if you point it at the carpet, the blue light will show where your pet has “inherited”. And you can easily clean up after it without turning the house upside down looking for the source of the stench.
This is where our lyrical digression ends - then all about folk methods of combating the “gifts” of our smaller brothers.
Prevention measures
Punishing a pet makes the situation worse; the animal will not stop marking. You shouldn't poke a cat into a puddle with its muzzle. In most cases, there is a reason that explains the appearance of puddles. It needs to be eliminated. To prevent the animal from shitting in the corners, you need to adhere to the following rules:
- When getting a kitten, think about a place for the toilet. The tray should be in a secluded place.
- Treat tags with special anti-cat odor products.
- Place dry tangerine peels into flower pots. They will discourage you from needing them.
- Change the filler regularly.
Hormones
Sexually mature, unneutered cats mark their territory. Sterilization helps solve the problem.
Disease
With diseases of the genitourinary system (cystitis, urolithiasis), the animal is unable to control urination. The pet needs to be taken to the vet immediately. Without timely treatment, he may die.
Psychological reasons
Animals in a state of stress leave puddles. Strangers, sounds, or other animals brought into the apartment can frighten a cat. Sometimes pets shit, taking revenge for insults inflicted on them or protesting against dirty cat litter.
How to remove and how to remove the smell of cat urine in an apartment: potassium permanganate
This is the first option that can be offered to those who are desperate and want to try anything just to take a deep breath of air without fear. To do this, stir a few crystals of potassium permanganate in water (make a weak solution), wet a rag or sponge and thoroughly wipe the areas that require cleaning.
Attention: potassium permanganate leaves behind unpleasant stains, so you should not treat fabric with it. Hence the moral: I wash all surfaces that we are not afraid to paint with this composition, avoiding getting the prepared product on sofas, armchairs and other upholstered furniture, carpets, and clothes.
Care tips and advice
Stains from clothes can be easily removed with a vinegar solution; table vinegar will do. It must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Soak the item in the solution, then wash it. A vinegar solution will come in handy if your textile shoes smell like a cat.
First wash in it, then in regular water using detergent. Leather shoes and boots should be wiped with a napkin soaked in lemon juice. But even after treatment, the smell may not disappear. The cat amber can be felt again when the feet become sweaty.
Sometimes the source of the odor is difficult to find. You can use an ultraviolet lamp to search for the mark.
In its light, a trace of urine acquires a yellowish tint and stands out on the fabric and pile. It is worth contacting a specialist if your cat makes puddles often. It will help you understand your pet's strange behavior.
Source
How to get rid of the smell of cat urine and cat marks in an apartment: vinegar
The second option is vinegar. It can be found in any apartment, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding this weapon. We dilute it with water and apply the resulting solution. It is not recommended to wash it off. Alternatively, you can use lemon juice.
We recommend diluting vinegar in water in a ratio of 1 to 4.
Some may think that this remedy cannot be effective, but a few drops from a freshly cut lemon are guaranteed to kill the unpleasant odor. Vinegar dissipates well if you combine it with soda and pour over peroxide - you don’t have to worry that one misfortune will be replaced by another, and you will suffer because of the new unbearable aroma.
Treatment of different surfaces
The easiest way to deal with hard, non-absorbent surfaces is to collect the urine, wipe with an odor remover, and rinse with water.
But cats often choose less convenient places for marks and puddles:
Surfaces | Description of processing |
Wood, linoleum, walls and other porous surfaces | Blot with paper napkins, trying to collect as much moisture as possible. Spray generously and blot again. Spray, brush, collect moisture with napkins. |
Cushioned furniture | Cat urine is removed from upholstery in the same way - with paper napkins, alternately spraying and collecting moisture. The solution is injected into mattresses and armrests with a syringe little by little in several places - if urine is absorbed, it is useless to wash it from the outside. |
Carpet | Get wet and cover the stain with toilet filler for 20 minutes, preferably silica gel. The carpet is cleaned by driving in foam with a brush, being careful not to flood the surface. Excess moisture is removed immediately. The floor under the carpet must be washed and allowed to dry, otherwise the smell of cat urine will not get rid of. |
Clothes, underwear | Before washing, the urine is washed off well under a directed stream - the item in the basin, the basin in the bath, with the stain under the running tap for 30 minutes. Machine wash, dry. If the smell persists, soak in vinegar for an hour and wash again. |
Air | Boil water, add citrus pieces, walk around the room. Or place saucers with crushed garlic. An ozonizer will help get rid of the smell of cat urine in your apartment. Fresheners only mask the stench. |
If a cat goes to a flower instead of a tray, the plant is transplanted into new soil. The pot is soaked in water with vinegar or potassium permanganate for a day. If urine gets on the leaves, rinse the plant in the shower. The transplanted flower is placed in another place, preferably inaccessible to the cat. If this is not possible, cover the ground with a cut plastic plate or foil.
Shoes
Sneakers and slippers are washed under running water and washed in a machine.
Shoes that cannot be washed can only be saved without delay:
- Take out the insoles and wash them, or better yet buy new ones.
- Use a napkin to collect as much urine as possible.
- Pour in silica gel, wait half an hour, shake out.
- Fill it loosely with newspaper soaked in vinegar and leave it on the balcony for a day.
- Remove the newspaper, pour loose green tea inside, wait another day.
- Clean with shoe polish.
- If that doesn’t help, treat the inside with a professional urine odor remover, put it in a bag, and wait 2 hours.
- Rinse well.
There is no need to immediately fill your shoes with water - excess moisture will only wash the urine all over the shoe. The means at hand can ruin the item, so it’s better to take expensive shoes to the dry cleaner. Before you go anywhere in your cleaned shoes, you should walk around in them at home and check to see if the “aroma” returns after wearing them.
Tray
Often this is the only source of the unpleasant smell of cat urine in the apartment. To get rid of the stench, you need to use high-quality absorbents and remove dirty litter immediately. A scratched tray needs to be replaced - the damaged bottom absorbs uric acid. The carbon filter in the roof of the toilet house does a good job of trapping stinking components.
Wash the tray with neutral solutions without fragrances - a strong smell can scare away the pet, forcing it to relieve itself past the tray. Every day the container is rinsed with a shower over the toilet, using as hot water as possible. Potassium permanganate or antibacterial liquid soap is suitable for disinfection. But it is better to use special cleaners - Beekeeper, Faithful Friend, Nature's Miracle litter box.
How to remove cat marks and remove traces of them: simple peroxide
It is sold in any pharmacy and costs a penny, so it is cheaper to buy than an expensive disinfectant. This is a very strong product, but it must be used with extreme caution: do not treat varnished surfaces or fabrics with this composition. We are talking about the well-known hydrogen peroxide.
You can try this combination: add a little liquid you buy for washing dishes to 100 ml of solution. Rub the resulting mixture onto the stain using a stiff bristle brush. Remove the remaining foam with a wet rag or damp sponge.
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Basic washing methods
There are different methods for removing cat marks. Fresh stains are easy to remove; old ones require some fiddling.
Lemon juice
To remove cat odor, squeeze the juice from a lemon. Pour it into a spray bottle. Spray the dried urine stain. After 20 minutes, repeat the treatment. After another 20 minutes, wash clothes, wipe furniture and flooring with a damp cloth.
Potassium permangantsovka
Make the solution in different concentrations. If the furniture or floor is light, then you need a weak, pink color. If urine has soaked into the dark floor, you can add more potassium permanganate to the water. Wash (wash) any smelly item, piece of furniture, or floor with this solution. Potassium permanganate eliminates odor.
A good stain remover for sofas with dark upholstery. To get rid of them, dissolve 15 drops of iodine in 200 ml of water. Apply the liquid to the stain with a sponge and rinse with water after 1-2 hours.
This cleaning method is suitable for any dark fabrics.
Vinegar
You will need a spray bottle, table vinegar, water and rags. The method will be useful for those whose pet has marked upholstered furniture, carpet, rugs, or other items with pile, and the urine has already been absorbed. Pour an aqueous solution of vinegar, concentration 1:3, into a spray bottle and treat the stains found:
- sprinkle;
- Wait 1-2 minutes;
- remove moisture with a rag.
This method works if you want to remove fresh traces. Baking soda is a good absorbent and should be poured in a thick layer onto the damp area. Clean off the powder when it absorbs the liquid. If necessary, repeat the procedure. To remove baking soda, do not use a vacuum cleaner; it will smell like urine and become a source of unpleasant odor.
Laundry soap
Take 72% bar soap. Wash the item by hand if your clothes smell of cat urine. To remove stains from furniture upholstery, prepare a solution:
- water - 1 part;
- hydrogen peroxide - 1 part;
- soap shavings - 1 tbsp. l.
How to clean the floor from cat urine
In accordance with the recommendations already received, we use the simplest and most effective remedy - vinegar.
We soak the place where a wet spot was spreading a couple of minutes ago. However, you should not apply the solution directly to urine. It must be collected with napkins, wiping the area dry. You should not fill the “fresh” tag with water - this will only spread the smell throughout the room. Only after the treated area has dried do we apply vinegar. Let's leave it for a while. Afterwards, sprinkle the area with baking soda and spray the powder with peroxide mixed with soap or dishwashing detergent from a spray bottle. We do not remove the resulting foam immediately - only after a few hours.
The result is no unpleasant traces in the air - neither from urine nor from vinegar.