How to Clean Cat Urine

Guide Note

Cats bring a lot of joy into our lives. But they can also bring other things that are not so joyful! If your pet is urinating in inappropriate places, it can be messy, inconvenient and unsanitary. This guide will tell you how to clean cat urine, and offer some tips on how to make sure your cat doesn't have another "accident" in your home.

Table of Contents

Cleaning Cat Urine Tips
  1. Use an enzymatic cleanser to combat odors.
  2. Test cleanser on fabric before cleaning to make sure it won't stain.
  3. Blot stains; don't rub!
  4. You may need to clean several times to do the job completely.
  5. Talk to your vet to make sure these incidents aren't signs of an underlying health problem.

Introduction

(Photo by Ahmed Al-Shukaili)
(Photo by Ahmed Al-Shukaili)
  • It's important to clean up your cat's urine quickly and clean it well, or your cat will continue to urinate in the same place. In this guide, we'll tell you how to clean up the cat urine, and we'll also give you some ideas for how to make sure your cat doesn't have another little "accident" in your home.

What You'll Need

  1. Rubber gloves
  2. Dry paper towels, absorbent rags or cloth diapers to soak up the urine
  3. A household cleanser specifically designed to remove animal urine.
    (Photo by Steve Woods)
    (Photo by Steve Woods)
  4. Alternately, you can make your own urine cleanser with a spray bottle full of white vinegar diluted to around 30 percent or hydrogen peroxide diluted to about 3 percent.
    • Note that these cleansers, while effective, do not contain enzymes.
  5. Some people suggest putting baking soda on the spot, to help soak it up
  6. You might also want to use disinfectant/deodorizer spray.

TIP: Don't use cleansers that contains ammonia. They can smell like urine to your cat, and encourage future "accidents."

Step 1: Cleaning Hardwood Floors

(Creative Commons photo by Nina Hale)
(Creative Commons photo by Nina Hale)
  1. Wearing your rubber gloves, get a dry cloth and blot the area well.
  2. Dab another cloth with your cleanser and ring it out in the sink, so it's damp.
  3. Go over the stained area with the damp cloth.
  4. Blot dry again.
  5. Spray with a disinfectant/deodorizer.
  6. If the wood is stained badly, you might have to sand it and re-varnish.
  7. If your cat continues to urinate on your hardwood floor, you could eventually be faced with replacing your floor.

Step 2: Cleaning Carpets

  1. If the urine is still wet, skip ahead to step 2. If the urine is dry, moisten a cloth with water and dab the stain with it to make it easier to clean.
  2. Wearing your gloves, blot the stain with a dry cloth. Hold the cloth down on the stain for 30 seconds or so, to let it soak in.
  3. Replace cloths as needed and re-apply, until you are no longer soaking up puddles.
  4. Some people stand on the towels, so the pressure will help them soak up as much as possible.
  5. Apply your cleanser to a cloth, and dab with that.
  6. Scrub it out.
  7. Blot one last time with a dry cloth.
  8. If there's any lingering smell, apply your cleanser again.
  9. Clean any pads under the carpet as well.

Step 3: Cleaning Upholstery

(Photo by Emille Cemille)
(Photo by Emille Cemille)
  1. As with cleaning carpets, it's easier to clean up cat urine if it's still wet.
    • If the stain is dry, and your furniture will not be harmed further by a little water, put on your rubber gloves and dab the stain with a moist cloth.
  2. Then blot the stain with a dry cloth.
  3. Test your cleanser on an inconspicuous part of the upholstery, to make sure it doesn't harm the fabric.
  4. Then use your cleanser on the stain, again making sure not to rub the stain into the furniture, but blot it off.
  5. Dab dry.
  6. Clean again if you notice any lingering smell.

Step 4: Cleaning Clothing

  • Sometimes, if kitty doesn't like your fashion choices, she'll let you know in her own, special way.
  1. Again, an enzymatic cleanser works best.
  2. Test the enzymatic cleanser on a hidden part of the fabric before applying, to make sure it won't stain.
  3. If the item is dry-clean only, take it to a trusted cleaning professional to ask for their advice.

Step 5: Preventing Future Accidents

  • Cats urinate in inappropriate areas for a variety of reasons. To prevent the problem from happening again, you must investigate the cause.
  1. Most importantly, consult a vet promptly to make sure your cat's healthy. Feline urinary problems can be very serious.
  2. Make sure kitty's litter box is in a quiet, but easily accessible, location.
    (Creative Commons photo by E. R. H.)
    (Creative Commons photo by E. R. H.)
  3. Keep your cat's litter box clean. If the litter box is too messy, he will seek out a new spot to urinate.
  4. Try out different kinds of litter, to see if there's one your cat would prefer.
  5. If your cat needs to go up and down two flights of stairs to the basement to get to and from his litter box, he's less likely to use it. Put a second box in a more convenient location.
  6. To help discourage your cat from thinking of the spot as a place to urinate, you can try feeding it there.
  7. You can also try to discourage a cat from urinating in an area by sprinkling a lemon scent there.
  8. Cats can urinate to show displeasure, or out of stress. Consider things that could be causing your cat to be stressed or annoyed. If possible, eliminate this source of stress.
  9. Show your cat some extra attention and affection.

TIP: Sometimes you can smell cat urine, but it can be hard to find the spot. In these situations, a black light can be used to make the urine spot visible.

Conclusion

  • Cleaning up your cat's urine can be complicated and unsavory, but doing a good job will keep your home sanitary and will make it less likely that your cat will have another "accident". Cats urinate in inappropriate places for many reasons, and figuring out why it happened will go a long way toward making sure it doesn't happen again. Cats do respond much better to positive reinforcement than punishment, and if you are kind and considerate to your cat, you can probably figure out what went wrong and prevent a recurrence.

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