Cleaning Cat Urine - Tips And Tricks

Pets, whether it be a dog or a cat, are an integral part of our family. But caring for these wonderful companions requires a certain amount of understanding and responsibility. This can include cleaning up cat urine and dog urine, off carpets, lounges, or the floor.

It's important not to 'chastise' your dog or cat if he urinates where he's not supposed to. Rubbing their nose in it will not stop them doing it, it will probably upset them. And as much as you may be upset, now is a good time to learn how to control your emotions and not take out your frustration on your pet. Making them feel bad will only confuse and upset them, as they won't associate what they did with going in the wrong place. In short, it won't change that behaviour.

Most cats don’t need to be litter trained.  Kittens have a natural instinct to use the litter box.  You just need to show them where it is and they’ll know what to do.  Try not to move the litter box from room to room.  Moving the litter box can make it confusing for the animal when it's time to go, possibly creating bad behaviour from the start.

Sometimes accidents happen, though. One thing to keep in mind is that it's important to be thorough when you're cleaning cat urine.  Cat urine has a strong odor, and if it’s not cleaned properly, your cat will generally come to associate that place with going to the toilet, creating an unfortunate cycle for you.

There are several specialized products for cleaning cat urine.  They can be found at the local pet supply store.  Depending on the type of surface you need to clean, the price will vary. For example, products designed to clean a leather sofa will be more expensive than those aimed at cleaning carpets.

When you're buying a product for cleaning cat urine, look at the list of ingredients. If the product has ammonia in it, don't buy it. Cat urine smells very similar to ammonia, and it is a smell they associate with urinating. So, if your sofa or carpet smells of ammonia, they may try to urinate there again.  The good news in this is that it means you can also use enzyme based washing powders (that you would wash clothes with), or even some of the orange based natural all-purpose household cleaners, to clean up after your cat.

When cleaning cat urine out of a carpet, try not to rub the product into the carpet without first blotting up as much urine as you can.  Rubbing product into the carpet actually pushes the urine farther into the carpet fibers.  Instead, take some paper towel and blot the area until the majority of the moisture has been removed. 

If you find yourself cleaning cat urine on a regular basis, there may be a problem in how clean the cat litter box is.  Cats are very clean animals, and they don't like a dirty litter box.  Try removing the litter clumps out of the box regularly with a pooper scoop. And if you have a multi cat household, vets actually suggest you have a litter box for each animal! And a spare! This may not be practical if you have limited space, but the least you can do is keep the litter box very clean. This will hopefully remove the need of your cat in urinating on carpeting or flooring.

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