How Urine Odor Control WorksIf you are like me, you hate the cat urine smell. When your cat urinates outside the box, there is a real litterbox problem. Urine odor control works in three stages. First you need to soak up any liquid urine, then dilute the spot, then treat the area with a carpet or floor deodorizer so that the odor goes away. The exact steps are:
Extreme Urine Staining:
Isolate your cat(s) in an area with hard flooring for the duration of the cleaning. Completely shampoo your carpets with the recommended shampoo. Clean out the shampoo tank and put in some SCOE-10x and go over the carpets again. Spray up the walls to about knee height so that any spray on the walls is removed, as well. Once the carpets are dry, the cats can come out again. Odor Control ProductsI've been recommending SCOE-10x for a while now. It is a quality product, available online only. I strongly suggest folks try it. The reviews are excellent and it is guaranteed to work. The company that developed the product has been in the industrial cleaning business for a long time.However, and this is very important - You Must Follow Directions Exactly or their GUARANTEE will be void. This is only available in the US right now. Furniture:For furniture and soft upholstery, start with soaking up the wet stuff. Then dilute with water and then the vinegar solution. Use your UV light so you can see how you are doing. Once the spot is almost dry, spray on some SCOE-10x Deodorizer.For bedding and things you can wash, just throw them in the washing machine with Ecos-Pet Laundry Detergent. This detergent is made specifically for urine odors, and does a good job in general cleaning. You can use bleach and other additives in your washing machine with it as you would normally do, for the type of load you are washing. If your cat is urinating on your bed, think of the activities you indulge in there. Perhaps you are getting ill or the bedding needs to be changed more often. If you are sure these causes are not in play, then the behavior is probably because the box needs to be cleaned. This behavior is rarely spiteful. If you think it is, contact the Cat Whisperer for a confidential counseling session to correct it. For a cat urinating on the bed while the human is in it, please contact me! This is very serious behavior!
Litter Box Size:If your cat is just barely missing the litter box, get a larger box. If you are sure the box is big enough, change to a large storage bin available at K-Mart with high sides. Many cats don't realize that their hiney is hanging over the edge of the box, or their urine stream is so forceful that it is more like spraying. This high-sided box forces the cat into the box to urinate, and any sprayed urine will run down the inside of the box instead of the outside. A nice side benefit is that the litter will stay in the box a bit better, too!Spraying Behaviors:Check outside. A passing stray may have made a deposit near a door or window and triggered your indoor cat to start marking on the other side. Use Earth Friendly Skunk Odor Remover outdoors as it can stand up to the elements a little better. You will need to reapply it after a heavy rain.If you have more than one male cat, provide a litter box for each one. They may share litter boxes, but each cat needs to be able to "mark" his own box. I find that for mixed male/female feline households that one box for every 2 cats seems to work best. If I have an odd number of cats at any time, I add the extra box. It's easier to add a litter box than to deodorize the house! The Importance of a Vet Visit:If this behavior is not caused by an obvious trauma, the first thing to do is have your cat checked by a veterinarian. Male cats will "mark" their territory if they feel threatened. Females will usually only miss the litterbox if there is some physical reason. Cats can get "sands" which is a calcium deposit in the urethra similar to kidney stones. It makes urination extremely painful, and your cat may miss the box intentionally - associating the pain with the litter box.In any case, disciplining your cat won't do any good. Treat the behavior by dealing with the underlying causes, then deal with the odor. Litter Types:Check the litter you are using. Some cats may prefer a different litter type. Also, your cat's preference of cat litter can change throughout its lifetime. If you can't identify any reason for the behavior, change the litter type with the next litter box change. Clay, clumping, wheat hulls, paper pellets and sand are some of the choices offered today. You can also choose deodorized, non-deodorized, or crystals to control odor; or choose between baking soda and other additives to the litter to control odor. The choices can seem endless.If you are using clay, non-clumping litter, change the brand to one with crystals or without, depending on what you currently use. This is the old-fashioned litter type, familiar to most of us.
If you are using wheat hulls, you might try using another type altogether. You can try baking soda as an additive first, but there is little choice in this litter type for deodorizers. The big draws of this litter type are the light weight for human handling and bio-degradable material of it's makeup. If you are using paper pellets, try adding some alfalfa pellets to it to deodorize it. If the alfalfa doesn't help, change to another type of litter. The big draw of this type of litter is that it is recycled paper that can't be used for other purposes. Some, however, use glues in production that can react with urine and either break down or produce toxic fumes. Most reputable manufacturers don't use those glues, so you want to be sure you are getting a quality brand. Amway has a good one. Teach Your Cat:Confine your cat 3-4 days until it is using the new litter type successfully. If the cat just won't use the new litter, change it out again until the cat is happy with the litter you provide. Once the cat is using the litter, you can let it out.While your cat is learning to use the new litter, it is a good time to do your whole house deodorizing. Once that's done, go over everything with your blacklight again to see if there are any deposits you may have missed. Discipline:Discipline does absolutely no good whatsovever. Putting noses in messes only upsets your cat. Your cat may decide to get even later by using your shoes! Spanking and yelling only make your cat nervous and the situation will get worse. Don't bother! Deal with the cause, and the behavior will be corrected much more effectively.
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