Cat Urine - My Top Tips for Clean Ups

How do I clean up cat pee?  It’s a common question and one I am weirdly in a very special position to answer!!

Over all the years I have been breeding cats I have had them pee on things they shouldn’t many, many times.  I also own stud cats who have a unique, stronger urine smell and a unique, stronger drive to pee on things.  So I know a lot of tips and tricks when it comes to dealing with cat urine clean up and cat urine smell.

About Cat Pee / Cat Urine

Cat urine smells more other animals does because of what it is made up of and how concentrated it is.  It’s mostly water water but also contains things like salts and acids, urea as well as hormones and other byproducts of the cats bodily functions.  Cat urine is a way for the cats body to excrete chemicals and compounds as waste.  Cats and kittens are really good at concentrating their urine.  It goes back to the kind of animal they are where they came from.  Cats originated from desert environments and were able to adapt by making the most of the water they consume and concentrating their urine.  So cat pee smells.  A lot!  

Why regular cleaning won't get rid of the cat urine smell

I often see people asking on groups and chats about how to clean up cat pee accidents.  Other people will jump on and say use bicarb, use vinegar, lots of home remedy type replies.  Or the person asking will say we tried this household cleaner or we washed it with this washing powder.  Then always the same thing, it still smells.  Even worse is the cat keeps going back and urinating in the same spot.  These things won't work.  They will just make you more frustrated because you will be wasting time, effort and money without a proper solution.  

My genuine fear when I read these posts is the cat is in a precarious situation because the owner won't put up with this long term.  They need to find the right solution because the kitten or cat is going to be seen more and more negatively as this goes on.  

Regular cleaners only wash away some of the cat urine.  Other cleaners just try and mask the cat pee odor.  If its still there then it still smells and it tells your cat or kitten to use the spot as a toilet again.  

What will get rid of the cat urine smell?

Products that eat it up.  No, I am not kidding!  Enzymes and good bacteria that will get into the cat urine stain and break it down are what you need to clean up your cats wee.  No cleanup, no cover up just break it down.  

Over the years I have tried a few.  They are not easy to get hold of and can be expensive but dealing with the cat urine stain correctly in the first place makes it well worthwhile to use the right product at the very start.

The Solution

The good news is my new favorite cat urine smell product is actually easy to get and cheap if you are here in Australia.  It's called TRUEECO Dog and Cat Surface Cleaner.  It uses five powerful bio enzymes to break down and gobble up the cat urine smell.  It also works great as a spray for clean litter trays to help keep them fresher longer.  You can even use it on pet bedding, scratching posts and the floor. 

TRUECCO is a concentrate so it uses less plastic and is ORGANIC, ph neutral and palm oil free. Non toxic, non acidic and non caustic so its super safe to use as a cat urine cleaner around your pets.  

There is even a special offer where you can get a premade bottle of cleaner FREE with just $10 shipping.  Just follow the link below to  order the premade bottle worth $15.  Add the discount code CBSH when you check out and all you need to pay is the $10 shipping.  You can even add in a bottle of concentrate so you can make up your own refills at home. 

Click here to order now 

Cat urine tips to clean up cat pee in your home

My cat peed on the bed

Not cool kitty.  It happens a lot and sometimes the cat or kitten has been shut in a room where they cant get to a tray or sometimes they are attracted to the smell of your bed or bedding.  Oh and the last reason is a statement wee.  Yes, sending you a message that they are not happy/you went away too long/you stayed home too long/just because they can.  They are cats.  Cats can be a mystery.

MATTRESS PROTECTORS

I really recommend all cat owners get waterproof backed mattress protectors.  We bought a really expensive king size bed when we moved to our current home.  And a $95 mattress protector.  You can get them way cheaper but it was so worth it the day Katie got trapped in the bedroom and peed in the middle of the brand new bed.  Not a drop on the mattress.  

URINE CLEANERS

But if you don't have one and your cat or kitten has urinated on the bed then you need to get a towel and soak up as much as you can.  Apply pressure to try and get as much soaked up as you can.  Now you need the enzyme based pet cleaner like TRUEECO.  Saturate the urine stain. 

What you want is for the cleaner to touch every part of it including soaking down into the lower layers.  Push the trigger spray up to the mattress if you need to and spray it right in.  Once it is nice and soaked get a fresh towel or hand towel and wet it then squeeze it out so it is just damp.  Put it over the cat urine stain and leave it.  Keeping it a bit wet makes it work longer and better. 

Try and leave it 24 hours if you can (if you need to sleep in the bed put towels on top) then check it, smell it and reapply if you need to.  Fingers crossed the enzymes and good bacteria have done the job and gobbled up the stain.  

My cat peed on the carpet

Yikes.  Get a towel on to it ASAP and press down to soak up as much as you can.  You don't want it getting into the underlay.  Once you have soaked up as much as you can spray the area with an enzyme based pet cleaner like TRUEECO.  Just spray it a reasonable amount, don't saturate it as you don't want the urine to wash down into the underlay or the underlay to get wet and stains to come up from it. Leave it to go to work and then check it when it is dry to make sure there is no smell.  Do it again if there is.   Repeat treatments are better than soaking the carpet.  

My cat urinated on my clothes

Give them a good wash with a good laundry detergent.  Cat urine washes out of clothes well if you do it as soon as you notice.  You can use a laundry booster and stain spray too.  Cats are sometimes attracted to the smell of dirty clothes especially mens clothes. Put them in a basket with a lid so your cat is not tempted.

More about why cats pee on things 

BEDDING 

Cats are attracted to feather bedding as a place to pee.  So feather and down quilts, feather pillows etc will say to them this is a toilet.  I don’t know why.  Its a cat thing.  Close the door or go to synthetic fills.

PEOPLE SMELL

Cats are attracted to people body odor, especially male body odor. Something about it says urinate here.  So this can mean if your bed sheets need washing or your mattress is a bit peopley they will pee on the bed. You can spray your entire mattress with an enzyme spray like TRUEECO to break down those body smells the same way it breaks down pet smells.  You can also buy a new mattress protector and wash your bedding more often or try a strip wash with washing soda and borax.  

URINE SMELLS

Cats may pee on the bed if someone else has such as a child. It tells them it's a place to go to the toilet.  They smell way better than us and can detect old urine smell.   Do the same as you would for a cat urine accident or spray the entire mattress with a product like TRUEECO as above.  

THERE IS SOMEONE OR SOMETHING BLOCKING ACCESS TO THE TRAY 

It can be very subtle but another cat might just be blocking access to the litter tray.  This may be by hanging out in the doorway and staring at the more submissive cat.  They won't enter the room and will go off and pee somewhere else like in a quiet corner, wardrobe etc.  This also applies if something in the room is upsetting them.  If you use the laundry as the litter tray zone maybe they pee somewhere else if there is a load of washing on making a lot of noise.  What is the environment like?  Is the door to the bathroom where the tray is closed for showers or using the toilet.  

PEEING HURTS

If you cat has a urinary infection, even if it is mild, urinating may hurt and therefore the tray becomes a place that causes pain.  So they will seek out somewhere else to go.  If left to long, aside from being sick, they will learn bad habits that might be hard to sort out later.  Vets visits are always a good idea if the reason for not using the tray is not really clear.