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About Dear Tabbi
Expertise
My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too.
Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again.
Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.
Experience
Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).
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* One of the top 50 Experts Of 2008 *
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You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Cats > Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral) > cat urine in carpet
Expert: Dear Tabbi - 10/29/2009
Question
Hi,
WHat product will really work on old cat urine odor in carpet? We did not know about it until it was many days old. We have used Natures Miracle which actually made it smell worse, Stink Free enzymatic cleaner, we have steam cleaned all to no avail. We left the product on the proper time and followed directions. We soaked all the way to the pad and concrete below. The urine smell remains. Please tell me if there is a product that will actually get rid of this horrible smell! THanks.
Answer
Michelle,
Here are 2 "recipes" that seem to work for people:
cat urine odor removal:
1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon of liquid soap
(3% hydrogen peroxide can be bought at most grocery and drug stores in pint and quart bottles).
Gently mix all ingredients in a non-metal container. Do not mix or shake vigorously!
The mixture is best used when fresh but can be stored. Do not keep mixture in an airtight container. Have a VERY loose lid as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide when mixed together will release oxygen and an airtight container will explode. You can mix and keep it in large spray bottle (Home Depot, etc.) but a plastic liter or 2-liter soda bottle works just a well.
Always test for color-fastness. Hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent in stronger concentrations and can lighten materials that are not color-fast.
Recipe 2:
You can also use a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Allow to dry. Then apply a liberal amount of baking soda over the area and drizzle it with a quarter of a cup of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent.
The acidity of the vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the cat urine. Hydrogen Peroxide is a powerful oxidizer capable of killing bacteria which cause the urine smells. Baking soda is a well known deodorizer which absorbs odors.
Never use ammonia or ammonia-based products. One of the ingredients of urine is ammonia which can make the cat keep going in the same area.
HOW TO REMOVE CAT URINE ODOR FROM CARPETS
FOR INDIVIDUAL URINE SPOTS ON CARPET:
If fresh, sop up as much cat urine as you can with a paper towel first. Use a spray bottle to saturate the spot completely with the recipe - do not blot. The recipe must penetrate the padding and possibly the floor boards underneath, where the urine has penetrated for it to work.
Wait 24-48 hours until dry then vacuum. If the urine odor is still present - repeat the procedure. It usually takes 2-3 applications to completely neutralize the cat urine odor.
FOR LARGE AREAS OF CARPET:
You can use a carpet cleaning machine - one of your own or a rental and use the recipe instead of the shampoo. You will have to make several gallons of the recipe depending on the size of the carpet. Don't use the vacuum part of the machine - you will want to let the solution soak and dry for 24-48 hours before vacuuming.
Most carpet cleaning machines are not made for this use, and baking soda can clog the nozzles of the machine so use caution. Instead, you can use a 1 gallon garden bug sprayer (Home Depot, etc.). Rinse the nozzle out frequently by filling the tank with hot water and spraying it in the bathtub until the nozzle is clear.
If using the sprayer saturate the entire carpet with the recipe, let dry for about 24-48 hours and vacuum. You will have to probably repeat the procedure again. Where heavily saturated with old urine it may take 3 applications over a week.
Also, if the cat urine is old and dried, the smell will probably be worse a day or two later. This is because you are rehydrating the uric acid crystals in the urine to neutralize them. The smell will get better with each application.
I hope this helps.
Tabbi
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