Anyone who has ever owned a cat knows how finicky they can be. And this is especially true for their litter box! They expect a pristine potty box at all times. Now having been a cat owner at one time, I know it's not practical to be able to clean the box after every single use. People go to work or get busy doing other things and people are usually using some type of clumping litter to try to contain that awful ammonia smell and make it easier to clean, and generally the box gets cleaned once or twice a day, usually morning and evening. And the entire box gets cleaned with new litter every few days. For some cats that’s fine but there's always that faint underlying smell of cat urine, which smells like ammonia around the box or in the house in the area of the box. You could go out and spend a pretty penny and buy an automatic box which rakes, sifts and cleans the litter and then bags up the cat urine or feces after every use. All you have to do is throw out the bags every day and change the litter every few days and presto a potty box that’s clean as a whistle! But accidents do happen. Usually on a new piece of furniture or a new comforter or your favorite dress or slacks. And if you’re not being diligent about keeping the box clean then Felix will pretty much go wherever he wants, on the carpet, in your closet or on a potted plant or hard wood floors! And if you don't catch it right away and it's allowed to dry into the fabric or on the hard surface it's extremly hard, if not impossible to get the cat urine smell out and once the smell is there he will return to that spot whenever his box is dirty and use it again and again. And now you've really got a problem! Here are a few ways to help get the cat urine odor out of your house.
As soon as you see an "accident", if it's fresh sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda on and around the area and allow it to soak up as much of the mess as possible. Then get your gloves on, grab a scrub brush and a bucket of hot soapy water and get to scrubbing, and really work the area from all angles. Now take some paper towels and dry the area as thoroughly as possible. Once that is done and you've worked up a sweat, grab an enzymatic cleaner, which as a cat owner you should have one on hand for this specific reason, you can find them in pet supply stores, and pour the cleaner on and around the spot that has been soiled and be liberal with it. Rinse the scrub brush of the dirty soapy water and scrub the area again working the cleaner in as best as possible. Again dry with paper towels and hopefully that should do the trick. If not think of renting a steam cleaner and buying a detergent for the machine specific for cat urine odor and steam clean the carpet or fabric, most machines come with attachments for furniture. If that doesn't work call a carpet cleaning service and let them know the problem, the have commercial grade equipment and cleansers specifically for these types of things.
If the "accident" happens on a hard surface such as hard wood floors or tile, you want to not only clean it with hot soapy water and an enzymatic cleaner but you want to disinfect the area as well with a non-ammonia based cleanser like bleach. First cleanse the area thoroughly then using a spray bottle with a bleach and hot water solution, 1/4th of a cup bleach for every 8 oz of hot water, spray the entire area and wipe it up. This should take care of the problem.
If the "accident happens on a garment or in your closet or on your new comforter take everything that's been soiled straight to the laundry. Pre-treat with an enzymatic cleaner and throw everything in the machine, add 2 cups apple cider vinegar and a cup of baking soda and run through the cycle with hot water. If the cat urine smell remains, suck it up and take it to the dry cleaners to have it professionally cleaned.
Keeping the litter box as clean as possible really is the key to stopping your cat from using the house as a toilet. But if you’re doing your duty and the accidents are still occurring there could be two culprits. 1- Your kitty could have a problem with incontinence, which can be treated with medication. So call your vet and ask their opinion on what to do, they'll probably want to see Felix to determine if that is the case and then put him on a medication and hopefully problem solved. Or 2- They're marking their territory! If this is the case then take them to the vet and have them spayed or neutered, and problem solved.
Remember, a dirty litter box is offensive not only to your cat but to everyone who lives in the house so be diligent about cleaning it every day or a couple times a day if you can just for good measure and change the litter every 2-3 days.
