Cat Urine Odor: Top Ways To Stop It Fast And Remove the Smell
Tired of the Smell of Cat Urine? Here’s How to Fix It
Dealing with a cat who urinates outside the litter box is frustrating, especially when the smell lingers. In this article, I’ll explain why cats do this, how to solve it, and share my most effective remedy to remove that stubborn odor.
Dr. Jones’ Ultimate Feline Health Formula
Plus, if your cat is struggling with urinary issues, Dr. Jones’ Ultimate Feline Health Formula—a natural, non-GMO supplement with glucosamine and chondroitin—can help support your cat’s urinary health and overall well-being. Let’s get your home smelling fresh and your cat feeling better!
Cat Urine Odor: How to Stop It Fast and Eliminate the Smell
Cats are wonderful companions, but when they start urinating in the wrong places, like on your carpet or couch, it can become a real challenge. If you’re dealing with this issue, you’re not alone. I’ve helped many cat owners figure out why their cats are urinating inappropriately and how to stop it. Let me share with you the top reasons for this behavior, the best solutions, and my most effective at-home remedy to eliminate the smell of cat urine.
Why Do Cats Urinate Outside the Litter Box?
There are several reasons why cats may choose to urinate outside their litter box. Some medical conditions can cause this, such as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). This condition leads to pain and inflammation in the urinary tract, making urination uncomfortable. Kidney disease can cause increased drinking and urination, while diabetes often leads to excessive thirst and bladder infections.
Other causes of inappropriate urination are related to the litter box itself. If the litter type isn’t right, or if the box is placed in a high-traffic area, your cat may avoid it. Additionally, behavioral factors, such as stress, anxiety, or the presence of an unfamiliar object, can also trigger this behavior.
Solving Litter Box Problems
If your cat is avoiding the litter box, it’s time to make some changes. Try switching to a litter your cat prefers, such as clumping clay litter, and place the box in a quieter, more private area. It’s also important to have more than one litter box available, especially if you have multiple cats. Keeping the box clean is crucial, as cats won’t want to use a dirty one.
Dealing with Medical Conditions
For cats with medical conditions like kidney failure, diabetes, or FLUTD, it’s essential to visit a vet for a diagnosis. Kidney disease and diabetes require specific diets and medications, and in some cases, insulin may be necessary for diabetes. If your cat has FLUTD, increasing moisture in their diet (by feeding canned food), using supplements like glucosamine to reduce inflammation, and potentially offering anti-anxiety medication such as amitriptyline can help. A typical dosage of glucosamine for cats is 100mg per 10 pounds of body weight daily.
Addressing Behavioral Issues
Behavioral urination is often caused by stress or anxiety, and is more common in unspayed or unneutered cats. If your cat is not spayed or neutered, I recommend getting this done to prevent behavioral problems. To reduce anxiety in your cat, you can try Feliway, a natural pheromone available as a spray or diffuser. Another option is Bach Rescue Remedy, which may help calm your anxious cat. I suggest giving one drop twice daily for 3-4 weeks. Valerian root is another option, but it should be given for 2 weeks, with a dosage of 50 mg per pound of body weight of the dried herb, or 1 drop per pound of body weight twice daily of the extract.
How to Remove the Odor of Cat Urine
One of the most important things you can do is to remove the cat urine smell. Cats tend to go back to places where they’ve urinated before, so it’s crucial to clean the area thoroughly. There are commercial products out there, but I have a simple and effective home remedy that works wonders.
My Cat Urine Odor Remover Recipe:
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1 cup of hydrogen peroxide (3%)
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1 teaspoon of baking soda
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1 quick squirt of liquid dish soap
Mix everything well, and apply the solution generously to the soiled area on your carpet or fabric. Let it air dry, and in 24-48 hours, vacuum the area. If the urine is fresh, soak up as much as possible with a cloth or paper towel first. Some people find it easier to mix this solution in a spray bottle and spritz it on the affected area.
Prevention Is Key
To prevent your cat from urinating in the wrong places again, follow the steps I’ve outlined above. If your cat is drinking more than usual or urinating frequently with blood, it’s important to have a vet check for any underlying health issues. If your cat is diagnosed with FLUTD or another urinary condition, it’s essential to increase fluid intake (with canned food), reduce inflammation with supplements like glucosamine, and reduce stress with natural remedies like Feliway.
Using my home remedy to remove the odor of cat urine will help prevent your cat from returning to the same spot. By following these steps, you’ll have a cleaner home and a happier cat.
Dr. Andrew Jones’ Ultimate Feline Health Formula
P.S. If your cat is prone to urinary inflammation, Dr. Jones’ Ultimate Feline Health Formula can be a great help. It contains glucosamine and chondroitin, which have worked wonders for my own cat with repeated urinary issues.
If you follow my advice, you’ll be able to stop the inappropriate urination and eliminate that nasty smell. Your home—and your cat—will thank you.
Very helpful article. Thank you. Also, I was glad to hear that you are writing a book on the whole thing that happened with the Veterinarian college to expose what I really believe to be oppressive micro management of your business practices. This involved how you marketed your business and what you knew to be true in regards to the dangers of conventional treatment and drugs – NOT incompetence of care to your patients. It’s absurd and I’m glad you are writing a book about it and I hope you find the right forum to promote it so that it will get LOTS of exposure and you can get the right kind of help to resolve it so that you are practicing once again. God Bless.
The enzyme method such as Nature’s Miracle (I have no connection to them, alas) is just great. You just spray to soak, or pour it right on, and the smell is gone. Amazing.
I had this problem with my old cat Pumpkin found out she was hyperthyroid. She had lost weight and was eating and drinking a lot and I guess she was having a hard time making it to the basement then the other cat and dog starred going in the same spot what a mess. Every once in a while they still go there even though I’ve cleaned it with a product for cat urine several times. I think the only way to completely stop it now I’ll have to replace the carpet in that room.
I tried that when I was trying to rehab a male cat that refused all litter and I tried to toilet train him. Like the litters, he used the toilet for 3 days and then stopped and started doing it on furniture everywhere; he is a happy barn cat now.
But to get off the smells from everything, and added to the wash when I was washing cushion covers and linen, I used…… TADA!!! Apple cider vinegar.
On the furniture, clean up as much as you can with paper towels, spray with apple cider vinegar, let set a minute and clean up. For the laundry, add half a cup to the laundry soap and nothing else or it won’t work.
Apple cider vinegar works like magic, and will also take urine stains out of mattresses… I have a female who likes to show me she is boss by peeing on the bed… she’s not allowed in the bedroom now.
It’s inexpensive, doesn’t smell bad, and is easy to use and is very effective.
Works on dog urine too.
wonderful advise.this saves my cats as well as our environment. thank you Dr. Jones
You are not the Incompetent pne, the Veterinarian College is. Thank you for your honesty and for coming forward with the truth and following your need to do the right thing. We need more Veteranarians like you!!!! Thank you also for the artical on removing Cat Urine. I learned a long time ago about Baking Soda and Vinegar for removing cat odor and I am glad to see there is another way to get rid of the odor. I appreciate all the information you share with us. Joni Wykes
a very handy tip!thanks
Great article. I found the dried hydrogen peroxide powder like Oxyclean or Oxygen works really great. Buy it as a white dry powder. Mix with cold water and soak urine area. Don’t use any soap, hot water or clorax as that can kill the enzymes so then it may not work. Keep adding some oxyclean and cold water to the urine area for several days, if on carpet, just put a white towel or rag over it so people don’t soil the wet carpet. Then let air dry, and if any white powder residue, just vacumn up. I find this works great on old or fresh cat urine, and can’t believe I could lay on the freshly dried carpet and absolutely no urine scent sniffing with my nose on the carpet. Amazed.
Also, we have also been told spraying white vinegar is another way to get rid of urine smell. Haven’t tried that, but many say that works too.
Dr. Jones have you considered going to go public at cbc / fifth estate or W5 to expose this unjust treatment on your practice I think it is has to be exposed
Vinegar works great, however the cat can still
smell it and of course she will use the same spot
again.
I had some kittens and put down paper. Easier
clean up! I still need to work on the smell, from
the cat’s point of view. It is fine for me.
MR Whiskers my elderly 20# Cat had uncontroled urination for several days before he passed away. His bed was wet 2 or 3 times daily. Exchanged the wet bed for dry bed and washed the wet bedding as follows. In the washer, NO soap, instead washed bedding with Arm and Hammer Baking Soda, one half cup, in the washer with warm water. Then washed again, in the washer the bedding a second time with NO soap, instead used only White Vinegar, 1 cup and warm water. This illiminated the smell. Our new kitty is using the same bedding and has never soiled the bedding which indicated there is no residue odor. Note: to keep the pillow filling and the foam form from getting soiled i wrapped each in a large plastic 50 gal trash bag. Then placed a terry towel between the bed cover and plastic. I washed the towels with the cover and changed the plastic daily. Yes, it sounds like a lot of work but Mr. Whiskers comfort was worh the efforts. I had hopes he would rally and recover. He was an amazing cat and companon to my 3 Jack Russel Terriers, We miss him.
Glad for the new options and understanding on cat urine causes and solutions. I’ve also seen cats with painful urination from crystals or infections who urinate Less and drink less because they associate the pain with drinking. So less urine has sometimes been a clue too.
My formula is 2 cups plain white vinegar, 2 cups water, and 2 tablespoons plain white ammonia (not scented, not sudsy). This works in a spray bottle, or add one cup per wash load. Has worked for many clients, including to save a mattress saturated by a hormonal kitten (just pre-spay, and peewwww!) and even for saturated ‘repeat areas’ on sheetrock walls. Also I will try your H2O2 formula to see if it is better, always glad to improve.
Thanks for staying in touch with us, while working to get the truth out with your book. We need more vets like you (not fewer!), who empower the client to help the animal directly. The gatekeeper mentality in veterinary medicine does not put the animals first. What you are doing is really important for the animals, and I really appreciate you are holding your head up in such a painful and difficult situation.
Use OdaBan. It is the most effective thing I’ve ever come across. None of the other enzyme solutions worked for me, when my Westie used the area rug as a pee-spot, repeatedly. A friend who’d had cat urine issues recommended OdaBan, and it sure is nice not to have that pet urine odor.
There’s also a great litter called Cat Attract that works miracles, I swear. My cat didn’t use the little box for years. I was just about to make her an outdoor cat when I found it online. I had to work with her a little bit to show her the box of the new litter and within a week she was using the box full time.
I’m anxiously going to try your receipe for this Dr. Jones! I use “Nature’s Miracle” and absolutely swear by it for eliminating cat smell and pee. It’s holistic as well …but can be costly if you have 5 cats! So, anything ‘home grown’ is worth a shot!
Thanks for sharing!
Nothing works to stop the sptaying, I’ve heard of something in France, which sprays a scent, undetectable to humans, when the cat nears its location. To clean up the smell, I was told by friends in France, and England, to use vodka, which does work, don’t use any bleach at all.
Will this work for dog urine too? I adopted 2 15 year old chihuahuas and they were not potty trained.
my cat goes pee in his box but its so trong going in my bedroom how can I ge the small out