Cat urine odor is very pungent and long lasting, and can be difficult to remove. However, there are newer products available that are much more effective than remedies of the past. The following procedures are effective against cat urine odor, as well as dog urine, dog and cat feces,blood or vomit. These newer products can be used on clothing, bedding, carpeting, wood, linoleum, or other surfaces. Always make sure of color fastness in clothing or carpets before you proceed to clean a larger area.

First of all, if your cat is urinating or defecating outside the litter box, there could be a medical or behavioral problem that needs to be addressed. Refer to INFO-U document 607, When Your Cat Goes Out of the Litter Box, for more help and information if your cat is not using the litter box.

The most effective products available are enzyme-based products such as "Shout" or products available only through veterinarians. The enzymes chemically break down the urine rather than masking the smell.

Clean any urine spots as soon as you find them with one of the enzymatic cleaners. Be sure to follow the label directions for whichever product you are using. For carpeting, you may have to pull up the carpeting and treat the padding or even the subflooring beneath the padding. If the damage is repeated and severe, you may have to replace the padding. You may also have to repeat the enzyme treatment to remove the entire odor.

Treat the stained area with an enzymatic cleaner until no more odor remains.

If the stain is on carpeting, follow it with a carbon dioxide-based spot remover. This will remove any residual stain. Carbon dioxide-based cleaners are available through carpet cleaning companies that use these products, and through some hardware and home improvement stores.

If the stain is on an article of clothing that is washable, routine washing with a standard laundry detergent should remove any residual stain.

There is a new product, called Feliway, that may prevent cats from soiling areas outside the litter box. Feliway is available from veterinarians. It mimics the odor of the scent glands on cats' faces. This odor cannot be detected by humans, but is very pleasing to cats. When a cat smells this scent, he usually chooses not to soil that area. Many veterinarians are recommending that owners spray Feliway on areas where cats have been urinating or defecating inappropriately to discourage them from using those areas as a toilet. This area must be cleaned thoroughly first, then sprayed with Feliway. Follow your veterinarian's instructions for frequency of using Feliway on these areas.

To help prevent inappropriate urination and defecation, be sure you have at least one litter box per cat, in different parts of the house, so that no one cat can keep the others away from all the litter boxes. Use a cat box filler that your cats like and keep the boxes very clean.

For more information on these products, call your veterinarian or the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at (612) 625-1919.

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