Need Help with Cat Urine Odor Removal Please

[emzhengjiu]

We recently moved to an apartment and my cat has started to urinate on the carpet.  I'm tried a lot of Nature's Miracle, the one specifically for cat urine but the odor is still there.  I'm feeling a bit desperate because I don't want to lose my deposit when we move and even worse, I don't want to be charged for carpet repair or replacement.  I didn't realize at first what was happening.  When I did we crated my cat for several weeks while we attempted to clean the spot.  She used the cat litter in the crate with no problems.  I spent a lot of money on Nature's Miracle!  I thought we had solved the problem, but she went back to the spot recently.  I put down plastic over the area and she has started urinating on the plastic, but really I don't want to live with plastic covering part of my living room carpet.  I'm at loss; what steps can I take.  We don't want to give her up, but it may come to that.  How do I get the odor out of the carpet??   I'm close to tears about this.  Honestly, I rarely use the word "hate", but I hate carpet.

[umsami]

Your kitty may have a UTI.  You should have her checked by a vet.

 

We've always done well with the enzymatic cleaners at the pet store.   I would do that…and then rent a Rug Doctor or similar machine and buy the pet stains/odor shampoo.

[almondbutterandjelly]

I agree with the vet suggestion.  The other thing you could do is put a litter box over that spot.  

 

Vinegar worked for us on a vinyl tile floor.  I'm not sure if it would work on carpet, but I wouldn't think it could hurt it.

[Pawz4me]

First -- Vet check for the kitty.  If she doesn't have a UTI or other physical issue that needs to be dealt with, there are anti-anxiety type medications that can help with inappropriate elimination that is behavioral.  They have a pretty good success rate (some studies have shown a success rate as high as 90 percent).

 

Second -- How did you use the Nature's Miracle?  Did you saturate the area thoroughly and allow it to slowly air dry (no fan or sunlight on it to speed the process)?  Did you repeat a time or two?  If you already did that, another thing you can try is to treat the area again and place a damp towel over it for a day or so.  A lot depends on how hot/humid it is in your apartment.  The general idea is that you want the spot to dry slowly so the enzymes in the NM have time to do their odor destroying work.  But of course you don't want to keep it wet long enough that mold could develop.  And eliminating the odor is only one step, of course.  Once you've got the area thoroughly treated this is what I'd try -- put the plastic down and put a thoroughly clean, freshly filled litter box over the area.  I'd use Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter in the box.  And if kitty reliably starts using that box, then ever so slowly (a foot or so a day) start moving it toward the area where you want it to be.  If you don't want to do that, then try feeding kitty in that area.

[Scarlett]

My dh swears by a product called laminate -O.

 

And definitely get your cat checked for UTI.

[Erin]

Agree with the recommendation for a vet, particularly since this is out of the ordinary for her.

 

For the urine itself, I swear by vinegar.  

This is basic chemistry. The part of urine that you (and they) can smell is ammonia.  Ammonia is a base.  Vinegar, on the other hand, is an acid.  Mix the two and one neutralizes the other.

[mamabear2three]

:grouphug:  We have had a string of really bad issues with cats not using the litter box over the years... one thing you should check if you can't get the smell out is to pull the carpet up and treat whatever is under the carpet.