I spent a day a while back looking for something to deal with cat odor.
I have an elderly cat who, even before he was elderly, occasionally, usually in a dispute with his now deceased brother, would pee where he isn't supposed to - anywhere outside the litter boxes. Some times he's just a bad cat.
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| This isn't Gus |
I thought it would stop after his brother died last year, but, no, it may even be worse. He gets bored, gets annoyed with me, his litter boxes aren't clean enough, he forgets where he is - who knows. I don't really care why, and nothing I do seems to prevent him from doing it. So, I had to find a way to eliminate, as much as possible, the odor, both because it's horrible but also because, if there's a trace left, he'll do it again, right there.
I've used the commercial animal odor removers, almost all of them. They leave a vanilla scent that humans can smell and cats then associate with places they've urinated before. And, they aren't entirely effective.
I have a series of steps and ingredients that virtually eliminate the odor but aren't necessarily what you want to put on your carpet and I haven't been able to find the recipe so....
I finally found a skunk odor smell remover recipe online. I figured that, if it works on skunk odor, it should work on cat odor as well. It's very simple, leaves no perfume or strange odor, it's quick and relatively natural.
I now keep the ingredients on hand in quantity.
Try to do this as soon after finding the "mistake" as possible. You don't really need gloves but, since you're cleaning something unpleasant, you might want them. Get all the ingredients together, something to mix them in and an old rag to work in the solution.
Determine how large the stain is - it will be large under the surface where it's spread out than what you can see on the surface. Figure out how much liquid you'll need to cover the area and mix the solution in the following proportions:
1 Tablespoon of baking soda, to
1 Cup of hydrogen peroxide.
Multiply the ingredients as needed.
Mix the solution near the stain. The instruction were that the chemical reaction is immediate and needs to be poured on the stain immediately.
Pat into the area and beyond in all directions. Leave on for 40 to 45 minutes. I actually let it dry on. It won't hurt your carpet, floor, etc. Or, I haven't found it to do so, so far. I let it dry complete, then vacuum up the residual baking soda. You can certainly use some kind of carpet cleaner afterward, if you want. I find it leaves a very clean sort of dried in the sun scent.
It doesn't seem to completely eliminate the odor for the cat. I'm sure it's down in the padding beneath.
It's not a good match, carpets and animals. Too much work trying to have both.
I love my remaining cat. He's an adopted stray. His mother had him and his brother in the basement of one of my previous houses. This one, Gus, was nearly dead when I found them. He was always half the size of his brother who died last year. Gus has nearly died in my hands 4 different times. I'm glad he has this time alone, without his brother who intimidated him their entire lives.
But, he'll be my last pet. Well, there's the remaining fantail goldfish. I've had animals most of my life. When Gus is gone, I want the freedom to go when I want, live where I want, travel, and not have that dependent animal to have to consider.
I might foster, from time to time....
At any rate, try the recipe. Let me know how it works for you.
And, Please, neuter your pets. There are soooo many homeless animals out there already. Thank you.
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