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Staying on Top of Stain and Odor Control

March 10, 2011

detergent

Loving and living with cats is one of the most rewarding opportunities we have in life. However, living with feisty felines can mean we have the occasional accident to clean up. When you encounter a puddle somewhere, there are many things you can do to make sure the stain and odor are completely taken care of. Read on for helpful tips when dealing with urine (or other biological messes) when it ends up outside the litter box.

Never punish, yell at, or throw things at your cat. She will not associate your behavior with hers, she will merely become afraid of you!
Follow these steps to get the area as clean as possible:

  • Blot up as much of the liquid as possible.
  • Reach for a cleaner that is enzymatic – meaning it has live enzymes to “eat” away at the natural enzymes present in urine. Some well-respected brands include Urine Off, Anti Icky Poo, and Nature’s Miracle.
  • Soak the area very well, especially if it is carpet or furniture – you want the cleaner to reach all the parts the urine may have reached.
  • Do not blot up the cleaner – allow it to work its magic.
  • For even better results, grab a plastic bag or something similar and cover the area overnight – preventing airflow will keep the cleaner from evaporating too fast as well as increase the temperature which can make the good enzymes even more active.
  • After this, you should have a clean area that smells offensive to neither you nor your cat! This can help discourage “revisiting” in the area.

Now, what happens if you grab for just any old cleaner? All detergent-based cleaners are not going to do the job you want them to do AND they render enzymatic cleaners basically useless by destroying the good enzymes. But, fear not. If you have tried a cleaner that did not do the trick, reach for Urine Away. This product is water and essential oil base that does the same thing as enzyme cleaners but will also work when detergents are present, including dried detergent residue.

If you have a cat that has had medical tests and is healthy but continues to inappropriately eliminate, talk to us about behavior modifications, litter box solutions, and other therapies that can help.