Removing Cat Urine From Carpet

With over 75 million cats in America, removing cat urine from carpet is a frequent endeavor nationwide. Medical issues and advanced age are both common causes of urine accidents, though cats may resort to wetting on the carpet if the litter box is not kept fastidiously clean. Cat urine is notorious for leaving behind an unpleasant stain and odor for two main reasons:

• Cats' kidneys have the ability to concentrate urine, which enables the cat to go long stretches without urinating. Because the waste material is concentrated into a small volume, the odor is stronger and more unpleasant than the urine of many other animals.
• Even though cat urine is concentrated, cats still expel a large volume at once. This amount of urine seeps deep within the carpet and padding. If not fully absorbed, the urine that is left behind leaves a persistent bad odor.

When a cat wets on the carpet, the urine should be absorbed as soon as possible, preferably while it is still warm or at least very wet. Absorbent granules, often sold in pet supply stores, can be sprinkled liberally over the accident. These granules will absorb the liquid and swell to many times their original size. They can then be vacuumed away.

Another option is to lay old white towels over the wet area and then stand upon them to soak up the urine. The wet towels should be replaced with dry and stood on again until no further urine is absorbed. This step is extremely important because it removes the culprit behind any lingering odor or stain. It may take several sets of dry towels before the urine is fully absorbed, but patience now will pay off in the long run.

What About Dried Stains?

If you discover a cat urine stain after it has dried, the entire area should be rinsed with cool water. The water can be applied with a carpet cleaning machine or simply poured from a pitcher. Only cool water, never hot, should be used, however, because high temperatures may cause a permanent setting of the stain.

Once the area has been thoroughly wet with water, it should be left undisturbed for around 30 minutes. This will give the water time to penetrate the carpet fibers and loosen the urine's hold on them. The water will also begin to dissolve the urine and dilute it. After this time, all of the liquid should be absorbed in the manner described for absorbing fresh stains. Because the urine and water have now combined, you should be able to remove basically all of the urine that was present.

Effectively Cleaning the Urine

The best option for removing cat urine from carpet is an enzymatic cleaner designed specifically for cat urine. Cat food contains more protein than dog food, and their urine therefore contains more protein, which needs to be broken down in order for the stain to fully disappear. All-purpose pet stain removers may not be strong enough to successfully destroy the odor- and stain-causing compounds in cat urine.

A specific cat urine remover, on the other hand will have ingredients that have been shown to work best against the stain and odor of cat urine. It's essential, though, that the cleaner chosen contains live enzymes. These organisms surround and digest the bacteria and proteins to render them completely unable to continue producing foul odors.

Any enzymatic cleaner will contain cleansing agents as well to lift the amber-colored stain from carpet fibers.

How to Prevent Resoiling

After removing cat urine from carpet, it's important to do all that you can to prevent your cat from wetting in the same area again. In addition to cleaning solid waste from the litter box each day and changing the litter at least once a week, it can be helpful to apply an odor neutralizer to the previously stained area. This type of product can be found in pet supply stores and is designed to further eliminate any odor-causing compounds as well as apply a mild odor that is unpleasant to cats. Because the human sense of smell is not as sensitive as a cat's, the odor will not be noticed by you or your family.