My wife and I have two cats, Ms Kitty and Tigger.  They’re wonderful cats and always have been but when we first inherited them they were causing some big problems.   You see, my mother loved cats and these were her pets before she passed away so they were used to a very quiet lifestyle with a single woman whereas at our house the pace is crazy with three kids and two adults.  The combination of stress and a new environment made getting the cats to use the litter box a formidable task.  What made things even worse is that my wife and I had just bought a new house before our cats came to live with us so removing cat urine was a top priority.

With some simple research online we were able to tackle all but the toughest messes.  For those we had to rent an industrial strength carpet cleaner to shampoo the carpets but even that takes a toll on carpet.  Over shampooing can cause premature wear and tear.  We had owned dogs in the past and new there were dog trainers out there but neither of us had really heard of a cat trainer so back to the web we went.

We were able to come across a wonderful guide by Liz Barton that focuses on training cats to behave appropriately including using the litter box.  This sounded much better to us than constantly removing cat urine from our carpet and furniture.  The book covers some of the most common cat behavior problems such as urinating outside the litter box, scratching, biting, digging in the plants, etc.  If you are struggling with these types of problems with your cats I’d recommend checking it out.  Its available for instant download and even comes with a money back guarantee.

The reasons your cat may not be using the litter box could be several things but the main cause is often a dirty litter box.  Cats are picky about where they use the bathroom at and if its a choice between a dirty litter box and a clean corner in your bedroom its likely you are going to be removing cat urine from your carpet sometime soon.  Cat’s bathroom habits differ just like a human’s so be sure you keep a close eye on the status of the kitty litter.

Another reason your cat may be missing the spot is stress.  It may sound incredible but your cat experiences stress in ways not all that different from our own.  New environments or new people can be especially troubling for your kitty.  If your cat feels threatened they may start urinating or “spraying” to mark their territory.  They may be domesticated but there is no denying that natural instinct.

So now that you know a few of the causes of that rotten odor how can you go about removing cat urine smells from you home?  The quick answer is grab a carpet cleaner and go to town but you may be surprised to learn many household cleaners will actually encourage your cat to re-mark that same spot again and again.  These cleaners contain ammonia which happens to be a main ingredient of cat urine itself.  Your better off removing cat urine with natural remedies such as white vinegar.  If you insist on using a store bought product just make sure you steer clear of ammonia based products.

Of course removing cat urine is a whole lot easier if you never have to do it at all!  Most cat behavior problems can be resolved with proper training.  If you’d like to learn more about how to avoid future problems with your cat I’d recommend this great book Cat Secrets Revealed.

If you have a cat then its almost a guarantee at some point the kitty has had an accident on the furniture.  In my own case its rarely an accident as the little rascal thinks he is marking his territory.  Removing cat urine stains and odor from upholstery is no fun so I wanted to give you a few tips that I’ve found helpful when I am cleaning up around my own house.

You’ll need a few household items and some type of store bought cleaner to get started.  Your list will include paper towels, a sponge, white vinegar, rubber gloves, and some type of over the counter cleaner.

Step 1 – Blot the stain with paper towels removing as much of the stain as possible. (if fresh)

Step 2 – Dampen your sponge with cool water and sponge the pet stained area.

Step 3 – Blot the area with paper towels again to remove excess moisture.

Step 4 – Mix 1 tbsp of white vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.  Dab the mixture on the stain.

Step 5 – Sprinkle your store bought odor remover on the area.

Those five simple steps are pretty good at removing cat urine more times than not but the only way to really fix the issue is to either get rid of the cat or stop it from going outside the litter box.  Since we both know the cat is staying that means we need a way to get the cat to tinkle in the litter box otherwise we are going to be removing cat urine from our furniture on a regular basis.