The first time a feline owner encounters an
out-of-the-cat-litter-box experience, she probably uses whatever
cleaners she has on hand. Initially, it appears she's cleaned the
cat urine odor and stain from the location. However, in a matter of
hours or days, she still smells the cat urine odor in the "clean"
spot and can't figure out why it's still there.
You can effectively clean cat urine odor spots and get rid of
the odor permanently, but you can't use the cleaners you have for
other common household stain problems. This article outlines why
only enzyme cleaners are effective in removing cat urine odor and
stains.
Cat urine is composed of five different bacteria strains. Two
of the identified bacteria strains are in cat marking scent, while
the others are in the cat urine, the spray, and the uric acid. The
bacteria is the main culprit responsible for the eye-watering,
stomach-clenching cat urine smell. Cats usually don't lap up water
in great quantities like other animals, so their urine tends to be
extremely concentrated. This concentration of bacteria results in
the strong smell that is unique to cat urine.
Regular household cleaners aren't designed to eradicate the
bacteria in cat urine because they don't contain enzymes. If you
clean up a cat urine puddle with a commercial household cleaner,
you'll wipe up the puddle, but leave the bacteria behind. The odor
remains and you feel frustration and anger.
But it's not hopeless. The answer is to purchase a good
quality enzyme cleaner that specifically targets pet stains and
odors.
Enzyme cleaners work by literally eating the bacteria in the
affected area. The enzymes react to the bacteria by consuming it.
When the bacteria is removed, the cat urine odor and stain is truly
gone, and the smell is removed. Without the smell of the cat urine
stain around, your cat is no longer encouraged to use that
particular spot for her out-of-the-litter-box experience.
When you find a cat urine puddle, wipe up the puddle as much
as possible. Be sure you check far and wide, in case the urine
splashed or ran down an uneven surface. Then, spray or pour the
enzyme cleaner onto the cat urine puddle area and let it dry. This
gives the enzymes a chance to work on the bacteria and remove it. If
the surface you're treating has cracks and pits, pour or spray
directly into the crevice to make sure the enzyme cleaner encounters
the bacteria.
Depending upon how old the cat urine puddle is, you may need
to do more than one treatment. The older the puddle, the more
treatment you'll need to do. Give the cleaner a chance to work by
leaving it on the surface to dry.
You can usually find a variety of enzyme cleaners at your
local pet store. My personal favorite is Dumb Cat Anti Marking and
Cat Spray Remover. Before you purchase any enzyme cleaner, be sure
to check the bottle's contents. Many enzyme cleaners use blood
enzymes, which is not effective on cat urine. Dumb Cat uses enzymes
that specifically targets cat urine bacteria.
Not only can you use enzyme cleaners on floor and furniture
surfaces, but you can also use them as a laundry pre-soak if kitty
happens to nail clothes or bedding. I also use an enzyme cleaner as
a pre-soaking agent when I'm deep scrubbing my cat litter boxes
every week. As the cat scratches in the box to cover her deposits,
she creates cracks in the box surface. By pouring some enzyme
cleaner in the cat litter box and letting it soak into the
scratches, you eliminate accumulated cat urine odors that eventually
discourage your cat from using her litter box.
Good luck and happy cleaning!
By Nancy E. Wigal
To find out more about enzyme cleaners, go to
http://www.StopCatUrineOdor.com
Nancy has successfully eliminated cat urine odor from her
home, and kept the kitty that caused it. The Cat Urine Odor Advisor
helps you save money and stop the damage in your household by
offering solutions that work together to eliminate cat urine odor
from your home.
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