Urine Trouble
Cat pee is hard to clean, but removal is essential considering cats prefer going where they can smell they’ve peed before. Here’s how to get it gone for good
Healthy, litter-box trained cats rarely decide to pee outside of the box unless something is amiss. An unclean box, a covered box that traps the smell or too many cats using the same box can all be reasons. Marking territory is another reason, but is far more predominant in unaltered pets.
Sometimes, however, cats can pee where they aren’t supposed to as a form of acting out – think about the your childhood when you did something you weren’t supposed to just to get your parents' attention. Cats are the same way.
The surest way to make sure your cat goes where it’s supposed to is by doing your job – keep the litter box clean and good smelling, and provide your kitty plenty of love and affection. If your cat does go outside of the box, it’s important to destroy the odor completely. Avoid using ammonia-based products as cat urine has a similar smell. Cats desire to go where they’ve gone before, so you must also use more than soap and water.
Pet products designed to eliminate odors contain enzymes and odor-killing additives that get rid of the smell completely – even the bits that are undetectable to the human nose. When dealing with hardwood or non-carpeted floors, clean it up as you would any other spill. If the incident occurs on carpet, do not scrub, as this will force the smell deeper into the fibers. Blot the affected area with a damp cloth and follow the directions on the pet-odor remover of your choice.
Matthew M. F. Miller, author of “Maybe Baby: An Infertile Love Story” (HCI, 2008), is a syndicated fatherhood blogger
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