Spring Awakening- The Smell of Cat Pee
I have some wonderful tenants that I inherited in my wood frame three family. (Closed this winter) However, now that spring has sprung the cat pee odor emanating from their apt. is pretty bad. (They have three cats in a 620sq ft apt.) I’m not too concerned for myself in the short term, but their…
I have some wonderful tenants that I inherited in my wood frame three family. (Closed this winter) However, now that spring has sprung the cat pee odor emanating from their apt. is pretty bad. (They have three cats in a 620sq ft apt.) I’m not too concerned for myself in the short term, but their lease is up soon and if they leave I’m wondering how hard it is to get rid of this smell if they decide to vacate.
Okay, this is a rambling way of asking “how do I get rid of the smell of cat pee and cat essence?
Ammonia and water actually bring out the smell of cat pee; Nature’s Miracle is the way to go.
Some rat poison mixed with some Meow Mix should do the trick. Ha ha.
JUST KIDDING. IT IS BAD TO POISON PETS, EVEN IF THEY ARE CATS.
I inherited elderly relative’s house that had that smell in area around the litter box. Tried vinegar, bleach, ammonia–and this was after I’d ripped up the linoleum. Then put many, many coats of paint on the spot, but, as the poster above reported, for the next ten years(!), the smell would come back when it was damp. Last year–20 years after I got the house, and 10 years after I thought the smell was just a memory (I’d put down a new floor)–my plumber drilled through that spot…and there it was again, though only briefly.
My advice: if getting rid of the litter box doesn’t get rid of the smell, skip all the cleaning steps and either recover the floor or replace it.
I remember reading that the people who bought and extensively renovated Grey Gardens said they still smell the cats when it is damp.
I remember reading that the people who bought and extensively renovated Grey Gardens said they still smell the cats when it is damp.
Usually cats have favorite corners if they are peeing on the floor. You don’t have to rip out the entire floor. Just cut out and replace the damaged area. Also, you should cut away some of the sheetrock or plaster near the area because they’ve probably sprayed that as well. A blacklight will show the urine spots.
Sadly, the fact that the litterboxes are really smelly means you are likely going to have cat pee on the floors in some places. Cats HATE their litterboxes to be filthy, and if the litterbox gets really full and smelly they will pee in other places in their living space, simply because there’s no room left in their litterbox. And who can blame the cats?
People who have multiple cats but don’t clean litterboxes every single day are idiots. It takes 2 minutes, seriously, not more than 2 minutes. And yet they’d rather live in filth, than spend that 2 minutes a day cleaning out the litterbox.
We bought a house that had 9 cats living in it for 9 years. The smell was unbelievable. After trying Nature’s Miracle, bleach, etc, we realized we had to resort to ripping up the wood floors. Then the subfloors. Then the ceiling to the basement. Pee had permeated cement, tile and wood.
It doesn’t smell anymore…but it cost a LOT of money. Definitely check out what’s going on with your tenants and if the cats are peeing on the floors (not just in the litter), put a stop to it immediately.
Good luck!
If the cats are peeing on your wood floors, you will never get the smell out, and it will turn the wood black. Your only options are 5 coats of urethane and carpet or paint to hide the stains, or replace the floors entirely. It’s one of the worst things you can let happen to your property.