Catpiss Neverclean

Her off of the Hunger Games.

I need some help here. Last week I was awoken in the early hours of the morning by the house’s burglar alarm going off. This was because the circuit breaker had tripped. After an amount of investigative work it transpired that this was due to an electrical fault caused by liquid ingress. To wit, one of the cats had pissed on a 4-gang and taken out half of the house.

The Internet to the rescue, I have a Vax carpet cleaner and some Rug Doctor branded enzyme-based solution which was priced in line with HP printer ink. I’ve got a tea towel soaked in bio washing powder to lay over the affected area between cleans because apparently keeping it slightly damp allows the enzymes to, uh, enzyme.

But. The smell. Dear readers, my god, the smell. It’s not quite “there’s a dead mouse somewhere but I’m sure it’ll get better tomorrow” but it’s close. Every time I wash the carpet (it’s had three doses now) it seems to get worse, I suspect that the power-tripping incident wasn’t Leaky Larry’s first offence. It’s under my desk in the office so I can’t get get away from it all day and it’s properly throat-catching, it’s like working in a battery acid factory. I’ve had the window open and the door closed all night and it still hits you when walking across the landing.

Does anyone have any ideas either for more effective treatment or for anything just to take the bite out of the stink? Preempting the predictable, a combination of bricks, a sack and the Calder might be a ‘hilarious’ suggestion but it won’t help the extant situation.

Cheers.

If it’s soaked into the carpet backing and/or underlay, you are, basically, screwed. It ain’t not never coming out of there.

But, if you want to have a go, something like this?

https://www.hygienesuppliesdirect.com/cleenly-urine-destroying-enzyme-carpet-shampoo-5l?quantity=1&variant=264888&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhdqHj7GP-wIVJO_tCh1HGQ_lEAYYBSABEgK9sPD_BwE

Burn the carpet.

All of the magic remedies and enzymes on serve to dilute the odour. You will make it bearable eventually, but it will never be gone. As you say this has been his ‘spot’ for a while.

Sorry

It’s likely that the piss has soaked into the underlay and the boards, and that, as you say, Larry has been using this as his favoured spot for a while. Pull up the carpet to have a look. If the boards are stained, use an oil-based primer to seal them. Cut out the underlay and replace it.

Baking soda and vinegar may shift it from the carpet above.

The Aliens approach is the only other solution I can recommend.

Get the carpet and underlay up as quick as you can and you might not have to replace the boards but it’s doubtful

I’m fairly sure that I know what I’ll find if I lift the carpet. We had problems litter-training (as a kitten she was basically double-incontinent and she’s not quite right neurologically), the extent of the horror when we investigated what was then the kitten room cost me a new floor.

Hacking out the underlay is a really good shout, I hadn’t thought of that.

Burn the carpet

👆

Burn the carpet

FTFY

To stop larry peeing under your desk put a small amount of this food there, he will not pee near his food. This could be his biscuits or usual food in a bowl. Another option is to cut up a lemon or orange in a bowl as Cats do not like the smell of citrus.

To mask the smell try mixing 1 part Listerine mouth wash with 2 parts water and sponge the carpet. When dry blast it with Dettol antibacterial all in one disinfectant spray. Sounds a bit weird, but worked for us.

Cheers.

I’m fairly sure I’ve eradicated the reason she was going under there in the first place. (She is a ‘she’ despite my comedy name earlier). My primary concern is the existing damage.

We have three cats, so anything involving food is likely a non-starter as her sister will eat it.

Which is why our cat sleeps in the summerhouse not the people house.

Only advice I can give, and I realise you say you’ve already used an enzyme cleaner, but I have used this with some success.
Got through a whole bottle of it over a few weeks respraying the problem area when I got the occasional whiff.

Seems to have done the job, but took repeated light re-sprays over a few weeks after an initial drenching.

If it’s soaked into the carpet backing and/or underlay, you are, basically, screwed. It ain’t not never coming out of there.

Burn the carpet.

The Aliens approach is the only other solution I can recommend.

All this.

Then:

Burn the carpet

Only way to be sure.

Neighbour has recently replaced all her remaining carpets from previous flat owner. Whose cat pissed everywhere cos it had a poor bladder. Suddenly, smell gone. She has a cat herself though, so I’m just wondering how long it’ll be before those nice new carpets stink of piss. I’ve never been in a house where cats live, and it’s not stunk of piss. So whatever solution you employ, it’ll only be temporary all the while you have cats and carpets.
ACAC.

When I was about 13, my family moved into a house where the previous owners had had 3 cats and 2 dogs who were locked in the house all day*. We thought it was just a bit smelly but when we removed the carpets and underlay, the floorboards underneath were all soaked too, the stink was ingrained. We spent days on hands and knees working through the rooms scrubbing the floorboards with Jeyes Fluid. It seemed to kill the smell fairly quickly, even friends visiting the house for the first time couldn’t smell it (and could be trusted not to be “polite” about it if they could smell anything!).

* it was a good shape house, but in utterly horrible condition. As well as their animal neglect, we found soiled pants stuffed down the back of radiators, a chip pan fat fire in the kitchen had just been painted over, the attic and garage were left full of all kinds of rusting, rotting, mouldy junk. It took months to clear everything out, it was a lot of work but I’m guessing it’s the reason my parents got a relatively big house for a far-too-cheap price.

https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/simple-solution-stain-and-odour-remover-for-cats-4-litre-%28online-only%29

It does actually work.

We have this problem. We had one cat, and thought she’d like a little kitten to look after given how she responded to kitten sounds and videos etc.

When we put the cat box in the living room with the new kitten, it went pretty well – existing kitty came up and sniffed promisingly, no aggression, but new kitty was terrified and then tried to existing kitty. That soured relations and they still have not improved.

Both cats are toilet trained properly but they are basically in a turf war which means existing kitty (we think) pisses all over the bathroom floor where the litter boxes are, which means new kitty cannot go in there so she needs somewhere else to pee. We have resorted to going into the bathroom with new kitty and then she is more likely to pee in there. Existing kitty will have to be shut in the kitchen overnight – she can go outside via the cat flap if she wants to.

Re cleaning – the smell is ammonia caused by bacteria breaking down urea in the urine. I’ve been told that white vinegar will also break it down, but I guess you may need to worry about what else it’s breaking down.

I have used this with some success.

I have a bottle of that already, exactly the same only it says “cat” rather than “extreme” on the label.

She has a cat herself though, so I’m just wondering how long it’ll be before those nice new carpets stink of piss. I’ve never been in a house where cats live, and it’s not stunk of piss. So whatever solution you employ, it’ll only be temporary all the while you have cats and carpets.

This isn’t the case. I’ve had cats for decades, it’s abnormal behaviour. This is specifically a problem with Sienna because as I said (I wasn’t joking for once) she’s neurologically damaged. The only other time I’ve experienced it is with very poorly animals. Normal cats will readily and reliably use litter trays or go outside.

@ Davros,

https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/simple-solution-stain-and-odour-remover-for-cats-4-litre-%28online-only%29

It does actually work.

Yes, but I used the ‘extreme’ version, see here.

I have a bottle of that already, exactly the same only it says “cat” rather than “extreme” on the label.

It does actually work.

And that’s exactly what I have, only in a squirt gun. I suspect it’s all the same stuff maybe in different concentrations.

How long have you had the kitten, Mols?

Vet recommendation for litter boxes is n+1. We have one in the living room, one in the kitchen, and one upstairs in what was the kitten room. Sienna uses the upstairs one exclusively, we line it with puppy pads because she won’t stand on kitty litter (the cause of the original problem). This works so long as we’re on the ball to change soiled pads quickly.

Recently her sister has started peeing in ‘her’ box. I suspect that’s what’s caused Sienna to go elsewhere and hence my Office Of Death.

In your case, maybe another tray elsewhere in the house would help?

Also, TTIUWP.

A bit similar. My dog has p155ed all over my work bag.

Bag emptied, hosed down/out and then treated with every kind of cleaning product I can find. Then allowed to dry in the open air.

It now smells worse than before.

Worse though is that whilst I can replace most of the contents I have a set of controlled assessments for Yr 10 to mark. And they reek of Max’s finest.

@Ambrose surely with only the slightest bit of truth-stretching you’re ready for the best teacher excuse – “sorry kids I can’t give you your assessments back… the dog ate your homework”!

Weird.
multiple litter boxes, pissy carpets, smelly houses, what are you doing to the cats?

I’ve had cats (multiple) all my life until very recently.

Only time an otherwise healthy, toilet trained cat has pissed anywhere other than the litter tray (always had one solitary tray, even for 3 or 4 cats) was when the ex and i brought one of the kids home from hospital.

The cat woke up, stretched (as they do) looked extremely startled and without even moving, immediately pissed on the rug he was on. Only time he did it.

I took the rug to the tip.

My experience of (very) elderly cats is either get hardwood floors so you can wipe with a bleach solution after the little accidents, or follow the cat round all day everyday.

multiple litter boxes, pissy carpets, smelly houses, what are you doing to the cats?

For the third time,

She’s wrong in the head. She is what might politically correctly be termed “special.” She’ll routinely run through the doorway to greet me of a morning and miss. On one of the first visits to the vets, the vet commented “she’s not had the best start in life, has she.” Atypical weeing is not normal cat behaviour, but “normal cat behaviour” and “Sienna” are not generally found in the same sentence.

It’s not her fault, she’s utterly adorable and we lover her to pieces, but if she went to school she’d be on the short bus.

For the third time,

She’s wrong in the head.

Oh, i understand that bit. I’ve had special cats in my time. Very special.

But…

I’ve never been in a house where cats live, and it’s not stunk of piss.

just sounds, weird.
And

Vet recommendation for litter boxes is n+1. We have one in the living room, one in the kitchen, and one upstairs in what was the kitten room.

Even with 4 cats in the house, a large covered box in the utility room has been used by all 4 with (few) complaints, other than the odd hiss. But sometimes a little queuing was needed. Or, two going in at the same time…

No one’s ever suggested more than one box.

Though googling it now, it seems that every man and his dog (cat) is suggesting it. Weird.

Won’t be getting anymore cats then!

Worse though is that whilst I can replace most of the contents I have a set of controlled assessments for Yr 10 to mark. And they reek of Max’s finest.

Well that’s fine, either tell them the dog pissed on their home work or, better still, hand it back and tell them you marked it accordingly.

Fight fire with fire, you need to piss on the carpet.

It should neutralize the odor, or at least you’ll tolerate the smell of your own brand and she’ll take the hint that there is a new boss in town and hopefully piss elsewhere (probably your slippers, but at least you can move them outside…).

Many moons ago when we were little people my mother used to swear by stardrops for cleaning the carpet.

It coped with cat and dog related stuff and one of the kids (I don’t recall which, could even have been me, I only recall the aftermath) throwing up about 20 minutes before we went away, and not telling our parents incase it meant the (first ever) holiday didn’t happen.

Two weeks later we returned to the house…
It was *not nice*. Not nice at all. Even the dog didn’t want to go inside and she ate everything, including vomit if it wasn’t cleaned up before she found it – I remember her scarfing the stuff out of the bucket as I was puking on one occasion.

Took a few days and goes, several days with all windows open, but eventually it was habitable again.

There was no way on earth we were going to be throwing out carpet and underlay and the like unless the house had actually burned down, even then I think it probably would have been assessed.

Also – try something like this, if it can get rid of the smell of years of rat piss it can’t be a bad start…

Rodent Odour Kill 100ml

But…

I’ve never been in a house where cats live, and it’s not stunk of piss.

just sounds, weird.

Agreed.

Even with 4 cats in the house, a large covered box in the utility room has been used by all 4 with (few) complaints, other than the odd hiss. But sometimes a little queuing was needed. Or, two going in at the same time…

No one’s ever suggested more than one box.

Two things here.

1) It’s what the vet told me, I’m just the messenger. 🤷‍♂️ It sounded excessive to me also.

2) Our specific scenario – aside from the ginger halfwit’s extra issues – was that we were introducing two new kittens to an older cat. It was directly after a house move where we were grounding a former outdoor-roaming cat due to safety issues so we were very much aware of potentials for conflict.

Fight fire with fire, you need to piss on the carpet.

It should neutralize the odor, or at least you’ll tolerate the smell of your own brand and she’ll take the hint that there is a new boss in town and hopefully piss elsewhere (probably your slippers, but at least you can move them outside…).

I know you joke but, back at the old house this is exactly how I discouraged a feral colony from using my back yard as a latrine. It does work.

Just, not in my office…

But…

I’ve never been in a house where cats live, and it’s not stunk of piss.

just sounds, weird.

Problem with cat owners, is they become desensitised to the smell. Believe me; if you own cats, your house stinks. Fact. You may not notice it, or be in denial, but it’s still a fact. No matter how clean you think you and your house are, you/it aren’t. Cat people are filthy.

And then there’s the hair….

EDIT: winky smiley for those who can’t get it’s just tongue in cheek: 😉

Have the moderators not worked out which previously banned user you are yet?

Lol! Get a life mate. Seriously. Don’t take it to heart ffs.

You’ve just told me my house stinks and I’m filthy.

“Don’t take it to heart”? Get the **** off my thread.

Wow. Ok, I apologise. I underestimated how sensitive you are. I’m sorry.

You’ve just told me my house stinks and I’m filthy.

Well you did start a thread about your house stinking, what were you hoping for? Thread of the week?

Get the **** off my thread.

You’re not going to get thread of the week with that attitude

Shush, you. 😁

My office room (and immediate surrounding area) stinks. The house as a whole does not. I may well be filthy but not in the manner insinuated.

Taking the piss is a courtesy I extend to friends, or to anyone who can get it out of this $%^&ing carpet.

Cat people are filthy.

My favourite Bowie remix.