How To Remove Cat Pee Smell

Cat pee has a strong, distinctive smell that can be quite bothersome, leaving cat parents on their toes all day to clean up after their stately furries. Furthermore, unless the spot is cleaned to get rid of the smell, cats tend to return to the same spot to urinate. As adorable as kittens are, their inability to use the litter box often makes cat parents wonder, how to get rid of cat pee smell. So, this article will serve as a quick guide on how to remove cat pee smell.

Why does cat pee smell so potent?

Cats are extremely territorial, and in the wild, they often tend to mark their territory using their pee for its strong, distinctive smell, which can ward off predators and keep other cats away. Furthermore, cat pee also contains hormones in considerable quantities that are helpful in attracting mates. So, what makes cat pee smell so strongly?

Other than metabolic wastes that can have a putrid smell, cat urine is mostly composed of urea and uric acid in large amounts, as well as sodium chloride, creatine, and other electrolytes. The uric acid in the cat pee can also be broken down by bacterial action, releasing ammonia that has a strong smell. Furthermore, cat pee also releases mercaptan, known for its foul, lingering smell. The presence of hormones can also make cat pee smell worse than ever.

Tips to get rid of cat pee smell

If you are looking for ways to help you with how to remove cat urine smell, here are a few tips.

• Blot up urine using an old towel

  If you find cat pee on the floor, blot it up using an old towel, which works well when it comes to how to get rid of cat pee smell.

• Apply enzyme cleaner

  Cat parents are often faced with the question, how to remove cat pee smell? Using a strong agent, such as enzyme cleaner can prove efficient.

• Provide ventilation for the smell to go away

  Providing some room for ventilation can help the cat pee smell go away.

• Identify why your cat is peeing outside the litter box

  When it comes to the question of how to remove cat urine smell, find out why they are peeing outside the litter box. This usually happens when cats are stressed.

Causes of a strong cat pee smell

It is important to know what potential reasons can cause cat pee smell to better know how to get rid of cat pee smell. So, mentioned below are the probable reasons for strong smell in cat pee:

• Dehydration

  Cats rarely drink enough water, causing them to feel dehydrated. However, dehydration in cats can cause the water content in their body to fall, resulting in urinating in lesser amounts. This urine, however, contains a significantly higher concentration of ammonia than it is normally supposed to, and can give off a strong smell. To avoid such situations, it is important to keep your feline friend well-hydrated other than knowing how to remove cat pee smell.

• Poor diet

  Your furry king or queen’s diet is a major factor to consider when it comes answering how to remove cat urine smell. Since cats are carnivores, their normal diet is largely consisted of protein-based meals, such as meat and eggs. Feeding your kitty chicken-based proteins can result in a higher amount of ammonia in their system, causing their cat pee to smell bad. A bad diet, which includes ingesting something infected can also be a cause for foul smell in cat urine.

• Stress

  Cats are easily stressed out. Any change in their environment can cause cats to feel stressed, resulting in behavioural changes, such as growing aggressive or distant and urinating outside the litter box. Being anxious for longer hours can also make your feline spray urine to assert dominance and mark its territory. This strong smell of cat pee can stay for hours unless you are aware of how to remove cat urine pee smell.

• UTI

  Urinary tract infections are a prominent cause of strong smell in cat pee. In addition to knowing how to remove cat urine smell, you might need to take your feline little furry friend to a veterinarian for diagnosis. This is because UTI in cats is often a serious health disorder that can affect their lifestyle, and if left untreated, can result in sepsis. Sepsis as a severe health condition can also cause the cat pee smell to worsen over time.

• Unchanged litter

  Cats are extremely tidy to their very nature and prefer to relieve themselves in clean kitty litter. However, an unchanged litter can discourage your feline friend from peeing in it and get rid of the smell of cat urine. Furthermore, leaving your kitty's litter unchanged for a long time can cause bacteria to act on the cat pee and excreta, causing a strong smell that needs to be cleaned up to avoid contamination.

Changes in your cat pee smell to worry about

If you are already aware of how to remove the smell of cat urine, you must know that your feline friend's urine having a strong smell is nothing to be immediately concerned about. Cat pee naturally has a strong smell and is not a cause for concern.

However, not all cat pee smells can be ignored, as certain changes in your cat's pee can indicate serious health conditions that require professional medical attention. So mentioned below are the possible changes in cat pee smell you should be worried about:

• Strong fishy urine smell

  Urinary tract infections in cats can cause a strong fishy smell in cat urine. A strong fishy smell can also warn cat parents of sepsis, which requires immediate medical help.

• Strong fruity/sweet urine smell

  A strong fruity or sweet smell in cat urine is caused by feline diabetes. The sugar content in the blood spreads to urine, giving it a distinctive fruity smell.

• Strong ammonia smell

  Strong ammonia smell in cat pee can indicate a higher concentration of ammonia present in cat urine than is normal. Such cases can indicate dehydration in cats, as well as kidney diseases that need medical attention.

Conclusion

Cat pee has an extremely unpleasant smell resulting from the high content of urea and uric acid in it. In addition to the presence of metabolic wastes in urine, bacterial actions also break down the protein present in urine, releasing ammonia and mercaptan that add to the strong smell. However, if you are looking for how to get rid of cat pee smell you might consider changing your cat's diet to Sheba wet cat food which contains all essential nutrients for your feline friend to stay well-fed and hydrated without making their urine smell bad. Additionally, getting your cat spayed can also get rid of the pungent smell in cat urine as it no longer contains hormones.

The other effective way of remove the smell of cat urine is by immediately cleaning up after your cat so that the urine does not decompose to give off a foul smell. Cleaning up the area can also discourage your feline from urinating in the same spot again. However, if the smell appears too strong even after cleaning, you should consider planning a consultation with your veterinarian, as an abnormally strong cat pee smell can indicate underlying health concerns that require urgent professional attention.

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