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Cleaning Up Cat Messes
from: The Complete CatWe all love our cat, they're so cute and friendly and great companions, but they certainly can make some really bad messes that leave stains and lingering odors if they're not properly cleaned up. Here's a few simple tips to eliminate these messes so they don't last forever in your carpets and furniture.
Cleaning Cat Urine
A cat's urine is nasty stuff -- stinky and smelly and the smell only gets worse the longer it sits because bacteria begins to feed on the organic waste in their urine, converting it to gases. Of course, if the urine is on your carpet, the longer it stays there, the more it will seep into the carpet and the floor beneath. This will make it even tougher to remove.
Urine should be cleaned up while it's fresh by first blotting it using an old bath towel to soak up as much as possible. Next, use paper towels until all visible moisture is removed. The area of the carpet should then be sprayed heavily using water or you can mix up a solution of white vinegar and water. Blot the area once again and continue this process until you've cleaned the area thoroughly.
There are some urine messes where the area should be neutralized, especially if the odor doesn't go away once the carpet's dried. This can be done using a chemical odor remover.
If you have some old urine stains, you'll need to use a neutralizer since the bacterial process has started. You may have to remove the carpets and padding to have them cleaned, or if it's a bad stain, replace them altogether. If the smell of cat urine is lingering somewhere, but you can't find the source, a black light should help because it can illuminate cat urine so it's easier to locate.
Finally, if your cat is urinating outside of its litter box you should probably have it checked over by your vet because this isn't normal behavior and might suggest she has a urinary tract infection or possiblly another illness.
Cleaning up Cat Feces
You shouldn't have any problems getting rid of firm cat feces, just remove them with a paper towel and throw them away. For cleaning the residual mess, use a small, stiff-bristled brush to clean the area with a mixture of water and mild detergent. Then blot the area, dilute, and blot once more.
However, if it's diarrhea, there could be bacteria in the feces, which requires more care. For cleaning diarrhea, clean the area as much as you can with paper towels and then use a water and detergent mixture. Then rinse and blot to be followed using a neutralizing enzymatic cleaner.
Cleaning Vomit
Cats are notorious for vomiting all over the house, whenever the mood strikes them. Basically vomit stains can be treated the same as diarrhea. However, a cat who eats food with red dyes, could produce vomit that simply can't be removed and may require a professional carpet cleaner to get out the stains.
Preventing Cat "Spray"
A cat who's starting to spray is a definite nuisance since the scent can almost take your breath away. As with urine, the trick to cleaning cat spray is to remove it quickly. However, it's even better if you can prevent it completely by neutering your cat. This eliminates the problem in most cats, however, some will keep on spraying even when they've been fixed.
An option for preventing spraying is to use a pheromone based training product that mimics the pheromones naturally found in cats. When this is sprayed in the cat's environment, he may loses his natural instinct to mark his territory.
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