Cat urine in the carpet!!!

[AIR]

Well I have been redoing my office and when I began I noticed a strong unrine smell which I eventually fiqured it was from my sick cat which was frequently urinating in the room. My parents had put this carpet in about a year ago and it is really nice/new carpet. I tried using Nature's Miracle and a blacklight to find the urine spots and try to nuetralize them, it seems like there is so much and I am unable to find every spot, and everytime it rains I notice the smell coming back (PUKE!) do you guys have any ideas? Oh yeah my Dad refuses to tear up the carpet which I think at this point is the only solution.

[Aldo]

The enzymatic odor removers often work on small well-defined areas. Because your floor doesn't meet that criteria, the urine has likely been absorbed by the pad and subfloor. In that the case, there is only one way to permanently eliminate the aroma. Replace the carpet and pad - plus (a critically important plus) you must seal the subfloor. A generous coat of polyurethane will do the job nicely. It is also advisable to apply a sealer to the bottom twelve inches of the walls and re-coat the baseboards with paint or poly as appropriate.

A wise mentor once asked me, "If there wasn't enough time or money to do the job right the first time, why was there enough to re-do it?".

[eldorado]

Aside from bringing in a professional hi-suction steam carpet cleaner,
(You probally do have it soaked thru to the pad)
You can try ZERO ODER "as seen on TV"
It's probally one fo the few items sold on Tv that actually work.
I have 13 cats now- "Yeah! the 'ol lady finally lost it"
and this stuff kills every oder-my place does not smell like cat.

[Jim FL]

Air,
Just kidding with the subject line.

I too have a house full of cats, and have for a LONG time.
We currently have 7 cats, and 3 LARGE dogs.
At one point, we had 8 cats, but 2 passed, with a new one choosing us as her family. (something only true cat lovers will understand by the way).

At any rate, since my oldent two cats are 18 years old, almost 19, with the rest (except the newest one) are geriatric (old), I've cleaned my fair share of their 'leavings' over the years.
One of our cats is even a diabetic, meaning, ev every few months, when he needs his insulin adjusted, we start finding spots where he urinates.
The thing is, thankfully, over the 17 years I've had him, he's apprently taken pity on me, and now just pees, next to the box, instead of all over the house.

So, as you can see, numerous rooms, in several houses I've owned have had to be cleaned up.
Sadly, if a cat chooses a spot more than once, its dead for life and needs to be handled.

In your case, the carpet and pad need to go.
After that, check base boards, as cats don't just pee down, they SPRAY........so the wall gets it too.

So, remove carpet, pad, and baseboards in the messed up/with spot.
Paint the wall area, and new baseboard area, with oil based KILZ primer.
After that, coat the floor too, especially if its wood underlayment, or cement slab...........these soak in the smell, and as you noticed, release it when warm or wet.

Then, when the primer is dry, replace the carpet.

I also usually add another step, before the primer application, and that is to clean the area with bleach, allow it to dry and air-out some first.

Each place I've used this on, whether my own residence, or a house we purchased for investment, the end result was no smell.

Forget those sprays and cleaners, they do help......short term.
But, in the end, the smell is still there, which entices the cats to repeatedly use the area for further messes.

Like aldo suggested, do this right the first time, it's cheaper in the long run.

Good luck,
Jim FL

[JR_FL]

Fastest way and do it with maintenance is go to Sam's and get a gallon of Odor Ban. Take a 1/2 cup and just drench it. Let it dry it will take a day or two and do it again if you have too. It has a yellow tinge. I had several dead rats die in a house...between the 1st and 2nd floor. I took the cieling down and guess what fell. Rats and all there belongings. Well I sprayed it for 2 days and it went away.

It worked for me with pets also awhile back.

[AIR]

thanks alot guys for all the responses!

Jim, I have two cats and the one that was urinating everywhere is diabetic like yours, we obviously didnt realize this until the carpets were ruined. And on top of that I found the darn cat in my backyard as a kitten.

Aldo, I agree with your statement about doing it right the first time and this is the way I think, the only problem is my Dad is the one I have to get thinking this way.

Well I just finished spackling and painting the ceiling and walls, looks like I am going to run to home depot and buy some of the oil based KILZ primer you were talking about, I will just have to put another coat of paint on the walls. My Dad will be iritated but I am just going to rip the darn carpet up... i think....

[Jim FL]

Air,
Funny, my diabetic cat was also a stray.
I found him, er, he found me, when I was jogging after midnight WAY long ago, training for a cop job.
The little pain in the posterior was dumpster diving, and somehow found his way into my apartment...........where he remained, and has moved with me ever since.

That cat gets better health care than I do.........crazy.
But, critters cannot take care of themselves, so, I do, and will for the rest of their lives........how long do cats live anyway?

Take care,
Jim FL

[Debbie]

Quite a long time....some live up to 23 years.

I grew up with dogs, cats, lizards, snakes, hamsters....all but the actual farm animals back in California.

Nevertheless, my all time favorite cat was a purebreed "Maine Coon". Although it was definitely a cat but acted like a dog and loved to be held anytime....

It was not until at a ripe old age of 12 that, without warning, Purrfect (my Maine Coon's name) started pooping and peeing all over the house with Brianna at a crawling stage. Turned out she had terminal cancer and was in such great pain. I had to put her to rest....

[eldorado]

how long do cats live anyway?
Average life span is 16-18 years.

We know of one that was 25yrs old (Mother-in-laws)
It ate her cigarettes (it would rip them out of her handbag) and would drink her afternoon glass of vodka when she wasnt looking..
She (mother-in-law) died at 83-So much for health-care doctors suggestions
Must of been a russian cat.

[Aldo]

I should have included this in my prior post because it's important.

When using the enzymatic odor removing products, follow the directions to the letter. One of the first times I used one of them I thought to myself, "This is worse than usual, so I think I'll mix it a little stronger." ERROR! The product (no name is necessary as most work alike) left an odor nearly as offensive as the urine odor and it took several months for it to disipate. On the plus side, all odors eventually disappeared.

The reality is that most enzymatic odor removers do leave an offensive odor which usually appears 24-48 hours after application and usually goes away within a few days when used according to the directions.

Note that the product I used was concentrated and was intended to be diluted with water. Many products are ready-to-use as purchased.

[steve-homefree]

In my day job I own a cleaning and restoration business.IICRC Master certified cleaner.
That smell from the enzyme is off gasing. That means it's doing it's job.

We guarantee pet odor removal in my business,as long as it's not cat related.
Cat urine can be as difficult as skunk smell to eliminate completely.

Jim's advice (remove pad and seal the floor) will produce the best results.

steve

[AIR]

yeah I ended up tearing up the carpet and pad, then removing the original tile on the floor, sealing it with a pet, fire remover and then installing laminate wood flooring which looks and SMELLS 110% better!!!!