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How to Cut Down Cat Odor in the House

September 21, 2022 7 min read

Cut Down Cat Odor in the House

Are you not happy with the smell of your house where your adorable creature, the cat, is living? Look no further! This blog will help you understand the causes of the cat odor and how to diminish the foul cat smell lingering in our house.

Having cats around the house can be fun, relaxing, and a great addition to our family, but owning a cat also include some negatives. Having a pet alongside you in the house means we have to clean up after them, which is not an easy task. But there are ways to help prevent cat odor from becoming so much of an issue in our home.

Let's first get to know the causes of amplifying cat odor in your house:

Causes of Cat Smell in the House

There are various potential reasons for bad odors in cats. Most common causes result from a household environmental issue or a medical issue. Consider some of the most likely reasons for bad smells in the cat-friendly home if we suspect our cat suffers from one.

Mouth Odor

Mouth odor in cats can indicate a health problem. Mouth odor is often caused by dental disease, oral bleeding, or infections. Other causes of bad breath in cats include growths, wounds, and ulcers in the mouth.

cat mouth odour

Rear End Odor

If our cat's rear end smells, it is important to seek medical care immediately. It could be because they have a medical problem such as constipation or diarrhea, or it could be a strong indicator of something more serious like flatulence, anal glands, or perianal fistulas.

Skin Odor

When cats have bad skin odors, there can be a variety of causes. Bad smells originate from an infection or irritation of the skin itself, which can lead to excessive bacterial activity. They are frequently the outcome of underlying health concerns such as parasites, immune disorders, wounds, allergies, or anything else that adversely affects the skin's regular barrier function.

Ear Odor

Bad-smelling ears in cats can be a cause for concern. Ear infections are likely the most common cause of unpleasant odors in cats, and they can be caused by an accumulation of yeast, bacteria, or mites in the ears. So if we observe our cat has foul-smelling ears and is scratching them, it's time to check on them.

Urinary Problems

Among the most prominent causes of bad odor in cats is incontinence, or the impotence to control urine flow caused by urinary tract problems. It can be severe and must be handled as urgently as possible.

cat odour reasons

Why is it so Difficult to Get Rid of Cat Smell?

Getting rid of cat odor, especially cat pee in the house, is a challenge many pet owners struggle with. It's not just cat owners who are affected; cleaners and even people in the home (including children) will be affected by a strong cat pee smell.

Cat pee has a distinct smell, and the odor of cat pee is hard to remove. While most pet owners love their pets and care for their animals, others find the overwhelming odor unbearable. This happens because cat urine has chemical components that don't disappear over time.

Cat urine contains urea, pheromones, uric acid, and other components. Standard cleaning solutions do not eliminate uric acid, which can stay in a home for years.

How to Remove Cat Odors?

While removing cat odor is a problem most homeowners face. It can annoy our visitors who visit your abode!

The cat odor in our house could be due to cat poop, dander, vomit, urine, and food. These leave behind a foul odor that is hard to remove. So, what's the solution? 

Several things can be done to prevent the unpleasant odor in the house. Let's dive in to know about the ways to maintain an excellent odor in our home with the presence of the cat:

Home Cleaning and Vacuuming Regularly

Keeping our house fresh is one way to prevent cat odor. Change the air in your home regularly by opening windows and doors, recycling air, changing air filters, and washing floors with a vinegar solution (very effective) or unscented chemical deodorizer sprays.

Also, regular vacuuming is a great way to deodorize our house without an expensive air purifier. It provides an excellent opportunity to rid the surface of dander, hair, and any other debris that may be present.

cat odour reasons

Vacuum the carpet, rugs, and upholstery with a good vacuum cleaner at least once a week. When trying to get rid of the cat pee smell, clean the carpets regularly, and if it still cannot maintain a pleasing fragrance, it's time to opt for some additional steps.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a prominent element in commercial deodorizers due to its natural ability to neutralize odors. It efficiently removes both new and old smells from pet-owning households. While it has no harmful side effects, its use may make your house smell a little different at first.

Sprinkling some baking soda on the affected region for half an hour and vacuuming the area can help improve the air of disagreeable smells caused by pets. Baking soda combined with water or vinegar is an effective natural way to eliminate fabric odors.

Vinegar

Vinegar is another popular choice for removing cat odor for innumerable reasons. Firstly, vinegar is naturally acidic – which means it can work effectively to neutralize odors in your home. Secondly, vinegar is abrasive, so its ability to scrub away smelly particles makes it more effective than detergent at great distances. Finally, vinegar also helps loosen the soil and grime in your carpets, which helps reduce their unwanted odor.

Hydrogen Peroxide

The strong and pungent cat pee smell might make even the owners feel nauseous. Hydrogen peroxide is another option for those who want to minimize the cat's foul odor in their house.

It is a bleach alternative mainly used as an antiseptic. It can eliminate germs, fungi, and mildew that generate bad smells in the house. Hydrogen peroxide also helps remove stains on the furniture and carpets by penetrating the fabric's fibers to destroy the bacteria without damaging the fabric.

Cleanse Whatever Your Cat Lays On

Undoubtedly, cats are the creatures that can make us live a healthy and happy life. They are comfortable purring machines to have in bed! But how do we clean the scent on our clothes or other stuff when the cat lays on them?

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to get rid of cat odors is to cleanse whatever our cat lays on with antibacterial soap (or better yet, unscented gentle liquid laundry detergent) at least once every 2-3 weeks.

Enzymatic Cleaners

Another straightforward way to reduce cat odor in the house is to clean it thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner. This product breaks down specific molecules like ammonia, sulfur, and other substances in cat pee, vomit, and even feces.

Enzymatic cleaners are available at most local shops and are easy to use. While having cats, we must keep the product away from cats to make sure the cats remain safe.

Daily Litter Box Cleaning

Cat litter boxes get smelly, it's true. In addition to the unpleasant smell, a dirty litter box traps ingredients that can cause respiratory problems when inhaled.

Scoping it twice a day is one crucial step that can drastically reduce our cats' litter box odors.

Scraping out the litter box will effectively remove fecal matter, urine, and other related matter from the box. Daily cleaning also helps avoid having to scoop larger clumps from time to time.

Also read: Proper Disposal of Cat Litter

Thoroughly Rinse The Litter Box

Whether we own a single or various cats, we should keep the litter boxes hygienically clean. It is among the easiest ways to reduce cat odor in the house and make our living space more pleasant by washing your cat's litter box once a month. It will help prevent the cat's foul smell and ensure that our cat uses the litter box regularly.

The best way is to thoroughly rinse the litter box with water and mild soap to ensure that no urine or fecal pathogens are clinging to the surfaces of the litter box. Once the litter box/tray is dry, you could place it back in the house.

Keeping the litter box fresh and clean means we are keeping our cat happy and healthy.

Ventilate

There's no doubt that your cat's litter box is an eyesore. It's likely full of urine and dirt, which gives off a scent that can be overpowering and even make people feel nauseous. It's best to store your cat's litter box in an open and ventilated area to keep this from happening.

As pet owners, we don't have to let our cat's litter box become a smelly closet, with its odors lingering for days and weeks. A well-ventilated room will draw cat odors out of these litter boxes.

cat odour reasons

Take Proper Care of Your Cat

Another way to reduce cat odor in the house is to take proper care of the cat. In general, cats are considered clean animals, though being a cat owner, grooming them from time to time helps reduce/remove unpleasant odors around our home!

Conclusion

So, this is how we can keep our house smelling good and diminish the catty smell from our home!

Now that we know why cat odor is so hard to eliminate, the various things we can do to manage it, and the causes behind the smell, it becomes easy to make our home smell amazing!

All these practical tips are accessible and affordable, so we no longer have to fuss about cat odor!

In addition, to make your cat's life much better, you may check out Meowy Studio and its collection of Loo Litter Boxes and other accessories!

You may also like: Why Does my Cat Put Its Butt In My Face?



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