Why Cat Urine Smells So Bad and Doesn't Go Away

Cat urine odor is unique among the many smells we know. While there are other smells that are worse, most of us probably don't come across them. Many people wonder why cat urine odor is so hard to get rid of. This article talks a little bit about the composition of cat urine. Cat urine is composed of five different bacteria strains. Two of the bacteria strains are associated with the cat's marking scent. The other strains are in the cat spray, urine, and uric acid. The sticky, tacky part of cat urine is urea. Urochrome is the pigment, and then there are the uric acid crystals and salts. The first two components are not difficult to clean. The uric acid with its crystals and salts are what we continually see and smell, long after we've tried to clean the cat urine spot. The crystals are insoluble, and they bond tightly to any surface they land on. This is why cat urine is immune to common household cleaners. Any type of moisture that gets on the crystals reactivates them. This is why we smell cat urine odor more distinctly when the weather is very humid. The only way to completely and permanently clean up cat urine odor from any surface in your home is to use an enzyme cleaner. These cleaners are special formulas that actually eat the bacteria and crystals in cat urine. Common household cleaners don't contain enzymes. If they do, the enzymes are probably specific to cleaning up blood. Pet odor and stain removers use enzymes that attack and get rid of urine bacteria. The worst type of cleaner you can use on cat urine odor puddles is any ammonia cleaner! Cat urine contains ammonia. Pour one of these cleaners onto that puddle, and its calling kitty's name to come over and mark the spot again! Now you know more about cat urine and its' odor than you probably wanted. However, if you or someone you know has a cat urine odor problem, this is why it's so difficult to get rid of.