Why Cat Urine Smells So Terribleand What You Can Do About It
As a cat parent, is there anything more panic-inducing than getting hit with a whiff of cat pee stench anywhere other than inside of the litter box? Of course, accidents are bound to happen. However, if your nose has ever been plagued by the terrible, awful, bad smell of cat peeyou know how distinctly offensive it isand how hard it is to get rid of. But why, exactly, does cat urine smell so terrible? Why does it smell so much worse than dog pee? And whats the best way to clean it up? In this article, well weigh in on this pungent mystery and give you the best tips on eliminating this particular odor, for good.
The Best Cat Food For Odor Control
An inferior bargain diet is a common culprit behind intense cat box odors. Grocery store brands use corn, soy and other fillers, causing stomach upset and bigger messes in the litter box. Thats especially so if kitty is sensitive to these filler ingredients. Switch to a high-quality brand found at your independent pet supply shop, and youll quickly see a difference. Here are three things youll want to see on the label to make a true difference in cat odors.
Youll want to follow kittys lead when switching. But the good news is a high-quality diet should be pretty gentle on their system. Heres how to switch your cat to a new brand of cat food.
Cats Are Desert Creatures
As Dr. Lee explains, cat pee smells so bad because cats have very concentrated urine. Cats originated from the desert and evolved to absorb a large amount of water from their urine to maintain their hydration. This is also why you hardly ever see cats drinktheyre so effective at concentrating!
In her bookIts a Cats World You Just Live In It, Dr. Lee writes that a cats loop of Henle is so good at squeezing out every last drop of absorbable water that this concentration makes the urine smell very foul.
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Can Cats Smell The Bad Odor In Their Pee
Did you know that a cats sticky smell affects not only you but also the cat? Wondering how can it be affected by its mess? Cats hate to stay on dirty surfaces, and their sense of smell is 4x that of humans. Suppose youre smelling how bad the litter box smell, then understand that your cat can smell it also, and the smell is stronger to the cat more than it is to you. If you fail to change the litter box regularly for days, your cat will go to defecate and pee somewhere else in the house or maybe outside.
Why Does Weed Smell Like Cat Pee
Your weed smells like cat pee for several reasons. First, it could be the traits natural aroma and thus safe for consumption. Other times, the cat pee smell results from poor drying and curing or the dreaded mold invasion.
It thus helps to know the reason behind the cat pee smell.
You dont want to smoke mold-infested buds, but its not wise losing potent buds because of the loud cat pee terpene in them.
Here are some reasons why your weed smells like cat litter:
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Intact Or Neutered/spayed Cats
Pee from male cats that have not been neutered contains high levels of pheromones and testosterone. Pheromones are scent chemicals used by cats to communicate and interact with one another. By spraying around your home, your male cat effectively tells neighboring male cats to keep away and female cats that he is available.
How To Get Rid Of Cat Pee Smell: A Guide
Or, if weâre being polite, eliminating that âinappropriate eliminationâ odor.
Itâs all fun and games until the cat pees in your house. Kitty tinkle is one of the most unique and pungent smells on the planet, perhaps rivaled only by the notorious durian fruit.
Cleaning cat pee isnât very intuitive either â itâs actually sort of like a science experiment. Whereas youâd instinctively use warm or hot water to clean basically anything else, using hot water on cat pee is only going to set and amplify the stench. So if youâre having a cat pee-mergency, follow our guidelines below to neutralize that stinky urine.
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Why Does Cat Pee Stink Worse Than Dog Pee
Posted by justinelee in Animal Safety, Blog, Fun Stuff, Pet Health
For those of you who have ever fostered a tomcat or had an alley cat in your backyard, you can attest to the fact that cat pee reeks way more than dog pee! But why? Cats have much stronger concentrated urine than dogs. The normal concentration of urine is based on specific gravity , which measures the density of a liquid . Using a simple tool called a refractometer, your veterinarian can check the concentration of your cats urine. Normal cat urine specific gravity is greater than 1.040, while a dogs specific gravity is normally 1.018 to 1.025. This may sound like a lot of medical mumbo-jumbo, but what it boils down to is that dogs have much more dilute urine, which means that it is less foul, less concentrated, and less yellow in color than cats.
Male cats that have not been fixed have the added effect of testosterone, which makes their urine ten times more stinky. You can minimize the occurrence of this foul urine in your cats litter box or the behavioral problems of marking by neutering your cat before eight to nine months of age.
Causes Of Odors In Cat
There are several potential reasons for bad odors in cats. Once you are able to determine the location of the odor, you may be able to figure out the root cause. In many cases, your cat will need to go to the veterinarian. If you are unable to determine the source of the odor, it’s still important to contact your vet.
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Does My Cat Have An Infection
While ear and skin problems are more common in dogs, the unpleasant scents sometimes do arise in cats.
Musty odors wafting from the ear area are a sure sign of an ear infection.
Another cause is skin infections. If your cat was in a recent fight with another cat, keep an eye out for an abscess. These infections are caused when bacteria found in cat saliva enters the bitten cats body, and develop into infections within 24 hours. If your cat flinches or cries out in pain when touched in specific areas, have your cat treated by a vet before the abscess ruptures. The best treatment for an abscess is a course of antibiotics, but in more serious cases, surgery may be needed.
What To Do About Weed That Smells Like Cat Pee
How to deal with weed that smells like cat pee will depend on your evaluation of the buds and the cause of the cat pee smell.
While its not right to say all weed that smell of cat pee should be trashed, its good to accept that sometimes, trashing the weed is the best thing to do.
Study your buds and identify why your pot smells like cat pee. If its natural, imbibe the weed the buds not a health risk .
On the other hand, if the buds smell of cat piss as a result of mold infestation, throw them out. Mold isnt good for your buds, whether as edibles or joints!
When the buds smell of cat pee because of poor curing, there is nothing really you can do because once the curing period elapses, its impractical trying to get the smell back. However, the weed will be good for consumption.
Unfortunately, poorly cured weed also lacks potency, and thus your cat-pee-smelling weed might not give you the high youre hoping for.
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Urine Left For An Extended Time
The last but not least possible cause of your cats urine being on the extra smelly side is time. If your cat has made a mess outside of the litter box or sprayed around your home, it must be cleaned immediately. We recommend scooping solids out of your cats litter box every day. If left unscooped, the urine in the box can build up and create as equally foul an odor as uncleaned urine on the carpet.
Simple Ways To Get Rid Of Cat Urine Odor
You love your cat. But that love can be tested when you walk into a room and smell the unmistakable odor of cat urine. Why did your cat pee outside the box? How do you get rid of the cat urine smell? Heres how to clean cat urine and remove the cat pee smell from carpet, non-carpet surfaces and bedding.
First, there are 3 things you should know about why your cat might be peeing outside the litter box:
If youve found cat urine in your home, heres how to clean it up and get rid of the cat pee smell safely and effectively.
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Why Does My Urine Smell Strong Like Ammonia
Strong, ammonia-like urine is a sign that youâre a little dehydrated. Drinking more water can often help. Sometimes, ammonia is also a sign of:
Urinary tract infection. Also called a UTI, such an infection happens when you have bacteria in any part of your urinary system. It causes strong or sweet urine. Other UTI symptoms include:
- Needing to urinate a lot
- Bloody urine
- Cloudy urine
- Pelvis pain
Liver disease. A problem with your liver can make your skin and eyes yellow and your urine dark and smelly. It can also cause stomach pain, throwing up, and feeling sick.
Kidney stones. Crystals made of waste products and minerals can build up in your kidneys and form hard stones, which can cause strong-smelling urine. You might also feel sick, have pain that comes and goes, and have bloody urine.
Does Cat Urine Odor Ever Go Away
As long as the urine is cleaned properly with an enzyme cleaner, the smell will go away. Pet parents frequently ask this question and Ive seen so many articles incorrectly state the odor will never go away. Will it take some effort? Absolutely? And likely repeated treatments.
But its important to understand how that the smell and stain can be treated because this directly affects our relationship with our cats. If were frustrated at the smell of cat urine in our house, it will make it more difficult to maintain a close bond with our cat. So dont give up! You can get rid of the smell.
What if your cat is frequently peeing in the house even after youve cleaned up the mess properly?
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How To Remove Cat Pee From Carpets Or Upholstery
Start by using paper towels to blot up as much of the pee as possible, being careful not to rub it in. Next, rinse the area with a bit of warm water mixed with a small amount of baking soda to dilute the remaining urine and neutralize the uric acid. Repeat the first step to blot up as much of the urine and water as possible.
Finally, spray Vital Oxide on the area to eliminate odors and stains. Be sure to use enough of the formula to penetrate the carpet or upholstery fibers and all places the urine may have saturated. Allow Vital Oxide to dwell on the soiled carpet for at least 10 minutes. There is no need to rinse simply let air dry. A fan can be used to dry the carpet or upholstery faster if needed. Repeat as needed for extra pungent stains.
What To Do For Your Cat’s Strong Urine Smell
Whole house smells like cat urine? Worry not. There are actually a couple of things you can do and give your cat for that strong urine smell.
Locate the urine. If your whole house smells like cat urine, it is likely that there is uncleaned urine hiding. Locating where the urine is outside the litter box, according to McGill Office for Science and Society, is the first step to solving the problem. This is effortlessly done if you have stepped barefoot into a puddle or if the urine has already stained your floor or discolored your carpet. If you cannot spot your furbabys urine, ultraviolet stain detector light will make it glow. Locating where the strong urine smell is coming from will help you manage the situation more efficiently.
Clean using enzymatic cleaners. Once you have located where the smell is coming from, clean it. And clean it well. When cleaning your furbabys mess, make sure you are using enzymatic cleaners. Enzymatic cleaners release active enzymes that feed on ammonia residue left behind in your cats urine and other organic materials. Enzymatic cleaners are best used in removing urine stains and odors.
Make sure your cat drinks water. Offer your cat fresh and clean water all the time. If she doesn’t like to drink water from her water bowl, allow her to drink running water. Your cat loves the feel of running water on her tongue.
“Pet Parents® Pawtect® Pads are washable pads that can serve as litter box beddings and catch any misses made by your furbaby.”
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How To Prevent Your Cat From Having An Accident In The House
A while back, my cat Olivia, developed the unpleasant habit of going outside her litter box usually on my brand new bath mats. In her case, I was able to resolve the problem with a good enzymatic laundry pre-treatment and a few tweaks to her litter box.
Usually, if your cat is going outside the litter box, she is trying to tell you something. A trip to the vet can rule out any medical issues, like kidney disease or hyperthyroidism, that could contribute to accidents.
Once your cat has a clean bill of health, youll want to make sure that her litter box meets her needs. Dr. Liz Bales gives us some good litter box tips in this post. Otherwise, all of the cleaning in the world probably wont keep her from peeing where you dont want her to.
If you think your cat could use a little extra convincing, my favorite litter, Worlds Best Cat Litter, makes a litter especially for picky cats. It contains a safe, plant-based ingredient that naturally attracts cats to the litter box. How great is that?
Obviously, prevention is the best solution to a pesky cat pee problem, but even if your cat still has the occasional accident, the right cleaning routine will prevent it from becoming a habit.
The Weed Has Gone Bad
Sometimes, the weed smells of cat piss because it has gone bad. When weed goes bad and begins to degrade, not only does its appearance change, but its smell can also become weird.
Mold infestations engulf your buds in a pungent smell other than the natural strain aroma. Its great you cant mistake the smell of moldy weed for that of healthy buds you can always tell when the weed is damp and doesnt exude a natural aroma.
How to Spot Moldy Weed
The easiest way to spot moldy weed would be to use a black light and watch for a green color.
Moldy weed also shows as black or dark green spots. You may also notice a musty odor and grayish-white stringing from the forming buds.
To the untrained eye, trichomes and mold may look a lot alike. Which makes novice users mistake moldy weed for a cannabinoid-rich bud.
The process of keeping your buds from mold begins before the buds are harvested.
Trichomes give cannabis its rich aroma and look like sticky, shiny crystals.
Unlike trichomes, mold often has a powdery appearance and distinct mildewy smell that reminds you of hay. You can also use a 10X magnifying lens to spot the difference.
If you harvest moldy weed, they can only get worse in the drying and curing process. Thus the process of keeping your buds from mold begins before the buds are harvested.
After harvesting, your resolve to shut the mold out should only get tighter. You dont want to lose your jars of buds to mold infestation in the curing process.
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