Cat pee smells like…well, cat peeOctober 23rd, 2006 @ 7:01 am
I woke up Sunday morning and stretched my legs in bed. I immediately felt something down by my feet. It was wet. It was cold.
It was cat pee.
Preston, our sweet cat, had decided to not pee in his box for the first time in 6 years (not counting the times he has peed on our luggage when we go on trips). He slept at the foot of the bed all night and just must have been too tired to actually get up off the bed and walk the 10 steps to the bathroom where we keep his box.
Our pristine white down comforter was stained a horrible yellowish brown color. It stunk. It made me gag. As soon as we saw what had happened we jumped out of bed and starting ripping the sheets off the bed. The King made a mad dash to the laundry room with bleach and Febreeze in hand. I got on my hands and knees and started my vain attempt to ever so gently dab the urine out of the comforter. I doused it in Febreeze and called it good. I’m thinking that isn’t going to work.
The dryers in our building don’t work that great. We ended up with sheets and mattress pads all over the apartment, on top of chairs, on drying racks. Anywhere where they might actually dry in time to sleep in them that night.
Later when I was changing Babboo’s diaper before putting his pajamas on, he Bellagio’d all over his bed. What is it about little boys that they have so much pee in them, and can pee great distances? He got his belly, his legs, the changing pad, his clothes, his stuffed puppy and of course, his own sheets.
When I showered this morning I kept thinking to myself, damn girl, you smell like cat pee. It must be in your hands. I washed myself even more. I used my extra smelly soap, and scrubbed until my fingers were raw.
Um, then I realized it wasn’t me that stunk. It was the towel I had used to clean the comforter. I had hung it in the bathroom to dry before putting it in the wash. The steam from my shower caused the stench to permeate throughout the entire bathroom.
Now our apartment is filled with sheets. And stinky towels that were used to clean up the pee. I swear our apartment will forever be tainted with the smell that will never go away. The smell of cat pee is mixed in with the smell of bleach and Febreeze. That really isn’t a good smell.
At least the sheets are clean. Anyone ever had a down comforter professionally cleaned? Any suggestions?
Random
Becky..Absent Minded Housewife
said,
October 23, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Go to a petstore and get a pet urine enzyme cleaner. It should clear the smell right up.
And then check the cat for urinary tract infection. It is so common in kitties!
Lindsey
said,
October 23, 2006 at 5:40 pm
About a year ago our dog, Bugs, puked on our down comforter. I took it to the dry cleaners. They cleaned it up pretty well, but the stain didn’t completely come out so there is still a yellowish spot. Definitely get the urine enzyme cleaner. Not only does it get rid of the smell for our benefit, but it also clears it up so well that the animal can’t smell it and want to pee there again in the same spot. Good luck Isabel!
Cassie
said,
October 23, 2006 at 5:40 pm
LMAO!! I’m sorry, Isabel, I’m not laughing at your pain and your smelly apartment — just the “Bellagio’d.” MAN, that really got me. I have no suggestions for how to get rid of the smell or clean the bedding…but thank you for making me laugh today!
shellynoir
said,
October 23, 2006 at 5:48 pm
That cat needs to go to the vet.
I soak a sock in enzyme cleaner and throw it in the dryer instead of dryer sheets. (Dryer sheets = lab mice with no sperm)
Jessie
said,
October 23, 2006 at 5:56 pm
I don’t have any advice that’s better than what’s being offered. Just wanted to say sorry you had such a piss-poor weekend! (Couldn’t help myself, sorry.)
Frema
said,
October 23, 2006 at 6:31 pm
Man, that stinks! (No pun intended.) Is there a laundramat nearby where you could take all the bedding? Then you could knock it out in a couple of hours.
Della
said,
October 23, 2006 at 6:33 pm
For the first time in the 25 years that I have been owned by cats, I sent a goose feather comforter to the dry cleaners last week.
My cat Tintana decided to pee in two spots on my husbands side of the bed. I firmly believe she did it out of spite. He had commented that she looked like a big fat beaver and sang the “Hen Hen Big Fat Hen - - Beaver Butt” song to her.
We did the “rip the bed naked” dance too. The enzyme stuff works great on the mattress and anything else you can’t throw in a washer and it keeps repeats from happening. Oust gets the smell out of your rooms and the Febreze is good for temporary smell killing.
Hubby insisted ontaking the feather bed comforter to the cleaners. I was convinced that putting it in our washer would simply kill the washer–they are heavy to begin with.
I am to pick it up on Friday from the cleaners.
Sarah
said,
October 23, 2006 at 6:38 pm
I know you’re not supposed to, but we wash our down comforter in the regular washing machine all the time and it doesn’t seem to have hurt it. We also dry it in the regular dryer, I just have to remember to take it out and shift it around every 10 minutes or so, otherwise the outside edges are dry and the middle is wet. Does that make sense?
alyndabear
said,
October 23, 2006 at 8:24 pm
Agreed with the others - the last thing you want is for kitty to somehow end back on the bed, smell his last um, accident, and start the cleaning frenzy all over again!
And I’m sorry, because I just unintentionally giggled about Babboo doing the Bellagio over his bed. Too funny. =X
Now back to feeling sympathetic for evil sheet washing.
Lizzy
said,
October 23, 2006 at 9:21 pm
Oh man…I know that smell.
When our kitties were, well, kittens, they started a trend of peeing in our laundry baskets.
One day, I got to work and the smell of cat pee had followed me all the way from house to office. I couldn’t figure out why–I’d washed my hands dozens of times. I thought it was purely psychosomatic that ALL DAY all I could smell was cat pee.
By the time I got home and changed my clothes, I finally saw the GIGANTIC YELLOW STAIN ALL ACROSS THE BACK OF MY BLOUSE. My goodness, I walked around all day with that stain on my shirt–what must my colleagues have thought about that?
The Bellagio comment? I’m afraid to larf, lest my boy do the same to me!
HollowSquirrel
said,
October 24, 2006 at 12:05 am
Here’s my solution: toss the comforter; buy a new one; give the cat away.
Problems solved. You’re welcome.
MK
said,
October 24, 2006 at 12:16 am
Oh I am soooo sorry! there is nothing worse then getting cat pee out of something!!! Ugh! And I am one of those hyper sensitive people who swears they can smell it forever too! Good luck and let us know if you could get it out!!
Art Nerd Lauren
said,
October 24, 2006 at 2:31 am
Same thing happened to my mom this weekend. Actually, no this weekend it was her shoe. A few weekends ago it was her bed. I don’t know what it is about the weekends, specifically Saturdays.
Anyhow, that doesn’t help you much. You want Nature’s Miracle. Do not accept substitutions. Takes the whizzy smell right out, and actually breaks the whiz down so the cat won’t try to re-mark his spot. Suckers, aren’t they?
Durga
said,
October 24, 2006 at 6:44 am
“Bellagio’d.” - the first time i’ve heard that- love it!
Love the pic of Babboo n King…looks like Babboo is giving the king a lecture….
so cute.
LaLa
said,
October 24, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Wow. It’s pee central over at your house.
I used to live in a house with 2 cats that I called um.. Catshit Cottage… just reading your blog has made me convinced I am back there smelling that peroxidey odour.
I took my quilt to the cleaners and it seems fine (apart from since reading your blog)
Bethiclaus
said,
October 24, 2006 at 12:34 pm
Ha! I was totally going to post about cat pee today because Salem peed in our bedroom sometime last weekend and I can’t seem to get rid of the smell. I lay in bed at night trying to fall asleep and instead searching for what still smells.
I think we may have to move.
Jennifer
said,
October 24, 2006 at 2:35 pm
I have way to much to say about this topic!
First of all, I am so jealous that Preston has never peed outside the litterbox before. SO VERY JEALOUS. Max has peed a lot of places, but thankfully never on the bed. I will have to remember to thank my lucky stars for that.
But…. he has DROOLED on the bed. On Sunday I decided it was high time to wash the sheets, so I washed them, dried them, and put them back on the bed. Ten minutes later, I went upstairs to get some other laundry, and found BOTH of the cats sleeping on the bed. Max never sleep on the bed. He sleeps at the foot of the bed or under the bed all the time, but never ON the bed. I just left them there because I don’t really care if the sleep on the bed, and honestly I was just happy they were tolerating being in the same room as each other, let alone sleeping on the same piece of furniture.
When I finished the next load of laundry, I brought it upstairs to put it away, and Max was sound asleep on the bed…with a big puddle of drool right next to his mouth. Sick. So much for clean sheets.
Last but not least, Max The Nervous Peer pees in the car every time we go to the vet, because he is scared out of his mind of riding in the car. I now know enough to put a towel in the bottom of his carrier, and bring a fresh towel with me for the ride home, but the first time I took him in the car I was not so wise. It was over two years ago, and despite all the Febreeze, Urine B Gone, and every other cleaning product in the world, my car STILL smells like cat pee. I hope a good dry cleaning can get the smell out of your comforter!
I am done talking about cat pee now. But I must say that I snorted over the Bellagio’d comment. I didn’t know what that meant, and when I clicked on the picture, I spit coffee back into my cup. I have to go wash that out now.
Francie
said,
October 24, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Two words for you: Nature’s Miracle. The even have a special “cat piss” formula now. It must be cat piss day, since amalah also reflected on cat pee today.
Lisa B
said,
October 24, 2006 at 3:44 pm
Gosh he’s getting so big!
My sis had a cat who liked to pee under their bed. And the bed was heavy — they couldn’t get to the pee to properly clean it up. And wow, it stuck up the entire apt. Cat pee is nasty.
Rachel
said,
October 24, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Oh damn. My cat, thankfully, has never peed anywhere besides his litter box. Puke, on the other hand…
Anyway, yeah, go to a pet store and buy some of that stuff for urine smells and stains. That stuff really works. My parent’s dog, when she got way old, couldn’t really hold it very well and peed a few times on their carpet and you would never know.
Good luck!
Courtney
said,
October 25, 2006 at 9:21 pm
You’ve probably taken care of the problem already - sorry I’m slow - but for future reference, you can definitely wash a down comforter in a regular washing machine. Use woolite, cold water, and the gentle cycle. It’s big, so you’ll probably have to wash it twice. I’d also throw some of that cat urine Nature’s Miracle stuff on the stain prior to washing.
AND THEN to dry it… dry it on low heat (not *no* heat - or it’ll NEVER dry) and toss some tennis balls in the dryer with it. I don’t know why, but they help. They keep the comforter fluffy.
Hope you get the smell out!!!