Odor and Carpets

Hello everyone! My partner and I claimed our first "rescue" just over 1 year ago and he has been wonderful.  Short haired tabby.  Neutered.  Very friendly, affectionate, playful, and people-oriented.

My question is about odor control - and specifically with carpeted areas.

A few weeks ago a large box fell in the closet where his litter box is kept and I think it scared him.  We discovered he had actually peed on the carpet when we moved the box off the floor.  This was very out of character for him - he has never peed outside his box before and he hasn't since - so we suspect the box actually may have fallen onto him or very nearly and he just went - like a little kid.

Now since that event I have tried various methods to get rid of the smell with limited success.  Before I invest in a steam cleaner or go through the hassle of renting one, I'd like to hear if anyone has good advice for how to keep carpets generally free of odor - pee or not.

The first thing I tried was general spray-and-scrub carpet cleaner which seemed to do nothing except spread the odor further out from its initial spot.

I then bought some baking soda-based "pet odor eliminator" for carpets.  I have used it twice being sure to let it sit for awhile and even brushing it into the carpet before sucking it up in the vacuum.  All this has done is to create a sort of gross masking smell - I now smell floral arrangements and the underlying cat odor together and the initial smell is still there in the carpet.  (I've also sprayed Febreeze but that's mostly useless, it would seem.  It does not get rid of the smell and a few hours later the smell is back - plus I don't want to spray all over the places he likes to lay, of course, as I imagine that wouldn't be good for his skin.)

Worse than the spot where he peed however is the general smell of cat odor which seems to have gradually flowed into the office  (also carpet)  area from the closet.  (it's a large 2 bed 2 bath and we keep the litter in the walk in storage closet which connects to guest bathroom and the office.)  

I open the windows every morning, clean the litter box twice a day, vacuum regularly, and light candles on weekends, but it still smells like "that cat smell" to me.  

I have literally gotten on my hands and knees and sniffed all over the carpet to find if he had perhaps peed somewhere in the office, too -- he has not -- so I think it is just the general cat smell permeating the carpet.  

When I wake in the morning I can smell cat odor and its starting to make me a little bit paranoid.  The last thing I want is for someone to come into the apartment and feel like they are going into "that cat person's house."  You know what I mean.  

I am not against investing in a steam vac but I have also heard that those only provide limited results so ...

Advice?  Any / all welcome!  Thank you!

I'm facing the same problem.
Nature's Miracle--my go-to product for vomit--isn't working on the carpet that was in the bathroom. The urine permeated down to the backing. And after I put NM on it, I then put the carpet outside to dry and air. It was hot, and I think the heat may have 'set' the smell. In your case, the urine may have permeated down to the backing (? term) of the carpet. The smell is hard to get rid of. If you haven't tried an enzyme cleaner such as Nature's Miracle, do that first, and second, and third: sometimes it takes three repeat cleanings.

As for me, I emailed my niece who knows a lot about a lot of stuff, including cats (having three of her own, including an 'inherited' cat with UTIs) and this is the receipe she provided me:

"16 oz bottle of hydrogen peroxide
1 teaspoon of dish detergent
1 tablespoon of baking soda
Swirl or stir gently to mix (don't shake!)
Saturate the area and let soak/dry for 24 hours. If any white residue remains, you can brush or vacume up.
This is supposed to be great! It makes a lot and is pretty cheap. Don't keep any left over or try to cover any left overs. Just discard since the peroxide will loose it's strength after a while. I would do a small patch test to make sure it won't bleach the carpet 1st. "

I am testing a small area today before I do a larger area. I'll let you know how I make out. I am also interested in if this concoction would remove vomit stains. The carpet in the bathroom is identical to the carpet in the rest of the house. (Ritz throws up due to acid ingestion--which is due to on work days going without food for around 11 or 12 hours).

Thanks!  I would love to know how it works for you.  It sounds like it could do the trick.

Update. *I* couldn't smell anything. I put out a newly treated rug and Ritz peed on it. I put out a brand new rug, and Ritz peed on it. As well as in her litter box. No more bath rugs for her or me.
And I'm again cleaning the litter box. Ritz' urine smells bad; my vet said that happens when a cat doesn't pee often. I will continue to monitor her urine habits and take her to the vets if necessary.
But for the peeing on the bathroom rug (which is in front of the human toilet), her behavior, eating/pooping, etc. is normal.

Ritz said:

Update. *I* couldn't smell anything. I put out a newly treated rug and Ritz peed on it. I put out a brand new rug, and Ritz peed on it. As well as in her litter box. No more bath rugs for her or me.
And I'm again cleaning the litter box. Ritz' urine smells bad; my vet said that happens when a cat doesn't pee often. I will continue to monitor her urine habits and take her to the vets if necessary.
But for the peeing on the bathroom rug (which is in front of the human toilet), her behavior, eating/pooping, etc. is normal.

Click to expand...

the bathroom rug -- is it one with that rubber type non-skid backing? i ask because that non-skid backing on many bathroom rugs seems to have something in it that can attract some cats to urinate on them. never happened with my cats, but then i have cloth with no rubber type backing on them bath mats (i prefer them because they're easily machine washable). oh, and after i use my bath mat (after i've showered) i always pick up the bath mat and lay it over the side of the tub (to dry).

Actually they are rubber backed. But this is new behavior. The first rug she peed on had been in the bathroom for over two years, with no problems. The litter box and shower stall (and me) were the reason.
The litter box is (always has been) in the shower stall. I take baths in another bathroom, which she doesn't go into. Although she will wait outside and sometimes paw at the door if a human is using the human litter box.
Puzzling behavior.

Whichever enzyme cleaner you use, you need to thoroughly saturate the area so the solution soaks all the way through to the flooring. Then let it sit for some time (an hour or two maybe?) before blotting up the excess and let the rest air dry. If you only get what's visible on the surface the odor of cat pee that's left underneath will eventually seep out.

I poured the hydrogen peroxide mixture over the carpet, after pouring Nature's Miracle a week or two prior. And letting it dry outside or garage.
The first time this happened I let it dry outside in the hot weather/sun, and I think the heat 'set' the smell, in a bad way.
But she did the same thing to the NEW (to me) bath rug.