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Old 06-04-2009, 10:39 AM   #9
Nadia
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Wink My tale of cat urine woes....

I have to agree with SAMeredith, from hands on experience in this area. I have pulled many carpets because of the inability to get rid of the smell. Homeowners spend millions of dollars each year on products to remove/repel pet stain odors from their carpets. However, the truth of the matter is cat urine is unique in it's chemical structure and almost immediately after the cat/s urinate on the carpet the urine penetrates the carpet, the pads below, and eventually the actual floor boards. I've seen cat urine stains show up on the ceiling in the apartment below where the cat urinated above weeks or months later. There is also a difference between cat urine and "spray" which they use to mark their territory. A mixture of urine and another substance secreted from the gland which is removed when the cat is "spayed". This is also famous for ruining carpets and materials underneath it. People with many cats who allow them to urinate on the floor can end up having to tear parts of their house down to the studs to fix the problem, I've done it myself. I've also refused to labor guarantee work I've done when homeowners do not completely correct the problem of cat spray/urine odors. Like putting sheet rock over paneling that has been sprayed/urinated on for years and never cleaned. The paneling should be pulled off completely and any other "walls" behind it that the urine has penetrated. I guarantee all my work but I refused to do so in this instance and a few others. It is that bad of a problem. Eventually the smell and the stain will permeate the new sheet rock and yes...layers of primer and paints. If you only have one stain I think treating it with the products others have mentioned, especially the vinegar solution should remedy it enough to make it liveable. But like SAMeredith said, it will not completely fix the problem. Plus it sounds like you have more then one stain. When you find that the stain re-appears or that the smell does, you may have to take more serious measures like I mentioned above, or you can drive yourself insane by constantly treating it with chemicals etc. The moral of the story is take it from a contractor, don't let cats pee pee on your rug! I know it's not your fault, and your smart to take action. Although any animal urine can damage carpets/furniture, cats and ferrets can cause MAJOR damage! Good luck!

Last edited by Nadia; 06-04-2009 at 11:45 PM.
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