Our carpet is ruined by a cat urinating on it daily.

Karen
by Karen
We want hardwood floors but are worried that 1st, we may need to replace the subfloor and 2nd, the cat may pee on hardwood too. Should we just buy cheap carpet until the cat goes to college with our son, or is it safe to put in hardwood now?

  8 answers
  • Why is the cat not using its box? They will go elsewhere if the box is not clean. Or the cat could be ill, I would schedule a visit at the vet before deciding anything.

  • Oliva Oliva on Jul 03, 2018

    As long as you have animals, you risk damage to flooring. I've seen people go to great expense to replace flooring, only to have the new installation ruined. Didn't matter if it was laminate, hardwood, or carpeting. Cats can exhibit this behavior because they dislike change, or have medical issues. Your only alternatives are chdcking with a vet, prohibiting cat access to this area, or getting rid of cat. Not sure itvwill help, but try Odo Ban concentrate to remove cat urine smell. Generally, once an animal has urinated or defecated in the house, it becomes a repeated act.

  • Sharon Sharon on Jul 03, 2018

    Why is the cat peeing on the floor would be my first question? Has the cat been to the vet? cause cats can develop kidney disease from uric crystals. They can flush them out, and then switching your cat to food thats for cats Urinary Tract support.

    Then you can deodorize the area with a pet enyzme cleaner and a black light to find all the spots.... I use Jackson Galaxy's Pet Odor and Stain remover.... its a powder you mix with warm water therefore its fresh and much more effective than the stuff you buy in the store thats already mixed... https://www.amazon.com/Jackson-Galaxy-Stain-Eliminator-Fizzion/dp/B019YMYNR0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1530667381&sr=8-4&keywords=jackson+galaxy+pet+odor+remover use the black light flashlight to find all the areas.... https://www.amazon.com/Jackson-Galaxy-Stain-Eliminator-Fizzion/dp/B019YMYNR0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1530667381&sr=8-4&keywords=jackson+galaxy+pet+odor+remover

    Personally unless your going to check daily for accidents, I wouldn't put in new flooring until you get the cat fixed.

    If your cat is spraying, sometimes its because they see other cats marking out side in their territory from a window.... get a motion detector hose attachment to make it a bad experience for feral cats to mark in your yard. If its a male cat get him fixed if he isn't. Use the black light to find all the areas like your drapes, floor and walls.... cat urine floreses under black light.

    • Karen Karen on Jul 04, 2018

      We have taken her to the vet but the option of flushing never came up so I will check again. Thank you.

  • Barbara Dooley Barbara Dooley on Jul 03, 2018

    I have seen a product called No Go, probably at Pet Supermarket or PetSmart. You could try liberally spraying the cat's chosen spot with this and repeating frequently enough to keep spot dampish and No Go odor strong.

    Put cat in clean litter box every half hour or so until it urinates then reward with a treat.

  • Valerie Bradshaw Valerie Bradshaw on Jul 03, 2018

    You would first need to figure out why the cat is peeing on the carpet and not in a litter box. Is the box dirty, or is the cat ill. A vet check should rule that out. It also could be a reaction to something stressing the cat. My cat Mila started peeing on the stair carpets leading to the front door. It took a few months but we finally figured it out that it was her nervous/territorial reaction to a neighborhood cat that would coming around the open front door (we had a screen door in place). We stopped leaving the front open to discourage the visits. Mila was still really nervous and peeing so we ended up having to put her on Valium for a few months to calm her down and that did the trick. We used a enzymatic cleaner on the spots and were able to get the stain and odor out. After her round of Valium she never peed on the spots again. Feliway which is a calming spray may help too. We have both hardwood floors and tile near the front door and she never bothered them, just the carpet.

    Along with figuring out why the cat is peeing on the carpet,I would suggest doing a somewhat temporary fix and remove the carpet and padding in the worst area. Replace the subfloor if necessary or paint over it w/ a stain and order blocker if salvageable. I would then just layout down a waterproof barrier and inexpensive engineered wood flooring or wood look vinyl planking to see if the cat leaves that area alone. If all goes well, then invest in the full wood flooring project.

    • Karen Karen on Jul 04, 2018

      Great ideas that I hadn’t heard. Thank you so much.

  • Dfm Dfm on Jul 03, 2018

    has kitty been spayed or neutered? its the "Intact" cats that do the pee thing most usually, as marking their territory. some cats prefer different litters...i had a cat that would not go into a litter box with clay litter, shredded news print ..no problem.

  • Karen Karen on Jul 04, 2018

    Interesting about the cat litter. Thanks!

  • EmmaRussell EmmaRussell on Aug 13, 2021

    This is why you shouldn't have any carpets in your house, lol! Just get rid of the carpet cause the smell won't go off even after professional cleanings. Also, don't buy a cheaper one cause your cat is gonna pee on it over and over again. So, maybe consider training your cat to pee in an appropriate place or choose some other kind of flooring. Check this website https://www.carpetcaptain.com/flooring-options/best-floor-for-cats/. They thoroughly explain which flooring is the best for different breeds of cats. Hopefully, you'll find something useful!