Why Do I Smell Cat Litter When I Don’t Have A Cat?
If you keep smelling a cat litter smell without having a cat you may be wondering why this is happening and what you can do about it…
Why do I smell cat litter when I don’t have a cat?
The cat litter smell, if you don’t have a cat, could be coming from a dead animal, such as a rat, that is decaying and being consumed by maggots. The magot excretion can cause a foul smell that, in some cases, resembles the smell of cat litter. Alternatively, there could have been a cat living there previously.
So, now that you know. But, is it bad to inhale this foul smell? If it is a dead animal causing the smell, how do you get rid of it? If you have a cat, how do you get rid of the litter smell, especially if you live in a small apartment? Keep reading for these answers, and much more…
Is it bad to smell cat litter?
It is bad to smell cat litter. Not only does it smell foul. But, it can also cause irritations around your nose, skin, etc. The foul smell is nature’s way of telling you to get rid of it as soon as possible. The biggest concern is the ammonia levels in the litter tray.
In reality, you should be getting rid of the cat litter smell way before it causes you irritation. But, it is good to understand the risks to make you take action sooner.
Can breathing in cat litter harm you?
Breathing in cat litter can harm you. Initially, it will be the foul smell of the soiled litter itself. But, in time, the ammonia in the soiled litter can cause breathing issues and infections.
Apart from these harmful qualities, it is not pleasant. Most people will naturally repel this smell and deal with it, but, if for some reason, you do not you should be aware of the risks.
How do you get rid of a dead animal smell in your home?
Using baking soda on a dead animal smell can help to get rid of the litter smell in your home. This is a great product to use for these foul smells and quite cost-effective.
How to get rid of stinky cat litter smells in a small apartment?
If you have a cat, or a cat lived in your home before you moved in, you may also be wondering what you can do to get rid of the smell, especially if you live in a small apartment. In this section, I will give you some tips…
Stinky cat litter smells? We all hate that smell of the litter box and can’t always get around to cleaning it (Click here to see a quick way to get rid of cat odor). I have tried everything I can think of. So I decided to do some research about it.
Finding ways to get rid of this smell is hard. Not everyone can get rid of it or hide it as easily as others. I have tried the litters that have a scent to mask the odor but it eventually breaks down and gets taken over by the odor of the cat. I couldn’t believe it. The litter (do cats like top entry litter boxes? click here) was designed to keep the smells away.
Does The Size Of The Litter Tray Matter?
I have found that no matter how big or small the litter tray is the litter still smells pretty bad (Click here to see why some cats smell). I don’t see how the size of the tray matters at all. Although when the litter tray is scooped out more often like once or twice a day the smell goes down.
The more often I scoop the less the smell was. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to get rid of the smell that way. I also changed the litter box out once a week.
I found that I go through a lot more litter that way but it really did help me. You could also choose a different type of litter too.
The litter in the tray and tray size do matter. The bigger the tray the more room the cat has to do their business. Although that didn’t help me at first it took me years to find that out.
Should You Use A Scented Or Unscented Litter?
I have found that using a scented litter does help a little bit. Although it’s mostly about the brand of litter you use. There are many different types of litter you can use.
I eventually went to arm and hammer, but you can use whatever you’d like to use. I have found that no matter what you use for a litter that it still comes out stinking to holy hell. You need to be able to hide the smell and keep it down due to if you have guests over you don’t want to be stunk out of your by the cat. You need to be able to entertain people and you can’t do that if you have a stinky house.
You can’t entertain while your cat is running around and making your house or apartment smell like a litter box. You need to be able to show the cat who’s the boss. Part of showing that cat who is boss is by cleaning the litter box and not letting it run around like a little hooligan.
Do Your Cat’s Eating Habits Matter?
Yes, they do. If your cat is eating the wrong food or has something in its diet it’s not supposed to have it will affect the smell of your home.
I choose to go with a middle-of-the-road brand of cat food. I also had to cut down the amount of wet cat food my cat could eat due to the smell of the poop.
You can really smell throughout your whole house or apartment if you have given the cat or cats too much wet cat food. Also, the brand of dry cat food you give them has an impact on the smell and strength of the urine that the cat excretes. You need to know the strength of urine smell before you change your cat’s diet. No matter what you do introduce the new cat food slowly to your pet.
I did it too fast once and the cat puked in my lap. Cats are very much like other animals they will eat what they want when they want. If the new food is introduced too fast it will harm your little family member.
Are There Any Tools That You Can Use To Help?
There is and some of it you have right in your home. Like vinegar will take the smell away but it will also smell like vinegar in your house. You need to use a 2:1 ratio when using the vinegar.
For me to make and use the vinegar, I had to use the ratio of 2 parts water to every part vinegar that you use. It seems to help keep the smell down to a minimum. You’ll still need to clean the litter box (Click here to see the best top entry litter boxes to reduce the smell) every day, but you don’t need to worry about it throughout the day. Things will seem hard at first with using this ratio because you will need to use it every day.
I had to use it twice a day with my cat until I found the right food for him. No matter what I did to make sure the smell went away the vinegar and water trick was the one I went back to time after time. It really did work for me. I’m not giving out anything that I haven’t used myself here guys and gals.
Another consideration is a self-cleaning litter box, to automate the process (Click here to see why I like these three the best).
How Long Will It Take To Get Rid Of The Smell?
It will take some time but how much is undetermined, due to the strength and how long the smell has been around. It will not be easy to get the smell out of the house. You may need to air it out for a few days after you have cleaned the areas where the litter box just to make sure it is all out.
If the smell is in your carpet use an enzyme cleaner and a shop vac. Things just need to be cleaned and aired out for a few days. You don’t need to worry about the smell after that. You just need to control it from there on out.
Things will get better from here on out. It took me three days to get rid of the cat smell after my cat died. I also had to get the dead cat smell out of my house but that took three days as well. I cleaned my house for three days during the summer and got rid of the smell. I t wasn’t an easy task either but I use vinegar, water, and an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the smell.
Final words on Getting rid of Sticky Cat Litter Smells
In conclusion, these are the steps and sites I used to help get rid of and keep the cat odors in control. I hope you liked this entry. How did you like this one?
How did this go for you? Did you get rid of the cat smell in your house? I hope this was as informational as it was to me when I was looking up ways to get rid of the cat smell. It may have taken me years to find it but I found it and I hope this was very helpful for you.
Before you go let’s look at some more tips to keep your house clean…
5 ways to stop your cat from peeing on the carpet
Oh great, it’s happened again. For the third time this week, your feline friend has resorted unnecessarily to peeing on the carpet that you so dutifully attempt to keep clean. You thought it was a one-time thing, yet here we are.
Your cat is enjoying their fifth nap of the day while you work diligently to clean up its mess once again. Despite your adoration for your pet, you simply don’t have the time or energy to do this all of the time and would love for your furry friend to use the restroom where they should. Here are five ways to stop the cat from wetting your precious floor:
Get Professional Help
When in doubt, find someone who knows more about the situation you’re dealing with than you. If you realize that your cat’s accidental urinating all over your carpet is, in fact, not a one-time accident – don’t hesitate to call up your trusted local veterinarian and make sure that you’re not dealing with a medical problem in your animal, and not simply a matter of behavior. Perhaps your cat is dealing with a UTI or disease of their kidneys, or something of the sort. Get to the root of the problem as fast as possible, to get rid of the problem and help relieve your cat’s pain as soon as that can be attained.
The good thing about visiting a vet is that they will not only focus on diagnosing the apparent problems with your cat but will also try to find any latent problems that may not already be visible to the pet owner. Some of these professionals are also experienced in administering therapies and will help calm the nerves of your cat.
The Power Of An Enzymatic Cleaner
Once you’ve realized what your cat has been up to, you must clean it up effectively as soon as you are able. Make sure that you use a powerful enzymatic cleaner to ensure that you don’t encourage further “accidents” by using products including chemicals like ammonia that will only further instigate the urinating of your cat on your precious carpet.
Don’t give your cat yet another reason to spoil your clean floors and clean up the mess that they made with the right products. Enzymatic cleaners are powerful and effective in regards to preventing further problems in regards to your cat’s use of the restroom.
And though you probably already know this, be careful when choosing such cleaners. The last thing you want is an allergic reaction to your cat.
Give The Cat A Hint
Place the litter tray near the area that your cat has been urinating on (Click here to see why I rated this self-cleaning litter box the best). If this is a purely behavioral issue, which you can confirm with your veterinarian, it could simply be fixed by teaching your cat that what they’ve been doing isn’t what you’d like it to do.
If it’s multiple incidents that have occurred, and if they’re mostly in the same location, consider placing your cat’s litter box near the site so that the cat will be able to reach it easily and learn subconsciously that, when they have to go, they should go there. It’s a simple behavioral tool that can be used for not only humans but our cat friends as well.
The convenience of a habit instills the habit much more easily in an individual – no matter what species they are from. When you repeat it more often and in a friendly way, there is no reason why your cat would not want to give it a try.
Change The Environment
Moving or flipping over the rug or carpet that the cat has been using as their bathroom is a simple trick that can have big impacts. Another factor that changes habits in both humans, cats, and other species of live beings is the changing of environment, however, that might be done.
Change the environment for your cat and they might be reminded that your floor isn’t the best place to use the restroom. Veterinarians and cat owners alike know that cats, just like people, become attached to certain places. Cats, in particular, become attached to where they pee. Change that place, and they’ll change where they pee.
While confusing, it’s rather simple and definitely worth a try in hopes of saving both your sanity and the cleanliness of your floors. However, it is also worth mentioning that a change of environment is likely to make the cat disillusioned if not approached with caution and due diligence.
Add More Litter Boxes
If all else fails, offer more opportunity (Click here to see why I rated this litter box best). Once again, humans and animals are not all that different when it comes to habits. Convenience is a big factor in what cats do. If you want your animal to do something, make it easy for them to do that thing
Say, as the title of this article hints, you want them to change the locations of where they use the restroom – make it easy for them to do it. Look into purchasing a couple of more litter boxes.
For every area of your house, make sure that there’s a place for your cat to do their business, without having to travel to great lengths to do it. It’s a small cost for a large benefit if the problem of your cat’s lax obedience to common social norms regarding bathroom use is becoming too much for you to bear. Don’t make the mistake of looking past the simple solutions to your cat’s urinating needs.
Conclusion
Did you enjoy this post? Hopefully, it has been helpful to you and all of your feline friend needs. Dealing with the bodily functions of our animals isn’t an enjoyable or fun task, but it is every bit necessary, especially if you want to avoid bigger problems like attracting mice, that may bring in cat fleas. Thing is, it isn’t at all difficult when you know these tricks and tips.
Leave what you thought in the comments, and, if you and your cat appreciated this article, don’t hesitate it to share with the rest of the pet-owning community. You never know, you just might help other people out there who’re struggling with stopping their cats from peeing on the carpet.
