Cat Peed On My Boots! (What Now?)
If your cat has peed in your boots it may be very frustrating and leave you wondering why, and what you can do about it…
Why did my cat pee on my boots?
For a cat, it’s about scents. When your cat is frightened or overly stressed, they find something that smells like you and they mark it as well. This mixes your scents together and this makes your cat feel more comfortable.
So, now you know. But, how can I prevent this from happening? Will this stain my boots? What is the best way to clean my boots after this? Keep reading for these answers, and much more…
Did my cat pee in my boots for revenge?

A cat lying next to brown boots.
While it feels like your cat just made a very personal attack on you, the truth is actually quite different. Cats don’t understand concepts like ‘revenge’, nor do they associate urinating on things as making you angry.
When your cat does something like this, the first thing to do is to take them to the vet to ensure that it is not a health issue.
If it is not a physical health problem, then your cat is stressed about something. It could be a new place, an animal, a person, or even if you are leaving the house a lot lately and they are alone. Try to determine what might be stressing them and spend a little quality time with your cat to help them to calm down.
How can I prevent my cat peeing on my boots?
Putting your boots away into a closet is the easiest way to avoid your cat getting to them, but you have some other means at your disposal. Cat-repellent spray is available commercially and many formulas use citrus scents to keep cats away.
This smells nice to you, but cats really don’t like it, so this is a good way to keep your cat out of a certain area and away from your boots in the first place.
Just keep in mind if you don’t try to determine what is stressing them out so much, they’ll likely just move on to the NEXT thing that smells like you and mark that, too!
Will cat pee stain suede boots?
It is possible, but there are ways to reduce the chances of the stain being permanent. Cat urine is highly acidic, but it turns into an alkaline salt. This means that cleaning with a small amount of vinegar may be used in an attempt to dissolve these salts.
Enzymatic cleaner can be used afterwards in order to help neutralize the smells, and you can also sprinkle on a bit of baking soda to help absorb it. It may well take 4 or 5 cleanings and a lot of air drying, but you can get it out – but you’ll have to be very, very patient.
How can I clean cat pee off my suede boots?
First you will need to use a cloth to blot up as much of the urine as possible. Next, try mixing one cup of vinegar with 2 cups of water to soak the area. Sprinkle baking soda liberally over this as well and then hand-wash with a teaspoon full of detergent mixed with water.
Sud it up nicely and then rinse with water, and give it one more cleaning with enzymatic cleaner before setting the boots out to air dry. You may need to repeat this a few times, but the vinegar should dissolve the salts from the cat’s urine and you should be able to remove the smell by repeating the process as-needed.
How can I clean cat pee off my leather boots?

A clear spray bottle next to a roll of tissue paper.
While you might think that cat pee on your leather boots has ruined them forever, this is not necessarily the case. What you want to do first is to clean off the excess urine with a cloth to soak it up and then put your boots in a box.
Sprinkle them liberally with baking soda and leave them for an hour or two to begin absorbing the smell. Next, mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 2 cups of water and clean the shows with a cloth dampened in this solution.
Let them air dry outside, in a place where other cats won’t be attracted to lingering scents (and thus spray them again!), and after this you will need to clean the boots with enzymatic cleaner to break down the remaining uric acid.
You will likely need to repeat this process a few times, but this should get the odor out of your boots with a little patience and a lot of elbow grease!
Why do my leather boots smell like cat pee?
If you’ve just purchased a used pair of boots online and they smell like cat urine, then likely the owner could not clean them thoroughly and decided to pawn them off on you! You can still save them and make them smell normal again, but you are going to need to do some thorough cleaning.
Start off by sprinkling baking soda on and in the boots where the scents are coming from and let this stif for about an hour or two at most. Next, clean with a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water, and after this you need to clean them with an enzymatic cleaner.
Repeat the process 2 to 3 times and for best results, mix an essential oil with the enzymatic cleaner if the smell is really stubborn. It takes time, but you’ll be able to remove the smell, so repeat the process until it is GONE.
We should note, there has been an issue with a cat-urine smell reported with New Balance footwear. If your footwear is new and comes from this company, please contact New Balance support!
How do I get the ammonia smell out of my boots?
If you have an ammonia, rather than a cat urine smell in your boots, try sprinkling baking soda inside and on top of them and let them sit overnight. Next, try putting some orange peels inside and leave those in overnight as well.
These should freshen up the boots nicely and accelerate the removal of that ammonia smell that can sometimes come with new leathers.
Will a cat pee smell eventually go away?
Cat urine has a high uric acid content, which makes it cling stubbornly to places where it has been applied, and if you don’t try to clean it then it will be there virtually FOREVER.
Be sure to clean any ‘marked’ space thoroughly with soap and water, white vinegar and water, baking soda and essential oils, and enzymatic cleaners. It’s an uphill battle, but it is one that you can win with patience and persistence – just don’t ignore the smell or it will stick around for years!
Can vinegar be used to clean cat pee?
Yes, vinegar is one of the most effective ways to clean out a urine stain. This is because cat urine crystallizes into alkaline salts and uric acid, which the vinegar helps to break down.
While you will want to use enzymatic cleaners to finish off the job, one cup of white vinegar and 2 cups of water are how you want to start your cleaning process.
Should you punish your cat for peeing on your boots?
No, you should not punish your cat for peeing on your boots. While it feels like a targeting strike, it isn’t – your cat is frightened or stressed and mixing their own scents with yours makes them feel more comfortable.
If you try to punish your cat, they will not understand why you are angry. Cats mark their scents throughout the house. Scent glands on their face, for instance, mark you when your cat rubs against you.
When they rub against furniture, this also transfers their scents to it and makes your cat feel safer.
While those quick urination sprays seem foul to us, for a cat it is simply the strongest means at their disposal for putting their scent somewhere – nothing more, nothing less.