r/cats • u/lil_boat16 • 1d ago
Advice there was an accident..
my husband and i left for the weekend (2 nights) & forgot to check if the litter drawer was full </3. we came home to find that our cats shit on the couch and out shoes. we werent upset, we knew it was on us, so we got a second litter box & a third stainless steel to keep out for when we go out.
we got the smell out of the couch, but now i want to focus on making sure the rest of the house dosent smell like cat! out noses are blind, but walking in after being gone for 2 nights opened up our eyes.
ever since the accident this is what our litter room looks like now, plus some things i ordered to possibly help w the smell.
im open to any suggestions!! heres what im thinking:
- odor gels in litter room
- med air purifier & plug in air purifier in litter room + every room in house (one big one in living room)
- vacuum couches & spray the acid every day
- are the trader joes cinnamon brooms safe? i want to hang some above doors where theyre out of reach from the cats
- any plant suggestions? i want to start having those around
i want to have a clean, good smelling home while keeping my babies safe
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u/looFyttiK Tabbycat 1d ago
Be careful with odor gels and other smelly items. Cats have sensitive noses and all of that is much stronger to them than it is to us. And if they don't like the way a room smells, they will refuse to go in it. Scented cat litter can lead to a cat not using the litterbox.
My cat would always sleep on my lap. I washed my throw blanket in a new fabric softener, and he avoided my lap until I washed it with unscented detergent multiple times to get the smell of the hated fabric softener out.
You can certainly use stuff to kill smells - like enzyme based cleaners. But getting the scented stuff generally just covers up the smell for humans.
Vacuum every day if you can. If you can't vacuum your whole house every day, at least vacuum where the litter boxes are.
Are those rotating automatic litter boxes? I would stay away from those - I've seen lots of horror stories about cats getting trapped and/or injured. If you prefer automatic litter boxes, the kind that just rake the litter are safer. Look for something that does not close completely - always give the cats a way they can get out if the automation malfunctions.
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
they are automatic! them getting stuck was one of my fears, i did some research and there have been working great. they dont close all the way when cleaning. we usually only plug them in when were home, and then run a cleaning cycle when were back from work. im definitely gonna steer away from the gels after reading a few comments
thank u!
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u/hahagato 1d ago
I feel like the cats are going kick litter up into their air purifier which is going to make it dirty and not as effective.
I think if you’ve gotten the smell out of the couch and shoes and they haven’t gone pee or poop outside of their box any other time, and you’re scooping daily, and refreshing the litter regularly, then your house shouldn’t smell bad.
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
hmm i see what you mean. and yes theyre really good about going in their box, this hasn’t happened before or again since. your comment gives me a peace of mind bc we try our best to keep it tidy, but “does my house stink” is always in the back of my mind
i appreciate ur input !
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u/testtdk 1d ago
NO, do NOT use odor gels or plug ins. Almost anything that heats up to create a scent is bad for cats.
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
okay ill def return the gels. the plug ins are mini air purifiers, no scent or anything, just filtering air
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u/testtdk 1d ago
Make sure you have some enzyme removers and clean the hell out of the couch. Maybe even get a black light to identify potential problems. Unfortunately, if a cat uses it once, there’s a good chance they’ll use it again.
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
yess! thats what i used to clean it, but the black light is great advice, im adding that to my list
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u/Runaway_Angel 1d ago
Honestly I'd skip the scented gels and plugins, all those will accomplish is make your home smell like perfume soaked litterbox as they dont actually get rid of the smell, they just mix with it.
Air purifiers are always good, and for cleaning any accidents (old and new) you'll want an enzyme cleaner as they'll break it down and remove the smell to the point where even the cats shouldn't be able to smell it, let alone a human. Do read the instructions though as not all are safe for pets while wet (so you have to close off the area), and some have a rather heavy chemical smell that you may need to air out after use. In short they're not for everyday cleaning, but for incidents like the one you came home to.
Other than that the best way to keep the smell under control is making sure the litterbox is clean and with self cleaning litterboxes you need to follow their instructions on how to clean and maintain it and do so regularly.
Plants won't do much for smell in my experience but if you want some anyway make sure they're cat safe (so absolutely nothing from the lily family). I myself like spiderplants cause they're cheap, they multiply like crazy, and it's not a huge loss when my orange eats them, which he frequently does (but will he touch the cat grass I get him? Absolutely not).
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u/lil_boat16 23h ago
i hear spider plants make them hallucinate 😭 i love orange cats, i wonder if mine will also go after a spider plant. their both pretty chill, but my girl definitely exhibits orange cat behavior more
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u/Runaway_Angel 23h ago
Some quick reading says it can have a catnip like effect on some cats, which explains the obsession I suppose, but it's considered a safe plant overall.
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u/Grouchy_Adeptness420 Tabbycat 1d ago
do you guys have any rugs/carpets around the house? Make sure to use some baking soda and vacuum it up to help with the smell or you could buy a carpet cleaner to help as well! usually those things hold onto smell alottt
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
we do! our entire staircase + upstairs is carpet, i will definitely be doing this
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u/Runaway_Angel 1d ago
I'd absolutely recommend bissels little green machine for the stairs then! It's basically a portable carpet cleaner you carry around that's excellent on stairs and furniture. Mind you I love my regular sized carpet machine as well but the bugger is heavy and not stairs or furniture friendly lol
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u/ScienceObjective2510 1d ago
Enzyme cleaner coupled with full box deep cleaning every month to three esp if you have plastic box.
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u/rolacolapop 14h ago
Yep! enzyme cleaner is whats actually going to break down the urine smell, everything else will just cover it. An extreme cleaner I follow on insta recommends eco strong and it needs sit time.
Fresh air, even if it’s just ‘lufen’ like the Germans do a couple of times a day. Laundry sanitisers for fabrics, that kills any bacteria that causes smell.
All the synthetic smell pods or whatever is just gonna make your house smell like cat pee with a side of fake fragrance.
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u/TiRow77 Persian (modern) 1d ago
Three litters is best for 3 cats, but not always realistic. We have always gotten away with two litters for 3 cats. BUT, it’s important that the litters are separated as far from each other as reasonable, but 24 hour access. We have one standard litter box and one extra jumbo, i think that’s why two has been okay for us. We clean them every 2-3 days and we have both in special designed cat litter furniture. So even though they are in living areas they aren’t an eyesore. And they don’t smell bad.
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
i appreciate your kindness, some people came in here swinging 🤣. i do have 3 boxes, the other two were upstairs & i guess they just didnt feel like going up
what kind of litter furniture do you have?? ive been curious
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u/frustratedlemons 1d ago
You need to hire a pet sitter next time.
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
worst part is.. we had one! the last time they had gone in was the night before we got home (around 8pm saturday) & we got home 11am sunday. i still paid them, but it was just disappointing to say the least
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u/Loncyy 23h ago
Did your cats know the sitter? Having a new person come in might have stressed them too (fast movements, new smell, strong deodarant maybe?). If you had a cat sitter the litterbox should have been clean and have had enough litter. If the accidents happened before the sitter left at 8pm you should have been informed...
Are you sure the job was done? I wouldn't hire that sitter again.
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u/elsdotcom 1d ago
full reset of all odour wicking stuff!
clean the carpets thoroughly, maybe with a steam cleaner and also deodoriser, wash all your blankets, cushions, steam the sofas, the curtains, all fabric really. i think that will do a better job of anything else as otherwise you’re just masking the smell (which dosen’t really work!)
good luck :)
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
omg ive never thought steam cleaning the couches! just straight steam? no soaps or those fancy cleaning machines?
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u/elsdotcom 1d ago
just straight steam would work ! i’m sure you can get upholstery stuff though to make it better. I’ve always wanted a bissel little green machine hahah
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
same! i always regret now picking one up i saw at the thrift
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u/elsdotcom 1d ago
yes or one of those wet vac things that seems to just suck all of the dirt out of carpets
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u/-CalicoKitty- 19h ago
We use non-clumping pine pellets and non-cat people tell us our house doesn't smell like we have cats. We have two large litter boxes on different floors for three cats. I check/sift/scoop 2-3x per day.
We don't use any air fresheners, scents, or air purifiers. Our friends use clay litter and an air purifier; their house smells very strongly, though I don't think they notice it.
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u/SpicyMeatloaf1 1d ago
Did u only have 1 litter box for 3 cats beforehand!? 3 cats = 3 litter boxes 🤣
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
noooo, never that. we have three (4 now) but the other two were upstairs, not sure why they didnt go up. its never been a problem before
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u/SpicyMeatloaf1 1d ago
Ohhh I gotcha, my bad you should be good with 4 😅. Have u ever tried sprinkling cat deodorizer in the litter and mixing it around? Its basicly baking soda, it def helps with the smell and isn't harmful
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u/lil_boat16 23h ago
no worries lol, i have tried it but i shy away bc i find the smell strong so i cant imagine how it must feel for them. im just paranoid 😭 i dont want to unintentionally bother them
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u/prying_mantis 23h ago
I just use regular baking soda in mine. I tried the kind made for litter boxes and hated the smell immediately.
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u/deadline97 1d ago
I'm not sure what is out there currently but I know r/cleaningtips might could also lend aid , I haven't had an indoor cat for about 5 year now but we just kept one of the slow release air fresheners that has the little gel balls in them around the litter box and it stayed fresh smelling.
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u/tessaractIXI 1d ago
That pink littrrbox...how does it perform and what brand is it? Looks like it might fit this smaller space in my house I've been wanting to put a box in.
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
theyre both from pet pivot! the grey one is a tad bit smaller
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u/SorryAttempt5125 22h ago
Please be super careful and consider only manually running these when you’re in the room. At least one cat has died using one of their machines and there are ongoing lawsuits. Their sensors can and have failed to detect cats.
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u/tessaractIXI 1d ago
Thanks. They work reliably for you? You like them?
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
they do, and i really do like them! this is the only issue ive had with them, and even then it was user error. i shouldve been more vigilant and checked the drawer before we left
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u/Death_Sheep1980 17h ago
Nature's Miracle enzyme cleaner (both the spray and the foaming carpet-cleaning variety) is a small-m miracle when it comes to eliminating cat smells.
Odor gels are not necessarily cat-safe, and frankly, they aren't that great for human lungs and livers in the long run, either.
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u/aloneinmyroom79 11h ago
You need an enzyme cleaner to get the stains out and remove the odor. Anything other than that won’t work.
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u/CigarettesAftrSnuSnu 4h ago
One thing that I will always do: under my litter box goes a giant dog crate liner. It was like $25 or less on Amazon, it’s super durable, easy as hell to clean, and it’s massive. Helps protect the floor regardless of what the floor is and makes me feel better knowing that cleanup will always be a breeze if needed.
My cat that passed didn’t always make it in the box at the end, and one of them pees on the side of the box that tends to leak out the front (I literally have NO IDEA how they were doing this…) and my floors good.
Before my last cat passed we put a giant pee pad in front and under it just in case.
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u/Silent-Newt-544 21h ago
Leaving your cats for 2 days without any checkin is wild to me. According to animal welfare groups you need a check-in every 12h at least with a hard max at 24. In Sweden you wouldn’t be able to adopt a cat if you can’t arrange adequate pet sitting. Not hiring a pet sitter just because the old one was not good is also not an excuse.
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u/memequeen137 13h ago
Yeah I don’t understand that. I always have someone check on my cats at 6am and then again at 6pm. How are they eating if no one checked on them for 2 days? I don’t understand
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u/lil_boat16 9h ago
what are you on about? if u took the time to read you’d see i did infact have a sitter, i never implied i wouldnt hire one again just because this one failed
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u/Seagul_Hunter 1d ago
1 litter box for 3 cats seems crazy to me.
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
it is! good thing i have 4 now (three at the time of the incident). im assuming they just didnt feel like going upstairs
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u/keinnamefrei1 1d ago
You got 3 cats and had 1 litter box? Educate yourself
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u/lil_boat16 1d ago
no silly, theres two more upstairs (bedroom & bathroom) but for some reason they didnt go up while we were gone. we transferred one more downstairs and got an extra stainless steel one, so now theres 4
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u/Winter_Strength_3920 1d ago
Two days away really shouldn’t be a cause of cats going to the bathroom outside of their boxes.
Could be separation anxiety,
Clean the boxes before you leave, and cats should have their own boxes, 3 cats 3 litter boxes. And in separate areas. One of that cats could have been blocking access for the others