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Unfortunately, cat urine is one of the toughest substances on earth for odor removal. The smell gets into the fibers of the carpet, soaks down into the padding, and sometimes even into the floor itself.
The worst part is that the smell gets worse as it gets older. Bacteria feed on the waste products, and produce gases which release more odor into the air.
Cat urine has three components: urea, which is the watery substance, urochrome, which is the pigment, and uric acid crystals and salts.
The key to getting rid of the stain and smell is to treat all three parts. Unfortunately, a lot of products will treat the first two, but not the third. What happens then is that as soon as it gets humid or the carpet gets wet, the crystals dissolve and the odor comes back.
The first step to cleaning a cat urine spot is to blot up all the excess liquid. Lay paper towels on the area and let them soak up the wet. Then put new paper towels down and stand on them to blot up as much as you can out of the carpet.
That takes care of the watery substances.
After this, you have a number of options. The best is to use one of the many different enzyme based cleaners designed for cats. They are sold in major pet stores.
These work because the enzymes are specifically chosen to eat the component parts of cat urine. Two good products that worked for me are Just for Cats by Nature's Miracle and Simple Solution Cat Spray & Urine Stain & Odor Remover
Your mileage with these products will vary. There are just too many variables in the equation to determine which cat odor removal product will work for you. The type of carpet, your cat's diet and how soon after the accident you got to the stain all will affect the results. You're simply going to have to try to find the one that works for you.
Another caveat is that these products take time to work. You won't get overnight results. The enzymes have to have time to destroy all of the components of the odor and stain. Some caution that it might take as much as two weeks of reapplication.
Be patient. They will work.
The one thing you can't do is to simply spray an air or carpet freshener product such as Febreze on it. While they may make the odor go away for a while, they only work by masking the problem. The underlying cause of the odor still will be there.
Worse, your pets will still detect the odor and will continue to use the spot as a toilet. You must get rid of the odor to prevent repeat behavior.
Running a soap and water carpet cleaning machine, or a steam cleaner also isn't going to solve the problem. The components that cause the odor will simply seep out with the water further from the source.
There are also a couple of home remedies that people have tried and have had success with. (But others have not):
Apply baking soda. This should get some of the surface material, but won't work on deep stains or odors.
Mix a solution of vinegar and warm water in a 1:4 ratio and pour it on the affected area. Be sure to test it on an inconspicuous spot first, though, because it is possible that the vinegar will stain the carpet and actually do nothing to the odor.
Try a 3 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide. Again, this is likely to stain the carpet, since hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent.
Use a human diaper odor removal product, such as Totally Toddler.
If after treating the carpet or floor you still smell an odor, it's likely that the odor is coming from another source. Unfortunately, by this time it will have dried and probably not be visible.
Take heart. There is a solution: Get a black light. Then, in the dark, go over the carpet with the black light on. Any area where the cats have peed will show up with a yellow glow.
There are a couple of commercial black light products for detecting cat urine.
Once you find the new spot, treat it with an enzyme solution.
Once you're treated all the accident spots, you're going to have to address another problem: why did the cats urinate there in the first place?
If you don't find the problem, the likelihood is that they will continue to use and reuse the spot.
One issue that older cats have is kidney problems. If you have an older cat, check with a vet. The cat may also have a urinary tract infection. Again, check with a vet.
Next, be sure that the litterbox is clean. Cats are fastidious by nature, and may have simply been looking for a clean spot to go.
Has there been a change in the domestic situation? Is there a new cat (or person) in the house? If so, the cat may be reacting to the change.
New carpet is treated with ammonia-like substances that create that "new carpet" smell. If the cat is going on new carpet, he may simply be smelling the ammonia and trying to replace the odor with his own. The solution here is to keep the cat off the rug for a couple of weeks until the new carpet smell goes away.
If the cat is using a spot near a door or window, it may be that a stray cat has been hanging out near that spot. Your housepet is simply trying to tell the stranger that the house is his. Keep the blinds and window closed for a while.
If you can't figure out the problem, there are a couple of general solutions:
One that often works is to put the cat's food bowl near the spot for a week or two. Cats refuse to go where they eat.
Cats dislike citrus smells. Placing a sliced orange in a bowl near the spot often will keep them off.
Spray a commercial cat repellent near the spot.
Use a hormone diffuser like Comfort Zone with Feliway Plug-In for Cats to flood the room with pheromones. The pheromones will calm the cat and make him think good thoughts about the area.
Incidentally, Feliway also is good to use when a new cat is introducted into a household, or if something else is stressing out your pet.