Cat urine. One of the less appealing odors one can ever have in the house... And trying to get cat urine out of carpet is for some people in the same category as having a root canal.Yes, it is distressing and it is easy to get angry with the cat. Who wants a smelly house?

Removing cat urine is one of the more challenging cleaning tasks. Not only is it very pungent, the urine actually bonds with fibers in your rug. The biggest mistake when cleaning the cat urine is to not use proper cleaners.

Not only do amino acids bind with the carpet, so do salts. Salts cause a bond with an ionic charge that is increasingly difficult to dissolve the longer the urine has been on the carpet. Steam cleaning, or home made cleaners will not dissolve these strong bonds, actually steam cleaning the carpet may make the problem worse.

Some cleaners available at the store are nothing but "odor maskers". Other products attempt to absorb the foul smell.

There may be an immediate relief from odor using these products, (or a home made one) but as you may have noticed, the smell comes back especially on damp, humid days. In order to eliminate the urine totally and completely, you need to use a cleaner which will actually consume the urine. This is done with a cleaner containing not only enzymes but bacteria as well.

So, you got cat pee on your rug? What is the first thing you should do?

1. Mop up as much of the urine as you possibly can. Use absorbent paper towels or old towels. Lay them on the spot and blot until there is no trace of wetness. Recognize that you may only see a small part of the spot as the urine soaks into the padding under the carpet. Be careful adding water to the spot. You don't want the spot to spread out into the padding underneath.

2. Use an enzymatic cleaner that you can inject into the padding underneath the carpet. Inject the cleaner in order to cover a spot 1/2 a foot in diameter, then spray the surface of the spot with the cleaner.

3. When using a proper cleaner, that is all you need to do. No rinsing needed. Keep your cat away from the area until it is completely dry which can take a few days.

Remember, even though it may be easy when you are "in the moment", do not scold your cat. Cats are fastidious about cleanliness and do not want to eliminate where they eat, sleep or play.

Inappropriate urination is a symptom that something is not OK. You may need to investigate what caused your cat to not use the box along with some enticement to use the box again. Not correcting the reason your cat is not going in the box may keep you cleaning your carpets and furniture over and over again.

Cleaning the area properly, eliminating all traces of urine along with understanding the cause, and maybe using an attractant like the very popular Dr Elsey's Cat Attract, will soon see a kitty using her box and a sweet smelling home.