Oh I’m so cross! How do I rescue my sofa?

[ItsABatFaceThing]

It’s less than a year old and was relatively expensive at 3 grand. It’s very pale cream with a suede like feel and no pile. Cushions and seats etc are not removable - nothing is removable from it.

it’s been pissed on / sprayed on by a stray cat. That’s a whole other story of how the stray cat came to be but for now - that’s what’s happened

i cant pin point exactly where on my sofa he’s done it - nothing was soaking wet. But nearly half of the sofa smells strongly of urine

what do I use to clean it with? Any suggestions please? Don’t want to do anything involving bicarbonate of soda as that made things a whole lot worse when I tried that on carpet some years ago

I’ve tried my spot wash with dedicated cleaner. Thought it was sorted but no - smell returns just as bad once the fabric starts to dry again

do I need a new bloody sofa? Honestly so annoyed and I can’t sit down there as it smells so bad

Check your invoice - you may have purchased insurance at the same time as the sofa

https://www.screwfix.com/p/jsp-force-8-medium-mask-respirator-with-press-to-check-filters-p3/1863f?ref=SFAppShare

Maybe one of these might also help?

The problem is it could have soaked through into the wadding then no amount of vaxx/ spot washing will get it out as that’s only touching the surface.

Alas no insurance purchased ( we had it for our last sofa and attempted a claim on it and they refused the claim - so meh. We decided not to go for that again)

but we couldn’t have anyway as it’s from an outlet in Manchester. We spotted the sofa in furniture village for 4k. I googled the make and model and found it at this outlet place for 2,900. Just one in stock and a customer return. Free delivery to me in the south east. 6 months warranty

deliberated and went for it and they were great and it’s been fantastic - it was brand new

it’s not fantastic now however

My cat peed in my car a couple of years ago. Absolutely stank! I managed to vax it out, but I had to vax it I think 3 times. The car is quite old so I wasn’t too worried about how I treated it, just needed to get rid of that smell. Your beautiful sofa though, you probably need a professional.

Yes. Look for a local upholstery cleaner. I had a guy round he was great. Gave my sofas a new lease of life.

X

Make sure you soak it and leave it to dry, you might have to do it a couple of times.

100% recommend this Dr Beckman one, it worked a dream on my velvet feeling sofa where nothing else had! Had to do a large area and dried without smelling damp or fusty at all. I had tried several before that, none of them worked.

If all else fails OP, get it recovered. A local upholsterer will be able to help though I'd suggest they also remove any padding.

You'll never get that smell out especially if it's gone through to any padding/foam underneath.

How did the stray cat get in and do this ? I’m dying to know.

I just bought a light coloured sofa and I thought I had considered all the pitfalls but this never entered my head

Simple Solution and then the Dr Beckman cleaner recommended above should help significantly, but if it has soaked into the sofa cushions, you will probably still get a whiff of cat wee.

Get some cat pee remover enzyme spray from Pets at Home - it's in a blue spray bottle.

Spray the general area, leave then repeat the following day. Keep doing it until the smell is gone.

Note - when you use the spray, the enzymes break down the uric acid, it can make the smell seem worse for a few hours but don't panic at that stage!

We've used enzyme cleaner against the absolutely reeking garden after the foxes took over - it worked really well outside. Don't use hot water though as it destroys the enzymes, warm is fine and it may need a couple of washes.

So sorry, it's awful. We had a male cat come in and spray against a cat tree, chipped cat flap was ordered the next day!

Following because our cat has pissed on our chair several times - I am beyond f**ked off. Let me know how you get on OP!

Thanks all

plan of action ….

Xtreme pet enzyme thing arriving by Amazon tomorrow morning

checked insurance - you re right - it is not covered

whatsapped the guys I bought the sofa from - asking if they happen to have another - I’d consider one in a similar shade. Made it clear I’m not wanting to purchase if I can get the smell out but just tee-ing them up if need be

We had a cat wee disaster when one of the kids decided to shut the cat flap and not tell us. Our poor old mog did his best and gave up in the corner of a bedroom, on a bean bag. It took forever to figure out where he’d weed, by which time it was properly ripe 🤢

We got some urine off cat - like here - and it was amazingly effective

https://www.viovet.co.uk/Urine-Off-Cat-Kitten-Odour-and-Stain-Remover/c51132/?quick_find=313456&utm_source=sag&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces_UK&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22169160221&gbraid=0AAAAAD-IHB0gvKCfT3gPQ5uXHOyKlBEo0&gclid=CjwKCAjwxeHWBhBPEiwAiqtQ-cnNFOa3mVOq9dgG6UP28yXeEN_5vPVm6bteys5pDPuuaJ_Ev7scRBoCHygQAvD_BwE

@3luckystars I want to lie and say I had no idea he was in my house but I just can’t

my neighbour from a street away moved and dumped him. He was in my garden very hungry- he’s only 2. This was summer 2025. He was skittish and hissy

of course I couldn’t leave him. I feed him twice a day, I’ve had him neutered . I’ve flea treated and wormed him. He has a weather proof little house in the garden with vet bed in it. I prefer him not moving in as we have an elderly cat

fast forward to past week. My soft husband felt sorry for him in the rain. And let him stay indoors in the living room

the rest is history 😒

All of which leads to.....why the fuck isnt your husband a) hazmat'd up and tackling it himself or b) approximately 6ft under the weather proof cat house?

where did it come from? The more expensive brands have a renovation service.

My elderly cat pissed all over my sofa. It bloody stank. I had to get a professional cleaner it. They did a great job and completely got rid of the smell and stain. No amount of cleaning by me would get that off. It was about £70.

@ double check insurance ours covers incidents with animals that are wild/stray not owned by the family or been invited in with pets.

For the smell 100ml 3% hydrogen peroxide, with one drop of washing up liquid in a spray bottle spray it on and gently rub it in leave for a hour and blot dry. It’s colour fast you may have to give it to applications and will stop any mould forming in the foam.

Omg… I am correct in thinking you have posted about this cat before… loads?

@Coffeeathovima god no. You’ll find one thread last year in the litter tray where I posted about my neighbour giving him up

trust me on this …. I categorically would not let a cat piss continuously in my house!

@PyongyangKipperbang you know, that’s an excellent idea!! He is currently in denial actually. He has had surgery on his nose before which affected his sense of smell so wouldn’t you just know it…. He can’t smell it!

luckily for him he has not even attempted to imply I’m imagining it!

Sorry to hear about your sofa.
Re the cat, in our area we have a charity which catches and rehomes stray cats. I worked with them to trap a couple of cats in our road. The charity takes them in, rehabilitates, neuters and innoculates them and then finds them a new home. My brother also got his cats from them. Do you have any cat rescues like this in your area? Might be better for the cat rather than needing to live outside in your garden?