My house smells of cat

[PengiQuin]

I love my kittens so much but they've made my house smell horrid. I can't open the windows much unless I'm sitting there in case they jump out (too little to go out yet). My house is all open plan downstairs, only doors on the bedrooms/ bathroom upstairs - it's a small house. The litter tray (covered) is in the bathroom upstairs and the food/ water is in the upstairs hallway which has helped a little (was previously in the kitchen). But every time I walk in the door I get such a strong whiff of cat my sister and best friend both say they can't really smell it but I don't see how they can't. They do have hay fever though so that might be why. Any tips on how to get it to smell less? Been washing the floors a lot and spraying the sofa with zoflora etc.

I've just asked a similar question so will be following this!

Are the kittens using the litter tray?

I think they must be ' going ' somewhere else for it to smell. Had our cat from a kitten ( now 4) and thankfully we've never had her go anywhere else except in the litter tray. How old are they and what did you do to train them. We put her in the room that had the litter tray in that room only overnight and also when we were out. It also had her bed, toys and food water etc so she was restricted when we were not around. However if you are doing something like that are you aware they do not like to eat too near to where they toilet also given the chance food and water should be separate as well . My cat has not smell at all (if I was pushed to say she smells a little bit like leather.) Are they well ?

I smelt poo the other day and found a couple under the sofa, removed and anti- bacced obvs, there's none there now. There's not really anywhere else they could have pooed, I'll check under the beds I guess but upstairs is better. It's not a pooey smell, I can't describe it. More musty and just that general cat smell you smell in some pet owners houses. But not everyone's, so there must be a way to battle it!

You need to use specific pet odour remover which breaks down the smelly presents

They are 14 weeks. They had some issues at first so I kept one in my room with litter tray and food/ water, and one downstairs for a few days until they got along better. This was at 9 weeks. They love each other now, but maybe this confused them they're very healthy and happy, no issues at the vets. They don't smell in themselves, they sleep on my bed and my room doesn't smell.

You need to use specific pet odour remover which breaks down the smelly presents 

I'll try this, thank you. Is it just like febreeze for pet owners or do I need something more specialised?

Pet odours, not owners. It's not me that smells 😂

Febreeze just masks it. Look for a specific pet one.

www.gjwtitmuss.co.uk/p/MM39084/stain-and-odour-remover/company-of-animals/mr-muscle-oxy-urine-destroyer-clean-scent-945ml

I use this

Just checking, but do you have separate litter boxes for each of the kittens? Cats like to have their own box and there is a risk or them going to the toilet elsewhere if they don't have their own box. Once a cat has gone to the toilet somewhere in the house it is so hard to get rid of the smell! We had a cat that once urinated down behind the tv unit and it took us ages to locate the source of the smell. We ended up replacing the flooring!

Also, are you making sure the box is really clean? Scooping out the poop every time they go and changing the litter really really regularly? Sorry if you're already doing these things but lots of people don't seem to realise they need to do this.

It's also worth looking at how you keep their food. Is there wet cat food sitting for any length of time in their bowls? In this hot weather it can start to smell really quickly. Same goes for the litter. The hot weather makes it smell far more I think. I also always dispose of the packaging for cat food outside as soon as I have opened it. Things like empty can or pouches in bins inside can really smell.

Be wary of using things like Zoflora around pets. Especially with cats. It can be highly toxic to them if they get any on their paws/fur and then lick themselves.

If you found poo under the sofa, it's highly likely they have peed there too.

You need to have a litter box downstairs as well. ASAP.

Number of cats +1 = litterbox numbers

You can get covered litter trays which should be less smelly than open ones. Different kinds of litter are better at containing smells than others. The problem is if the cats have found somewhere they like to use as a toilet they will go back to it and use it again and again. You are going to have to find where that is - could be more than one place - and clean it with something like Simple Human pet stain and odour remover. Then you need to keep the cats out of those places, especially when you aren't around.

Are they going on or just in the house?

Going out

Are they spraying anywhere without you knowing?

A couple of things to try: washing surfaces down with a mix of hot water and biological washing liquid, and wiping surfaces and floors down with surgical spirit.

The biological washing liquid mix apparently breaks down the protein markers and the surgical spirit wipes out any smells.

If you can keep the kittens out of the way, Jeyes fluid is good, but you must not let the kittens on it while wet, or as someone else suggested, biological washing powder in warm water, then spray with surgical spirit when floor is dry, again keep kittens away until dry,
Block where they are getting under the sofa, and keep the trays as close to where they are as possible,
Kittens dont alway get to the tray in time if they get interested in playing,they are only babies yet

White vinegar removes smells, bio laundry liquid, Simple Solution from Pets at Home.
If you use anything strong smelling it can make them pee more to try to cover the smell.
I have used Simple Solution for pee & vomit stains for about 12 years and wash the hard surfaces with either a bio product, white vinegar or Simple Solution (I buy the big bottle which is usually aimed a dog owners and kept in the dog section but is the same thing as the small spray bottle).You can also spray it on fabric and carpet (test first).

How many litter trays do you have and what kind of litter do you use?

Sadly we never did stop the smell of our kittens until we were able to let them out and have windows and doors open. No messes just the general cat smell that comes with litter and food. I found that cheap tesco litter was a surprise with keeping smells down, had 1 tray for each kitten and lots of plug ins / dishes of bicarb. now they are outdoor cats and no smells at all apart from their meat when i am feeding them