Nearly every cat owner has experienced it at one point or another – inappropriate marking. Almost every cat will have an accident outside the litter box at least once in their life whether it’s because of stress or simply because you accidentally locked them in the bathroom! No matter the reason, however, no one wants to have the smell of cat urine floating around their house. Getting the awful smell out with standard cleaning products can take quite a bit of scrubbing and often the smell doesn’t come out completely until after a few sessions. Luckily, with a specially designed cat urine odor remover, you can have the smell out in no time without tiring out your scrubbing arm.
Not all cat urine odor removers are made the same though. We reviewed dozens of products to identify the best of the best, taking into account customer reviews, cost, effectiveness, safety, versatility, and a number of other factors to find the best cat urine odor removers on the market. If cat urine isn’t the only thing causing stains in your carpet, here’s our list of The Best Pet Carpet Cleaners.
After much deliberation, the Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover easily took the top spot on our list. This spray is not only enzyme activated, which causes it to get to the root of the stench, but it is also chlorine free and gentle on colors. This odor remover really can’t be beaten!
The 5 Top-Rated Cat Urine Odor Removers
| Editor’s Picks | Brand | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Best Overall | Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover | 4.6 |
| Runner Up | Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator | 4.3 |
| Best Budget Buy | Nature’s Miracle Advanced Stain and Odor Eliminator for Cats | 4.5 |
| Best Enzymatic Cleaner for Car Urine | Nature’s Miracle Pet Stain and Odor Remover Foam Aerosol Spray | 4.5 |
| Best Natural Cat Urine Odor Neutralizer | Skout’s Honor Professional Strength Stain & Odor Remover | 4.5 |
*Ratings are from Amazon at the time of publication and can change
Our Top Pick: Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover
With a bacteria-based formula that produces enzymes to break down the odor, Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover is a fantastic choice for any pet family, especially one with multiple cats. With this product, pet parents can finally have some nice things too! No need to worry about your pet ruining your new couch or rug. With this cleaner, it is like it never even happened. It is formulated to clean urine, feces, vomit, and drool. Basically, if it comes from your cat, this stain and odor remover can take care of it.
While the spray bottle will probably be most useful in the average home, this cleaner also comes in a jug for pouring. If you’ve recently bought a home with lots of pet stains or have a number of stains in your house you’re looking to remove, purchasing the jug might be your best shot. Otherwise, you’ll probably want to stick with the spray bottle just for convenience. This formula does contain a freshening Lavender scent to help instantly freshen the area after use. However, some customers reported that the smell was quite strong. If you’re sensitive to strong smelling things, you might want to keep that in mind when using this odor remover.
Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover Key Features:
- Removes cat stains and odors
- Lavender scent
- Bacteria-based enzyme formula
- Comes in spray and pour
Our Runner Up Pick: Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator
Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator was designed to fight nearly every pet odor and stain, including cat urine. It easily tackles even the deepest set stains and removes long-standing odors. If you have any pet, you need to keep a bottle of this handy for any accidents and upset stomachs. This product is extremely useful because it is enzyme activated, which means that it breaks down the individual enzymes themselves instead of just covering up the stink with a more powerful, “fresh” scent. It breaks down the stench at the source, taking the stain with it.
Despite its toughness on odors, it is safe for everyday use. It is chlorine, propellant, and residue free, making it safe to use around both pets and children. It has even been certified safe for carpets by the Carpet and Rug Institute. However, it works on more than just rugs. It is formulated to be used on everything from carpets to kennels to litter boxes. If your pet comes into contact with it, this can be sprayed on it.
Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator Key Features:
- Enzyme activated
- Safe for everyday use
- Chlorine and propellant-free
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Best Budget Pick: Nature’s Miracle Advanced Stain and Odor Eliminator for Cats
Even if you’re on a budget, you must have a cleaner to eliminate cat odors. Nearly every cat is going to have an accident outside the litter box at least once in their lifetimes, and you don’t want that smell drifting through your house for weeks. Luckily, Nature’s Miracle Advanced Stain and Odor Eliminator for Cats is a cat odor remover that’s both affordable and effective.
This spray can be used on a range of surfaces, including hard floors, carpet, furniture, and fabric. It’s formulated with an enzymatic formula that not only eliminates both the stain and the odor your kitty has made, but also discourages re-soiling. Wondering how this is possible? Well, once a cat has one accident outside their litter box, they are more likely to have others in that same location as the odor begins to fade. This product prevents that problem by eliminating the odor altogether.
Nature’s Miracle Advanced Stain and Odor Eliminator for Cats Key Features:
- Safe for nearly every surface
- Unique Pro-bacteria Formula
- 3-in-1 nozzle
Best Enzymatic Cleaner for Cat Urine: Nature’s Miracle Pet Stain and Odor Remover Foam Aerosol Spray
If your cat has decided to start marking their territory around your house, you’ll be thankful to have Nature’s Miracle Pet Stain and Odor Remover Foam Aerosol Spray on hand. The enzymatic foam is formulated to be extra tough on strong urine odors as well as yellow, sticky residue. As Nature’s Miracle explains, this product “breaks down bio-based messes on contact.”
The beauty of using a foam cleaner like this one is that rather than just superficially coat the affected area, it penetrates it to ensure every last spot is addressed. This cleaner no doubt more potent than many of the other cleaners we reviewed, but it’s still safe for your family and kitty when used as directed. Customers loved how effective this cleaner was while being extremely easy to use at the same time. It works great for those that have a large number of cats, such as shelters and rescues.
Nature’s Miracle Pet Stain and Odor Remover Foam Aerosol Spray Key Features:
- Carpet and Rug Institute certified
- Utilizes dormant bacteria
- Safe for use on most surfaces
Best Natural Cat Urine Odor Neutralizer: Skout’s Honor Professional Strength Stain & Odor Remover
Skout’s Honor Professional Strength Stain & Odor Remover is an all-natural alternative to many of the harsher cleaning chemicals on the market. Unlike some other natural cat urine odor neutralizers that work just as good as water, this product is highly effective at removing cat odors and stains. In fact, it’s so powerful that it’s considered to be professional-grade! As an added bonus, it’s formulated to remove lingering dog odors too, which is no doubt great news if you also have a pooch in tow.
If you’re surprised that a 100% natural cleaner can work so effectively, you’re in good company. Many customers been surprised by just how well this cleaner works despite being completely non-toxic, biodegradable, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly. Another draw card you can look forward to with Skout’s Honor Professional Strength Stain & Odor Remover is its fuss-free application. All you need to let it start working its magic is spray it; there’s no need to mix or dilute the solution. Talk about a fuss-free and effective product!
Skout’s Honor Professional Strength Stain & Odor Remover Key Features:
- Eliminates a range of pet odors and stains
- 100% non-toxic
- Money-back guarantee
Who Should Buy a Cat Urine Odor Remover
Almost every cat is going to have an accident outside their litter box at some point or another. The odds are that your cat will too. Cat urine is especially smelly and potent. Once it gets on your floor or furniture, you will know it. While the stench is pretty helpful at helping you locate the exact source of the smell, removing to odor afterward can be a different matter altogether. Cat urine is a notoriously hard smell to remove. I know many cat owners who placed oil diffusers near the site of the scent in an attempt to cover it up! Because ordinary cleaners usually have minimal effect on cat urine odors, a specialized cat urine odor remover can be extremely helpful at keeping your home looking and smelling clean.
Every cat owner should have a bottle or two handy to use right away as necessary. Once a cat urinates somewhere, they will likely continue to mark the same place. Eradicating the odor can often stop this behavior, however. If you wait to get a cat urine odor remover until your feline has an accident, you could be setting yourself up to clean more stains than you have to. Go ahead and purchase a bottle, so you have some on hand when you need it.
Important Features to Consider
A cat urine odor remover should do a number of things well. Here are some important things to consider when selecting an odor remover to help you clean up after your kitty:
- Concentration. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to this feature. Sometimes, you might need a concentrated product to pour into the laundry with your clothes or to add to your carpet cleaner. Other times, you will want a product that you can spray straight onto the carpet. Because both concentrated and un-concentrated variants are useful in different situations, you might want to buy one of both to cover all your bases. If you’re only buying an odor remover as a onetime use or are on a budget, choose the option that works best for your needs.
- Safety. This features ties in somewhat with concentration. Concentrated versions of products are more potent than un-concentrated odor removers and may have a higher chance of causing allergic reactions if it comes into contact with your skin. At the same time, some products are gentler than others and can be used on a larger variety of surfaces. Preferably, you want to choose a product that is safe for both you and your carpet without sacrificing cleaning power.
- Effectiveness. Of course, the point of a cat urine odor remover is to remove the odor. If the product can’t do that, there really isn’t much reason to buy it. Checking the customer reviews, rating, and our top five list can help you choose a product that actually works.
- Ease of use. Cat urine odor removers come in a number of different types of bottles. There are simple pour jugs, spray bottles, and even bottles with multiple nozzle settings. Spray bottles are usually great for most people’s needs, though if you plan on using the odor remover in the laundry or a carpet cleaner, you might opt for a pour bottle instead. Multiple nozzle settings can be beneficial if you clean across various
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cat urine odor remover, and how does it work?
A vast majority of cat urine odor removers work on the molecule level. They bind to the molecules that create the foul-smelling scent, which prevents your scent receptors from linking to them. The result? You can no longer pick up on the smell. The scent molecules are still there, but because they are already bound to the particles from the odor remover, your nose cannot pick them up.
Other cat odor removers are enzymatic and break down the odor-causing bacteria directly instead of just binding to the molecules. They do this my containing non-pathogenic bacteria (aka bacteria that can’t get you sick), which breaks down and “eats” the foul-smelling bacteria. It turns this smelly bacteria into two primary components: carbon dioxide and water. This by-product can be left and cleaned up during your next cleaning.
Why does cat urine smell so bad?
One of the main reasons that cat urine smell so terrible is because it contains ammonia. Ammonia by itself smells utterly awful, and since cat urine contains ammonia, it smells nasty as well. Cat urine, the byproduct of a cat’s biological processes, doesn’t actually smell very bad at all! However, this urine is broken down very quickly by bacteria into ammonia, which does have an awful smell. The longer the urine sits around, the more ammonia it begins to contains. Because cats often urinate in secluded areas, their urine usually goes unnoticed until it has already broken down quite a bit.
To make matters worse for your nose, cats tend to mark repeatedly in the same place. Once they have one accident, they are more likely to have another in the same place because they are re-marking. Because cat urine doesn’t necessarily smell that bad until it starts to break down, we recommend getting a black light to spot the urine as soon as possible.
How long does cat urine odor last?
Without cleaning, cat urine odor can linger for months and sometimes even years. Depending on your local climate, the smell of cat urine can also disappear only to reappear months later when the humidity rises. Plus, the longer cat urine is left to sit the stronger it will smell. The smell doesn’t get better with time, but worse. This is why it is necessary to clean up cat urine as soon as you discover it.
How do you remove cat urine odor from furniture?
Before you apply any cleaning product, soak up as much of the urine as you can. This should preferably be done with a towel you don’t mind throwing away since it is probably going to reek of cat urine by the time you get done. Then, apply a specialized cleaner like one on our list. Follow the directions on the bottle for the best results. When you’re done, it is probably a good idea to rinse the area with water to remove any excess cleaner. This is especially important if you did not use an enzymatic cleaner because many other cleaners simply bind to the urine instead of actually getting rid of it.
Other Car Urine Odor Removers We Reviewed
While on our search for the best cat urine odor removers on the market, we also looked at 20 other cleaners. Though these aren’t the best of the best, they’re still worth considering. All the information you need for comparison is in each listing.
- Enzymatic Cleaners for Cat Urine
- Natural Cat Urine Odor Neutralizer
- Concentrated Cat Urine Odor Removers
- Other Cat Urine Odor Removers
Enzymatic Cleaners for Cat Urine
Key Features:
- Enzyme cleaner
- No scrubbing required
- Lifetime satisfaction guarantee
Cost: $20
Key Features:
- Pet-friendly
- Discourages repeat marking
- Smells good
Cost: $20
Key Features:
- Children and pet safe
- Multi-surface formula
- Easy to use spray bottle
Cost: $21
Key Features:
- Easy to use spray bottle
- Pet safe
- Fragrance-free
Cost: $15
Key Features:
- No harsh chemicals
- Discourages repeat marking
- Cheap
Cost: $6
Key Features:
- Enzyme-powered
- Safe for children and pets
- Multi-surface formula
Cost: $20
Key Features:
- Enzyme-powered
- Harsh chemical free
- Multi-surface formula
Cost: $40
Natural Cat Urine Odor Neutralizer
Key Features:
- Co2 powered
- No harsh chemicals
- Great on fabrics
Cost: $25
Key Features:
- Designed for outdoor use
- Non-toxic
- Will not kill plants
Cost: $21
Key Features:
- Never Expires
- Powerful solution
- Proceeds go to pets-in-need
Cost: $20
Concentrated Cat Urine Odor Removers
Key Features:
- Effective on nearly every pet odor
- Concentrate makes gallons for cleaning solution
- Highly effective
Cost: $15
Key Features:
- Comes in a variety of sizes
- Multi-surface formula
- Powerful
Cost: $15
Key Features
- Pet Safe
- Safe for use on fabrics
- Concentrated
Cost: $19
Key Features:
- Non-toxic
- Safe for use on fabric
- Can be used in laundry
Cost: $64
Other Cat Urine Odor Removers
Key Features:
- Non-toxic
- Powerful
- Commercial-grade cleaner
Cost: $20
Key Features:
- For indoor and outdoor use
- Fabric safe
- Budget-friendly
Cost: $5
Key Features:
- Safe for children and pets
- Fast-acting
- Safe for use in a carpet cleaner
Cost: $11
Key Features:
- Economical
- Easy to Use
- Powerful
Cost: $64
Key Features:
- Used by the U.S. Army
- Fresh pine scent
- Strong against odors
Cost: $255 for a case
