Cat spray and marking: why it is worse than dog urine

Cat urine is more concentrated than dog urine, and spray marking includes pheromones that are designed to last. Cats also mark low on walls, on the edges of rugs, along baseboards and on the sides of furniture — places a carpet cleaning does not reach.

The approach is the same enzyme treatment we use for dogs, but the inspection is different. We UV-check baseboards, the bottom foot of walls, the undersides of rug edges and the skirts of upholstered furniture. It is common to find spray on a wall that had been blamed on the carpet.

Litter box areas

Overspray around a litter box soaks the carpet and pad in a ring. That ring usually needs pad replacement and subfloor sealing; treatment alone does not hold up.

Repeat marking

Cats re-mark where they smell urine. If the source is not fully removed, the cat will keep going back. Once the area is treated, an enzyme product used on any repeat is the maintenance. If the cat is marking new areas, that is a vet or behavior question.