Have just purchased a foreclosed home to rehab and resell. The neighbors tell us that 16 cats were trapped after the last owner moved out. Apparently the living room carpet was the litter box. We have gutted the inside but the smell remains as it soaked into the flooring. Does anyone know of any product or technique (short of tearing the floor up) that we can employ in order to insure the smell doesn’t remain when were done and trying to sell the place.
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sorry, that information is only available to cat lovers
I love the smell of cat piss in the morning!Men come of age at sixty,
Women at fifteen.
James Stephens
Napalm
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
16 cats??? You paid for this place????
I should let everyone mess with you for a while.................
You need to strip the floors of as much covering as you can. Try Natures Miracle or similiar.
It is and enzyme that 'eats' the urine. Use it liberally.
Bleach?
Shut down the systems and open the house up to the weather for a few weeks.
Find buyers who like cats, maybe they won't notice!!
Eric
I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
For what its worth, I was considering a similar project. I consulted a "cleanup"/hazmat specialist and they said cat urine is THE MOST difficult problem the could encounter. It scared me off.......
Get a case of plug in air fresheners.
I actually like my cat...but wouldn't want cat urine on my wood floors. Honestly? I have heard of people trying to clean this up many, many different ways.
The only thing that kind of worked (short of tearing up the floors and replacing them) was sealing the heck out of 'em. And that just "mostly" worked. For a first floor. If that stuff soaked into the subfloor of a second floor....tear it out is my advice.
I hate to say that too. I try to find ways to save everything. But I draw the line at living in a litterbox. Gross.
Why hate the cats? They were victims of animal abuse.
"A completed home is a listed home."
Heat - I worked with a company that patented a heat method. Tent the house and pump it full of heat. The heat reduces the odor, kills insect and mold.
Interesting technology
http://www.precisionenv.com/precisionheat.shtml
Or you could just burn it.
Peace,
Martin
"Habitat for Humanity is a perpetual motion miracle:
everyone who receives, gives - and everyone who gives, receives.
If you want to live complacent and uninspired, stay away from Habitat;
come close to Habitat and it will change you,
and make you part of something that changes the world."
(Randall Wallace, screenwriter, Braveheart)
You don't know what hate is.
There was a guy here.............I'm having trouble remembering who.........his wifes cat pee'd upstairs and it slipped through the plank floor...........while he was sleeping...............and landed on his head. The cat was a bombadeir in his past life. Believe he even targeted some other things earlier.
Now that could turn into hate.
16 cats, you could be screwed.
Best of luck.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
5 years ago I bought a house that had a Rotweiler locked in it for 3 weeks. The tenants were mad at the landlord and locked the dog in the house stopping by daily to feed and water him.
Mix a solution of white vinegar and water 50/50. Slosh on the floor, kind of a mild flood if you will. Let it dry for a week and then coat with two coats of Bins sealer by Zinseer. Good heavy coats.
As I said that was 5 years ago, no complaints to date and I have been in the house in between tennants a couple of times so feel good about it as a permanent solution. DanT
You blame the cats for being "trapped"?
Cats likely to be cleaner than you are. It was not thier choice to be "trapped".
Rethink your thought processes or be forever tormented by feline retalitation...they can be very crafty. Very crafty.
oh..as to the problem...a ton of baking soda...repeat as needed.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"I've..seen all good people turn thier heads, so, satisfied, I am on my way.."They kill prophets for profits"..And, that's...the truth.........phhatt
Maybe I should,have been more clear. The cats were "trapped" via hav-a-heart by animal control after the property was vacated two years ago by the former owner. They had access to the hose but were not trapped inside it. When we bought the house it had been cleaned out of remaining furniture and garbage. When we looked at the house it had no heat and the temperature was in single digits so the only evidence of poor upkeep were the remaining carpets.
cat's love doing that to cat haters!
U realize they're all laughing little kittie laughs at U right now, don't ya?
anyways .... for something that bad ... a circular saw, saw zaw ... coupla pry bars ...
and a truck load of new ply.
maybe a dumpster or two ... it'll stink on the way to the dump in your van ....
and .. hope they didn't use the corners .. like they usually do ...
'cause now it's into the drywall too.
cat's are funny.
'least they think so ....
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
you go man..you go..LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"I've..seen all good people turn thier heads, so, satisfied, I am on my way.."They kill prophets for profits"..And, that's...the truth.........phhatt
Uncle Lar and Little Tommy had a solution on the Animal Stories segement years ago . Seams that someones dog had an encounter with a slightly grouchy skunk. Dog smelled real bad . The solution was to use Massingale douche . So go get a real big water tight bag and mix up a solution and douche the house.
btw .. couldn't ya guess there was more than one kitty when ya looked at the place?
went by a house for sale a coupla months ago ... nice neighborhood ... busy street .... figured maybe it had a good sized back yard ... let's go take a look.
real cheap price .... figured out why.
parked in the driveway ... walked to the front door ...
made the mistake of taking a deep breath. Even from outside I could smell it.
Told the wife don't even unstrap the kid from the carseat ... he ain't getting close to this ...
the house was empty ... had a lockbox .... every other lock box has the top secret combination of 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4
this was "every other one" ... so I let myself in to see just how bad it was ...
got as far as the front hall ... it was worse.
I wouldn't buy it for $5.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
Gasoline and a match.
Ozone generator(s).
The smell ain't going away - period. You can diminish it, (sometimes diminish it a lot for a short period of time), but because it is really soaked into the wood, it ain't ever going to go completely away. You may get it smelling ok long enought o sell it, but the new owners will hunt you down like a rabid dog after awhile (lol).
There are some really good products out there, and I've used almost all of them at one time or another. But they are only temporary when it comes to cat pee.
All I can say about knowing what I'm talking about is this - I have 18 cats (long story, don't ask), and I've been through what you are going through way too many times. Always wound up ripping out the floor (after trying every product, and every home brewed concoction known to modern man).
Still... it's just my humble opinion....
James DuHamel
He who dies with the most toys.... Still dies!
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?" MARK 8:36
http://www.godsfreemusic.com
you got cats ? man, i love cats.... got any pictures ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Here's my kitties!
ooooooohhhhhhhhh....... Bengals!
I love Bengals!!!
Till they pee on something, anyway. James DuHamel
He who dies with the most toys.... Still dies!
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?" MARK 8:36
http://www.godsfreemusic.com
more kitties
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Edited 2/3/2005 1:25 pm ET by IMERC
I was out "roughing it" in the backcountry of Rocky Mtn NP, solo trip, and all one morning while hiking I kept smelling a pretty rank animal close by. Sometimes on the left of the trail, sometimes on the right. It was late fall so lots of animals moving. Near the top a real thick fog rolled in, and I walked through a wall of that smell. I backed up and walked through it again. I looked down, and in the mud, clear as a bell, was a fresh "kitty-1 pic" track, water still oozing into it. Still scariest moment ever had out there.
wait till ya have to make them get off of the hood of yur truck so ya can go to work...
they discovered that the plugged in truck is a great place to sleep during the cold winter nights...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
the MOUNTAIN LIONS on your truck???
yup...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Sheesh! But then, we have black bears coming through our place pretty regularly, enough so it's a same sh.. - different day kinda thing. Just what you're used to I guess....
like so...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
then there's.....
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I was there during the elk rut, and there was a lot of testosterone in the air. Watched one bull with maybe 40 cows trying to keep them from running off to a couple others that were strutting around. Saw a significant battle, all from a distance, but still unbelievably impressive. We don't have the hump-backed, dish-faced bears you do. Ours are puppies compared to yours. This was a rare daytime raid on the bird feeders. We take 'em in at night from April to November.
we have our mutts too...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Did you take all these photos? Some look like they were pulled off the net.
collection from way many places...
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
man, i love cats....
And they can all be yours for the incredibly low price of......
heh heh. My neighbor has been sick lately (he's in his 80's), and the cats are slowly making their way back to my house. Now, when I come out in the mornings I'll see about 8 or 9 hanging out (instead of the 4 or 5 that I usually see).
This is the bunch that started it all... lazy bunch of miscreants.... they're supposed to be working!James DuHamel
He who dies with the most toys.... Still dies!
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?" MARK 8:36
http://www.godsfreemusic.com
Good looking cats, don't often see that many adult cats relaxing so close to each other. Are they all related?
John
1 male and 4 females - all brothers and sisters. In this pic they were only 4 or 5 months old.
Vet told me not to get them fixed until about 10 months or so. He said there was no way they could get pregnant until then, and it's better to wait until they are a little older.
Three of the females got pregnant at 6 months. The lone male of the bunch had a field day!
So, 3 females each had 5 kittens. I suddenly had a lot of kitties. All three litters were born in a 3 day period.
Here's a pic of SOME of them eating. And by the way, I don't have a yellow cat. Sometimes a cat or two hangs out unnoticed by me (with so many hanging around, you kinfa lose count after awhile - heh heh)James DuHamel
He who dies with the most toys.... Still dies!
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?" MARK 8:36
http://www.godsfreemusic.com
Kitties don't pee on the floor cause they want to... It's owner issues. I'd be suspect buying a house from someone that mistreats animals... How do you think they treat their home?
My cats.... helping wash the work truck and yes they love to climb ladders.. cleaning gutters at my house is comical.
heh heh. My neighbor has been sick lately (he's in his 80's), and the cats are slowly making their way back to my house. Now, when I come out in the mornings I'll see about 8 or 9 hanging out (instead of the 4 or 5 that I usually see).
Just as long as they ain't gathering at his house waiting for something to happen to him ;)jt8
Our lives improve only when we take chances -- and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves. -- Walter Anderson
Flood the entire affected area with full strength apple cider vinegar.
Keep it flooded for a bit. Then let it sit.
When it is just about dried out, flood it again.
Let it sit until just about dried out again, then flood it again.
Keep doing this until you are POSITIVE that the vinegar has soaked through as far as the urine ever did, and farther...
Now just open all the windows and doors, and let the vinegar dry into all the wood and other affected areas.
The vinegar smell will go away. And the cat smell will go with it.
Many here don't believe this works. But it's exactly how I got rid of the odor.
The cat and kittens were confined to a small area. The urine had soaked completely through not just the carpet, but the wood floor underneath. Even the underside of the wood was wet to the touch, and stained. It was a total goner for most folks.
I let it dry.
Then I did the above. Flooding it the first time, and constantly renewing the flood, until I was sure it was soaking way in. Carpet and wood and all.
Did the waiting and the flooding again a few times. Then let it all air dry.
Months later, and now, years later, even if the area gets wet, you still never smell the cat smell.
I think that most who do not think it works are just using it to kind of mop the area up with. Or at most giving it a good flooding just once, and then cleaning it up right away. Probably because they don't really want to go to the toruble, but possibly also because they don't like the smell of the vinegar either.
That cat urine soaked completely through, what makes people think that getting the top of the wood wet, and then mopping it up is going to deal with the problem ? You have to absolutely soak/flood the area in cycles. And leave it there to soak in and dry on it's own. Until you know it has soaked all the way through as much as the urine did in the first place.
Like I said, the vinegar smell WILL go away. And the cat smell with it. Permanently, if you did the job right. Even the cats can't smell it anymore. They don't go there and piss anymore...
Once it has dried out, you can clean up and do as you wish with finishing.
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Caught one of our 2 cats pi$$ing on the brick hearth for the woodstove. They've riuned this once before, for a total replacement. Mopped what I could, baking soda for now. We'll see what happens come summer. Other than that, the little f'kers have only ruined 3 carpets and two rooms. Gonna try the vinegar flood in one of the rooms. The only thing my wife and I disagree on is keeping the little bastards in the house. Thank goodness they're getting old.
I'm with ya. I don't mind cats as long as they are either in someone else's house or are outside. don't want them in my house.
jt8
Our lives improve only when we take chances -- and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves. -- Walter Anderson
Hi justice,I am an avid animal lover as well as a retired Kennel owner& breeder. to flood your floors may cause mold and mildew growth over time,however unless you can see your sub floor and the condition for which it in, I would treat the floor with lye and lemon juice. As lemon is a protein /citruis acid it well naturally bleach out the odor(s) of urine,as the lye will clean out the porous surface and shrink them up to help close out remainning odors. cats have a very keen sence of smell sensetive to any odors, they will return to the area most frequented as well as other areas. I have found over the years i have own my kennels that this is a 2 part project. (1) floors (2) walls. the urine can penarate the walls and studs. (studs) only if concentrated in those areas. To clens the walls use the soloution of lemon juice and lye mixed with some warm water and wash them ,let dry the do again. after all has been scrubbed several times and is fully dried. depending on how big the room buy some silicone caulk to bead between the walls and floor,this will help two ways.(1) seal out cold air drafts (2) the odors from sub floor if any. BUY some polyurethane and apply 3 - 4 coats on floor and a little on the bottom of walls, then paint your walls with a sealant first then a paint. this will stop any future problems from animals deposits. You benifit and so do they as long as their not being mistreated.
Uncle Dunc has the answer. Next door: 2 bachelors lived there for 20+ years with big dogs. Cheap - didn't use the heater for at least the last 15 years, and had zero housekeeping skills. Owner passed on & the executor started the cleanup. Once the 50# of dog hair, inches of dust, 40+ dead rats in the crawl space etc. were removed (plus the gold flock wall paper) it still didn't smell too good. Sealed it up and ran an ozone generator for 3 days and all the smell was gone.