HOW TO ELIMINATE PET ODOR

Aww...aren't they sweet?

 

Yes, they are sweet, funny, adorable, and loyal.  But they can leave your home a smelly mess.   As with all things in life, we take the good with the bad.  For those of us who live with our furry friends, we've come to expect the worst and try our best not to have our homes smell like a litter box or a dirty dog.  Most people who love animals take the occasional mess in stride and understand it comes with the territory.  One key to eliminating odor in your home is to make sure the pets are healthy.  Feeding them the right food and appropriate treats will be a great beginning to a healthy pet.  Here are a few tips on how to eliminate pet odor for the occasional misshap.

 

Kittens and Cats:  the big problem for most cat lovers is the litter box.  Cats like to be clean, ever notice they are constantly cleaning themselves?  That means they expect a clean litter box.  Starting with a good litter can help eliminate odor.  All natural litters such as the corn or wheat varieties are great for good clumping and being environmentally friendly but most are lacking in the odor control department.  If you choose one of these litters add a little baking soda to the mix.  It will help control the odor between cleanings and your cat will enjoy the freshness.  If you choose one of the popular odor control formulas make sure to introduce your cat slowly by adding the new litter in to the old a little at a time.  Many of these litters have a very strong scent to help mask the litter odor which is great for us, but a cat's nose is much more sensitive and it might be a little too strong.  If your cat does not like the new litter you will have a different problem on your hands.  Most cats are very finicky about their box, so keep it as clean as possible and try not to use a litter with a very strong odor.  Chances are if you feel it has a strong scent the cat will not like it.  Advances in litter pans have made it easier for cat owners to keep the box clean.  For a price, you can have a self-cleaning litter box.  Some have small grates that do the scooping for you, others will "flush" and sanitize themselves on a regular schedule.  The problem I've seen with most of these litter boxes is that with the mechanism in place, the cat has very little room to manuever.  My cats still miss in an extra large box, so I don't think they would appreciate an even smaller space.  I'm waiting for the automatice box the size of a closet, then I'll give it a shot.  But I know many people who have the CatGenie, LitterMaid, and the ScoopFree.  Their cats seem to be perfectly happy with the auto boxes.

If your cats are like mine and prefer the old method of me cleaning the box every 5 minutes, the best option is to scoop at least twice a day. 

What if your cat doesn't want to use the box?  I have had cats all my life.  I never had any issue litter training any of my kittens until these last two.  In the past I just showed the new addition where the box was located, put him/her in it and scratched their paws around for a minute.  Viola!  Kitty uses the box.  But the newest additions to my home did not get it.  I tried everything under the sun to get these kittens to use the box and not the corner in the living room they found so appealing.  Finally, at my wits end I tried a new litter made especially for kittens.  It was amazing, after 3 weeks of cleaning carpets and trying all the tricks for keeping them out of that corner, this litter attracted them to the box and within 12 hours they were both using the box every time.  Kitten Attract saved my sanity and my carpets.  Once I had the new kittens using the box it was time to clean the carpets to eliminate the odor in their favorite corner.  Nature's Miracle is the only product I've found that works to remove the odor and stains of pet accidents.  The products are safe and very effective to eliminate odor.  Both of these products are available at your local PetSmart or online at the linked sites.

 

Puppies and Dogs: man's best friend poses much different odor issues than cats.  Puppies can take a while to potty train so you should expect some accidents.  Again, I recommend Nature's Miracle for eliminating odor from carpets.  It will remove the enzymes left by the urine or feces eliminating the smell and reducing the chance the puppy will think that's his poo spot.  Kennel training is the easiest way to potty train your new puppy but if they do have an accident, you will need to clean the kennel to eliminate the odor there as well. Nature's Miracle offers a full line of products to help eliminate odor from all types of surfaces including carpet, hard wood floors, tile, concrete, plastics, and even outdoor odors. 

 

Puppies and Dogs like to get dirty.  It's a fact, if my dog saw a mud hole, he wanted to be in it!  So bathing your dog regularly will help eliminate odors as well.  Using a good conditioning shampoo will help keep your dogs skin healthy which in turn will help eliminate "smelly dog" odors. 

 

In general, keeping your pet and their areas clean is your top priority for eliminating odors in your home.  For those times when they do have an accident or miss the box, using a cleaner that is specifically made for animal odors will offer better elimination of the smell.  These products are designed to remove not only the odor, but the enzymes that remain in the surface that will attract your animal to that same spot over and over.

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