It’s not just you, there is a scientific reason why cat urine smells so bad. (Unnamed Copywriting)

It’s not just you, there is a scientific reason why cat urine smells so bad.

If you have ever been in a house with too many cats and an owner that doesn’t clean up after them like they should, than you have probably though about why cat urine smells so bad. You may have wondered if you were just more sensitive to the smell than you were with other bad smells, due to the overpowering odor, but in fact, you were right. Cat urine is a pervasive substance and because of its makeup, is one of the more pungent odors we can run into.

The main reason that a cat’s urine smells so bad is the composition. Unlike other forms of urine that we are more familiar with, like our own, there is more to cat urine causing it to smell bad than just ammonia. A cat’s urine is not only loaded with ammonia, but also with five different types of bacteria as well. The bacteria serves many functions for the cat, but unfortunately, it is also what causes the urine itself to not only smell so much more pungently, but also be so hard to get rid of.

The major contributor to this problem is the bacteria that makes up the uric acid within the urine. If you have seen cat urine that has been left too long without being cleaned up, then you know what this is. When cat urine dries up, a sticky brownish yellow substance is left behind, and seems to be more pungent than the urine itself was prior to this. This substance is the uric acid, and as you can see from this example, it is the substance that not only causes the worst of the smell, but also causes the urine to be so hard to clean.

This uric acid dries to form a type of crystal as well as a type of salt. The salt is not as pervasive, but the crystals form around whatever fiber the urine is left on, and grow all around, almost becoming a part of the fiber itself. In fabric substances like furniture or carpet, these crystals can not only thrive, but can also be extremely difficult to remove, as they bond to the fabric on a molecular level.

Making matters worse is the fact that long after you have cleaned the urine and moved on, these tiny crystals will still be in the carpet or cloth, lying dormant. This can lead you to believe that you have solved the problem and that the smell will not come back. However, as soon as moisture touches these crystals, they are reactivated, bringing a whole new round of odor along with the activation. This is why a home that has had cat accidents in it will smell so much worse on humid days.

Because these crystals are so pervasive, normal cleaning agents simply will not suffice for cleaning cat urine. Even pet cleaners designed for dogs will fall short of removing the odor that cat urine will leave behind. In order to effectively remove the odor, you have to go to the source: the crystals. These crystals are bonded to every fiber in the cloth, and in order to remove them, you are going to need to use some sort of cleaner that contains enzymes specifically designed to break these crystals up. Even the strongest of household cleaners, while possibly containing enzymes, will not have enzymes for this purpose. You are going to need to purchase cleaners that were designed for this task in order to find any level of success.

If you take the time to understand the reason why cat urine smells so bad, you will see that it is actually a manageable problem to fix. Knowing the cause makes the solution very obtainable. A simple purchase of cleaners that contain the right enzymes will leave you never worrying about why cat urine smells so bad again.