Even a cat urine cleaner made for pets may not be as safe as you’d like for your cats. That’s because cats have sensitivities and intolerances different from humans, dogs, or other pets. Some urine cleaners may also exacerbate your “inappropriate urination” problem.

Common Problems with Urine Cleaner for Cats

  • Most disturbingly, some urine cleaners may include chemicals that sounds harmless, but are potentially dangerous to cats. For example, urine cleaners containing essential oils should be avoided. See our list of chemicals and essential oils that are dangerous to cats.
  • Some urine cleaners contain fragrances that are upsetting to cats. While not dangerous, this is problematic because upsetting your cats is unlikely to improve their “problem peeing” situation. If used in or near their litter box, the fragrances can deter them from using it.

Example of a Questionable Urine Cleaner Product

Here’s an example of a pet stain and odor remover product for sale online. See if you can spot the problems:
Organic Pet Stain & Odor Remover Spray

Pet-safe, Pet-friendly.

If you want to safely neutralize cat urine smell, we recommend:

Contains Unique Essential Oils.

Our stain and odor remover formula includes citrus essential oil, which offers a delightful, zesty scent and is a potent pet stain remover, as well as tea tree oil, which is a known powerful antiseptic and all-purpose cleaner.

Available scents:

  • Eucalyptus
  • Lavender
  • Citrus
  • Mint

 

Unfortunately, every one of those essential oil “available scents” are also on this list of most dangerous essential oils to cats. Cats are also well-known to dislike citrus scents, so using this product around their home (especially in their preferred areas and litter boxes) could make them unhappy and more likely to pee in the wrong places.

How to Find a Safe Urine Cleaner for Cats

  1. When you’re considering a urine cleaner, look for obvious problems such as:
    1. Essential oils
    2. Citrus or other smells offensive to cats such as high alcohol content
    3. Any other chemical that you wouldn’t want to breathe or bathe in
  2. Do a quick Google search on any questionable ingredients, such as “is X safe for cats”
  3. We happen to recommend Pee-Off, because we made it ourselves, and we kinda think it’s great. It was designed fromthe start as a safe and effective urine cleaner for cats.