How to get cat pee out of a mattress (stain and smell)

How to remove cat urine from a mattress

1. 1

   Strip the bed and blot hard

   Pull off the bedding and wash it separately. Lay a thick stack of paper towels on the wet spot, cover it with an old towel, and press down with your hands or knees for about a minute. Repeat with fresh towels until they come up barely damp.

   Why: The more urine you pull out before it dries, the less there is for bacteria to turn into odor, and the easier the rest of the job is.

2. 2

   Rinse lightly with cool water and extract

   Dab the spot with a cloth soaked in cool water, then blot it dry again or pull the water out with a wet/dry vacuum. Use only as much water as it takes to dampen the area the urine covered.

   Why: Cool water dilutes the urine already in the fabric without heat-setting it. Extracting it right away keeps the rinse from spreading the urine wider into the foam.

3. 3

   Apply an enzymatic cleaner where the urine went

   Test the enzymatic pet-urine cleaner on a hidden part of the cover first. Then apply it over the whole wet area and a little beyond, using enough to reach as deep as the urine soaked. Don't rinse or wipe it off; leave it for the time on the label.

   Why: Enzymes and bacteria in the cleaner break down the urine residue that causes the smell, but only where they touch it and only while it stays damp.

4. 4

   Dry it completely with air, not heat

   Point a fan across the spot, open a window or run a dehumidifier, and keep the bed unmade until the area is fully dry. That can take a day or longer. Keep the cat out of the room meanwhile.

   Why: Some smell remains until the cleaner has finished and the area is dry. Heat from a hair dryer or steam can bake the odor in.

5. 5

   Sniff, check with a black light and repeat

   Once dry, smell the area closely. In a dark room, scan the whole mattress with a black light and mark any glowing spots. Treat each one the same way.

   Why: Urine contains compounds that glow under UV light, which reveals old spots you can't see. Any spot you miss keeps smelling and draws the cat back.

6. 6

   Cover the mattress before the cat returns

   Put a waterproof mattress protector on once it's dry, and keep the bedroom door closed for a while if the cat has gone there more than once.

   Why: Cats return to places that smell of urine, even faintly. A waterproof cover stops a repeat from reaching the mattress.

Why cat pee smells so strong, and why it gets worse

Like any urine, cat pee is a protein stain at heart, but it also contains felinine, a sulfur-containing amino acid that's specific to cats. Felinine itself doesn't smell, but it breaks down into a volatile thiol (a mercaptan) with a strong sulfur odor. At the same time, bacteria turn urea into ammonia, which adds the sharp smell of stale urine. That's why a spot that barely smelled at first can be much worse a few days later, and the Carpet and Rug Institute notes the odor can come back in humid weather. The cat pee on clothes guide covers washable items.

Until neutered, male cats produce far more felinine, so their urine smells stronger. Uric acid salts in urine dissolve poorly in water, which is why a quick wipe doesn't remove the residue and why fragrance sprays only cover the smell for a while.

The mattress problem: enough cleaner, not too much water

Two sets of advice pull in different directions here. Mattress makers say foam should never be soaked, because it holds moisture and dries slowly. Humane society cleaning guides say the enzyme cleaner has to reach everywhere the urine went, or the odor stays.

The way through is to match the cleaner to the accident. Extract as much urine and rinse water as you can first, so there's less to treat, then apply enough cleaner to cover the same area and depth as the urine, not the whole mattress. Then give drying real attention with a fan. If a large amount soaked deep, cleaning may not reach all of it.

By situation

Fresh cat pee you just found

This is the easiest case. Blot hard right away, before the urine reaches the padding, then rinse, extract and use the enzymatic cleaner. Most fresh accidents come out fully.

Old or dried cat pee smell in a mattress

Dried urine has to be rehydrated before it can be removed. Dampen the spot with cool water several times, blotting or extracting in between, then apply the enzymatic cleaner and let it dry. Expect to repeat the treatment.

You already tried vinegar, peroxide or a household cleaner

Residue from other products weakens enzyme cleaners. Humane society guides suggest cleaning the spot first with an oxidizing pet cleaner, rinsing, and then using the enzymatic cleaner.

Large or repeated accidents that soaked through

When urine reaches the core of the mattress, cleaning may not reach all of it. Humane society guides note that urine-soaked padding often has to be replaced rather than cleaned, and the same logic applies to a mattress soaked through. A professional upholstery cleaner can advise on whether it's worth trying.

A cat that keeps peeing on the bed

Veterinary sources say to rule out a medical cause, such as a urinary problem or stress-related cystitis, when a house-trained cat starts going outside the litter box. Cleaning still matters, because any smell left behind invites a repeat.

What not to do

• Don't steam-clean or use hot water. Heat can set the odor and stain by bonding urine proteins into synthetic fibers, and steam pushes moisture deeper.
• Don't clean with ammonia or strong vinegar solutions. Humane society guides say these don't remove the odor for the cat and may encourage it to go in the same spot again.
• Don't mix bleach with ammonia or vinegar. Bleach and ammonia make chloramine gas; bleach and vinegar make chlorine gas. Chlorine bleach also damages mattress foam.
• Don't rely on fragrance sprays or baking soda alone. They cover the smell but leave the urine in place, and the odor returns, especially when it's humid.

Other methods that work

Oxidizing pet cleaner

Oxidizing pet cleaners break down odor compounds chemically rather than with enzymes. Humane society guides use one first when other products have already been tried, followed by the enzymatic cleaner.

Caution: Test on the cover first, as they can lighten colored fabric. Rinse before switching products.

Baking soda

Sprinkled on a dry spot and vacuumed up, it absorbs some surface odor. It's traditional, with weak evidence, and no stain source recommends it for urine.

Caution: It doesn't break down urine residue, so use it only after the enzyme treatment has dried.

Stain still there?

The smell came back after a few days

Urine was left somewhere, often deeper in the foam or in a spot you missed. Check with a black light, rehydrate the area and repeat the enzymatic cleaner, making sure it reaches as deep as the urine did.

It still smells while it's drying

Some odor is normal until the enzyme cleaner finishes and the area is completely dry. Judge it once it's dry.

A yellow stain is left on the cover

Repeat the enzyme treatment. On a white cover, an oxidizing pet cleaner can lighten it after a spot test. Some urine stains are permanent.

Safety

• Wear gloves and wash your hands after cleaning up urine.
• Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or vinegar.
• Keep pets and children away from the area until cleaners have dried.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

Cat urine on other surfaces

• Cat urine stains: the complete guide
• Cat urine on carpet
• Cat urine on clothes
• Cat urine on a couch
• Cat urine on wood

Other stains on a mattress

• How to clean a mattress
• Blood on a mattress
• Dog urine on a mattress
• Sweat on a mattress
• Urine on a mattress