Cats will pee outside of their litter boxes for several reasons. If you find a puddle on the floor, that’s easy enough to clean up. Unfortunately, sometimes, cats want to make a statement. Heading into your closet to pee on your shoes is one way that they can get your attention.
If you find your favorite leather boots soaked in cat pee, we know how devastating that can be. Leather is porous and will absorb stains and odors. Removing the cat pee as soon as possible is the best way to salvage your footwear.
If other non-leather shoes end up covered in cat urine, they may be able to be thrown into the washing machine without a second thought. This can’t be done with leather boots, but don’t worry! You won’t have to toss them into the garbage instead. This article will show you how to get cat pee out of your boots so you can get back to wearing them in no time.
Getting Started
Getting StartedIf you don’t have all these items, use what you do have from this list and clean your boots using the following methods.
Cleaning Cat Pee From Your Leather Boots
Enzymatic Cleaners
If you complete these steps and still notice stains and odors in your leather boots, you may need to use an enzymatic cleaner. Uric acid in cat urine is broken down by the enzymes in these cleaners and will remove the odors. If you have an enzymatic cleaner on hand, you may want to try it before using the previous method.
Some enzymatic cleaners may change the color of the leather, so we recommend testing a small patch of the leather to see if this occurs before spraying the cleaner all over your boots. Get an all-natural enzymatic cleaner if possible to reduce this risk.
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Why Did My Cat Pee on My Boots?
When cats pee outside of their litter box, there’s usually a good reason for it. This could be something minor, or your cat could be trying to alert you to something serious. Whenever you notice your cat eliminating in places that they shouldn’t, don’t dismiss it. Try to find the reason that it’s happening to not only solve the issue and keep your home from smelling like cat pee but also to potentially discover and treat any health problems.
The 4 Reasons That Cats Pee Outside of the Litter Box
1. The litter box is dirty.
Cats like their surroundings and their bodies to be clean. Cats are meticulous groomers, always getting every bit of dirt off their coats and keeping themselves sleek and shiny. If the litter box is too dirty, your cat isn’t going to like it. They don’t want to walk in their waste. If there isn’t enough room for them to adequately do their business and cover it up, they will go outside of the box. The remedy, in this case, is to clean the litter box and refill it with fresh, clean litter. Then, scoop it every day to keep this from happening again.
2. You have multiple cats.
When cats live with other cats, they may choose to urinate outside the box to mark their territory and try to keep the other cats from using it. The simple fix is to add more litter boxes to your home. A good rule of thumb is one for each cat, plus one extra.
3. Your cat is trying to alert you to a medical issue.
If the litter box is pristine and you only have one cat, your cat may be trying to tell you that there’s a problem. They may pee away from their box because of a urinary tract infection, bladder infection, crystals in the urine, or anything else that makes them uncomfortable. It could even be kidney disease or arthritis. If they feel pain when they are in the litter box, they will associate the box with that and not go in it.
If your cat is peeing outside of the box for no obvious reason, it’s best to get them to the vet for a checkup. They will test your cat’s blood and urine to see what’s going on with their health. Once your cat is feeling better, they should resume their normal litter box activity.
4. Your cat is upset about something.
If the previous reasons are not the cause of your cat peeing outside of the box, they could be doing it to show their displeasure about something. Did you recently move? Did you add another pet to the household? Did your cat’s things get moved to different locations in the home? Try to determine what could be upsetting them. With patience and love, your cat will eventually adjust to the changes. Talk to your vet about ways you can calm your cat, or consider adding a pheromone diffuser to the room with their litter box to help ease their anxiety.
Conclusion
It can be upsetting to find that your cat has peed on your leather boots, but all is not lost! We hope that you found these suggested cleaning methods helpful and that they come in handy if you ever need them. Once you get your boots clean, remember to figure out why your cat is peeing outside of the litter box in the first place. You can then fix the issue, keeping your cat happy and healthy and your shoes dry!
Featured Image Credit: AJSTUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY, Shutterstock
