Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try… sh!t happens! While a healthy, happy cat should never poop outside of its litter box, there’s a wide variety of reasons your cat may have pooped on your couch. Getting the stain out can seem like a monumental task, but luckily, there are many options out there for pet parents who need to get stains out of their upholstery.
Home-Made Pet Stain Remover
Luckily, you can make your high-power stain remover for pet-related stains with everyday household items. For this job, you’ll start with water, a gentle dishwashing detergent, like Dawn, and white vinegar; you’ll mix your ingredients as follows.
1/2 tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
2 cups of warm water
Once your ingredients are mixed, you’ll want to take a clean cloth and gently blot the stain with the detergent solution until the fabric fully absorbs the detergent mixture. Continue blotting the stain with the detergent mixture until the stain has been removed.
Once the stain has been removed, blot the fabric dry with a clean, dry cloth. Allow any residual dampness to air dry completely.
For particularly tenacious stains, use an eyedropper to drop a few drops of hydrogen peroxide onto the stains. After the hydrogen peroxide, drop a drop of ammonia on the stain. If you have woolen upholstery, you want to skip the ammonia as it can damage the wool.
Pet parents who want a quick-stop remover for their upholstery will be glad to know that plenty of ready-made solutions exist. You can buy these online or at your local pet store. These solutions have many of the same compounds as our homemade solution. However, they come in a ready-to-use spray bottle that doesn’t require mixing.
Nature’s Miracle makes all-natural products that are safe for use around pets. Because the solutions are all-natural, they’re gentle and safe for accidental ingestion or inhalation. Their Set-In Stain Remover is designed to break down tough stains and is safe for use on fabrics and upholstery.
The solution also helps eliminate persistent odors. Additionally, it’s made of an oxygenated citrus compound and smells citrusy fresh!
Bissell is a trusted brand for cleaning up after our pets, and their Professional Pet Stain & Odor Remover doesn’t disappoint. The solution is safe to use on carpets, upholstery, and fabrics. It uses enzyme agents to eat through the stain. The solution can also be used on any organic stain material, including food and beverages.
Pet parents won’t want to use this with other household cleaners because other household cleaners can interact with and disable the enzyme agents.
Why Is My Cat Pooping Outside of the Litter Box?
There are many reasons a cat may poop outside of the litter box. However, pooping outside of the litter box is an indication that something in the house environment or body systems is wrong. If your cat frequently poops outside of the litter box, remember the saying “pooping is protest.” Cats who frequently poop outside the litter box usually protest undesirable litter box conditions.
Consult a Vet – If you are concerned that your cat has a health condition affecting its litter box habits, consult with your veterinarian first. They will determine whether your cat has any health concerns that should be addressed before addressing behavioral problems.
Check the Litter Box – It’s also essential to examine the quality of the stools. Loose or runny stools could indicate that your cat was experiencing gastrointestinal distress and did not intentionally go outside the litter box.
Monitor for Illness – Illnesses like hypothyroidism, diabetes, and renal kidney disease can present as inconsistent litter habits. Cats may also poop outside of the litter box if they do not feel safe in the litter box.
Image Credit: AjayTvm, Shutterstock
Territorial Scent Marking
Pooping can also be a form of territorial scent marking. While a more standard version of this behavior is spraying, some cats may poop on or near objects that they would like to claim. They may also poop in high-traffic areas, such as the middle of the living room, to show that the site is their territory.
Territorial pooping may occur if new animals have been introduced to the environment. If you have gotten a new pet recently or someone has come to stay, your cat may begin to poop in places that they would like to market their territory. In severe cases of anxiety, something as simple as a visitor may cause the cat to feel unsafe or territorial.
Other Considerations
As always, use your best judgment with your cat’s health. If they appear listless, dirty, or have no appetite, these are good signs that your cat is ill and needs to be seen by a veterinarian. This is especially true if your cat usually is good about going in the litter box.
Prevention
The first order of business should be cleaning your cat’s litter box more frequently. If this is not possible, purchasing an automatic self-cleaning will litter box can help alleviate your cat’s stress when using the litter box.
Some cats are incredibly picky when it comes to litter box habits. They may be unwilling to use the litter box if there are any dirty spots in the litter box at all. A self-cleaning litter box can work wonders for your cat, and you may find that your cat litter box habits return to normal as soon as you introduce it. When introducing a self-cleaning litter box, it’s essential to keep a regular litter box available for your cats as the moving mechanical parts may frighten them.
Final Thoughts
There’s no shortage of ways to remove stains remote wherever your cat may leave them. Whether you need to remove the paint from your couch or an area rug, there are plenty of homemade or store-bought solutions that can help you with de-soiling your home. Cats are naturally spotless animals and won’t generally poop outside their designated litter boxes unless something is wrong.
Featured Image Credit: Kristi Blokhin, Shutterstock
Luxifa is a freelance writer with a passion for animal science and technology. She loves to share the world of animal science with people to help them make informed decisions for themselves and their pets. Luxifa has worked in professional pet care for over six years and realised she could help change the world of pet care by bringing the information people needed to them in terms they could understand. Knowledge is power and she loves to help everyone become the most informed they can be.
