Leather is a beautiful and expensive textile that lasts for years. Unfortunately, it is also naturally porous and absorbs odors and stains easily. There are several plausible reasons why your cat might be going to the bathroom outside their litter box, and it’s painful to discover that they did so on your fine leather boots!
The quicker you can remove the urine stain, the more likely you are to save your boots and other leather goods from permanently smelling like ammonia.
Before examining the different ways to get cat urine out of leather boots, take a little time to gather all the supplies you’ll need. When you have everything right in front of you, it is easier to move quickly and tend to the pee stain as soon as possible. As we said before, time is of the essence when dealing with leather.
The Ways to Get Cat Urine Out of Leather Boots
#1. Create an All-Natural Cleaner
DIY All Natural Cleaner for Cat Urine
- Materials
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Water
- Clean spray bottle
- Towel or absorbent cloth
- Instructions
- Take a towel or absorbent cloth and soak up as much of the urine as possible, if possible.
- Mix up a concoction of one part vinegar, one part water.
- Add a teaspoon of baking soda to remove the odor.
- Pour the mixture into your spray bottle.
- Shake the spray bottle vigorously to mix the components.
- Lightly mist the affected area. Be careful not to over-saturate.
- Allow the vinegar baking soda to sit for 15 minutes.
- Gently blot off the mixture.
- Take a fresh damp cloth and gently remove the mixture fully.
- Allow the boots to dry.
- If the boots still smell of urine, repeat.
- If the boots still smell of urine, repeat.
#2. Baking Soda
Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda is a safe and natural solution for cleaning cat pee off your leather boots. Baking soda is powerful against cat pee and other strong odors. Place old newspaper or paper towels on a work surface and set your boots on top of them.
Liberally sprinkle the baking soda on your shoes, the inside, and even the bottom soles. Allow the powder to sit on the shoes for a couple of hours or overnight. Vacuum up the loose powder and smell them to ensure that all the odor was absorbed. If they still stink a little, repeat the process or try another cleaning solution.
#3. Vinegar
Vinegar is another natural product that helps neutralize bad odors and is something that any pet owner should keep in their house at all times. To clean stained leather boots or shoes, mix one part of white vinegar with two parts of warm, soapy water. You can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the mix.
Once stirred together, rub the solution all over the shoes to help the pores absorb it. Wipe the shoes down with a clean, damp cloth and allow them to dry in a well-ventilated area. You can also leave them outside for a few hours to air them out.
#4. Cat Urine Enzyme Cleaners
If you’d prefer to try something more powerful, there are plenty of enzyme cleaners for cat urine on the market. Since water alone isn’t enough to eliminate the nasty smell, enzymatic cleaners are one of the next best options. The cleaners are designed specifically for cat urine, and some are formulated for leather goods.
#5. Using leather shoe conditioner
Finally, whether you clean your shoes using cat urine enzyme cleaner, baking soda, and/or vinegar, condition your shoes using a leather conditioner. Follow the directions on the package or bottle. Once you’ve cleaned your shoes, place aluminum foil over them. Cats usually don’t like the smell or feel of foil and will not bother your shoes again.
Home Remedies for Removing Cat Urine From Shoes
#1. Cat odor removal products
While removing most messes can be done using a towel, soap, and water, cat urine will need one extra consideration if you wish to fully eliminate the odor. Cat pee often smells so bad because a feline processes bodily waste through the kidneys so that it’s highly concentrated and not diluted, according to I Heart Cats. The urea found in this byproduct eventually converts to ammonia, which is made to smell even worse over time when bacteria develops. Enzyme cleaners are often a cat guardian’s best bet at eliminating odors left by cat urine by breaking down the uric acid found in urine.
Enzyme cleaners can be found in most pet stores and online. Vinegar is a natural enzymatic cleaner that can also be used to remove the smell of a cat peeing on shoes or other items. Either way, an odorless home is best accomplished by tackling the urine stain immediately.
#2. Removing cat urine from shoes
If you find your cat peeing on shoes, they should be cleaned and deodorized. Common cleansers include Nature’s Miracle and BioKleen, as well as white vinegar. Start by soaking up as much of the urine as possible with a towel, then fully soak the affected area with the cleanser of your choice and allow it to sit for several minutes before blotting it with a clean rag. This process will likely need to be repeated a few times, especially for stubborn or older stains.
In addition to store-bought enzyme cleaners and vinegar you can scrub shoes clean with other household items. Baking soda is often used to lighten stains and deodorize materials, and can be used either by sprinkling dry powder onto the affected area, or creating a paste by adding water, then scrubbing the area with it. Hydrogen peroxide is used for the same reason, and is a popular option for soaking stained fabric shoes in to lift stains and some odors.
#3. Why cats pee on things
If your cat is urinating in the house suddenly, she is likely marking her territory – you may even notice this if your cat is peeing on the wall of a litter box rather than in the pan. This is often done as a response to stress which can come about with any change in a cat’s environment, like the addition of new pets or people, or the absence of their guardian, according to The Humane Society.
Sometimes, cats may spray outside of their litter box as part of a mating behavior, which can be resolved by spaying or neutering your feline. Additionally, some cats may pee on things as the result of a medical issue like a urinary tract infection, which is highly common in older cats and should be addressed by a veterinarian for your cats health, safety, and comfort.