Faint of butt

November 3, 2009 12:14 PM

While I was driving him home from the vet yesterday, the cat took a dump in his carrier, which was made of cloth. (He was in the front passenger seat.)

After taking care of that, I noticed it still smelled like cat feces in the car. I didn't see any stains on the seat, and I had to go, so I just rolled down the windows and went to work.

Later that night, it still smelled like cat poo in the car, but I had a bad, tiring day, so I left it alone and hoped it would be better today.

Unsurprisingly, it's not. So, I guess some secret poo liquid got onto my car seat. What method for getting rid of it and the smell maximizes efficiency and minimizes effort?

posted by ignignokt to pets & animals (18 comments total)

Nature's Miracle is usually a good go-to for all things pet-stink.
posted by ghharr at 12:17 PM on November 3

Kids 'n' Pets is also good.
posted by kindall at 12:22 PM on November 3

Thanks - I'll give those a shot. If I can sneak in a follow-up: Can anyone recommend a good cat carrier that will not seep poo, is easy to clean up, but is still easy to get a cat into?
posted by ignignokt at 12:30 PM on November 3

my cat carrier is one of those plastic boxes with vertical holes cut in the upper half and grid gate with spring lock in front.

Never really had any trouble getting my cats into it. A firm push and they go in.
posted by royalsong at 12:42 PM on November 3

Edit. One of these things is what I'm talking about: http://www.cat-alog.com/carriers/pet_carrier_cayman1.jpg
posted by royalsong at 12:44 PM on November 3

Yes, seconding both Nature's Miracle (which also works very well for urine smells) and the carrier that royalsong linked to.
posted by Addlepated at 1:07 PM on November 3

If none of those work, try mixing up a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and applying that with a sponge. When it dries, vacuum it up. It's the only thing that's gotta cat stink out of a lot of my furniture.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 1:44 PM on November 3

A hard-side carrier like royalsong's is OK, with one important caveat--you need a TOP LOADER. Pushing a cat into a front loader can be a real challenge, but I've never had much trouble dropping them in from above. Something like this (first carrier listed on the page) has worked just fine for us.
posted by dlugoczaj at 1:46 PM on November 3 [1 favorite]

I didn't even know these existed until recently, but a small carpet/stain cleaning machine like this one is wonderful to own if you have a cat (or dog). There were a couple of choices at my local Best Buy when I purchased one a couple of years ago. Craigslist might have some, too. It's like a big carpet cleaning machine -- sprays cleaner diluted with warm water, then vacuums it up, all grody and brown, into a receiving chamber -- but smaller and storable.
posted by amtho at 1:52 PM on November 3

Just a head's-up: apparently Nature's Miracle has changed its name to Petastic. We were recommended the same stuff but couldn't find it under the old name. It works wonders, though.
posted by joshrholloway at 2:03 PM on November 3 [1 favorite]

No matter what type of carrier I use for my cat, I always first line the bottom of it with a few disposable diapers. (You can even stick them to the bottom with double-sided tape.) They absorb any accidents that occur and make clean-up a lot easier.
posted by Oriole Adams at 2:24 PM on November 3

I have found puppy training liners to be excellent and inexpensive for lining the cat carriers (I have three cats). You can get them at most pet stores, or buy them in bulk online to save money if you think you'll need a lot.
posted by misha at 2:40 PM on November 3

I have a plastic carrier that is both top and front loader and I have managed to adopt a cat who no kidding can outsmart the top loader. I get three legs in and he sticks one leg out on the top and we're back to square one. Since I have the front and the top, I've been able to manage. I also put a towel in the bottom so that they have a familiar smell and so that it can absorb accidents. It is also a towel that would otherwise be on rag duty.

Good luck!
posted by Leezie at 2:43 PM on November 3

Seconding the advice to get a top-loading carrier.

If you use a front loader, the trick to getting the cat in is to prop it up on the couch so that the opening is facing up, hold the cat's back legs together, and drop them in. Make it (temporarily) into a top-loader, in other words. But a real top-loader's opening is much bigger and easier to manage.
posted by kindall at 2:44 PM on November 3 [1 favorite]

I don't have carrier recommendations but the next time you need to take your cat in the car, Feliway helps to calm them down which could prevent further poo incidents. They make it in a spray bottle that you spritz in his carrier about 15 minutes before you need to put him. You can find it at Amazon.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 4:04 PM on November 3

Another vote for Nature's Miracle. It's great on stains and smells.

Kinda/sorta on topic: if you can, leave the carrier out all the time. The cat should become neutral to its existence and, possibly, even use it as a sleeping place. That's what I've done and all four of my cats are fine when I put them in the carrier. It's only when I put them in the car that they start calling me nasty names.
posted by deborah at 5:51 PM on November 3 [2 favorites]

I've also found that when using a front-loader, putting them in backwards really helps to prevent them from splaying all four feet out in separate, incompatible directions. By the time they realise they should object, they're already inside and I'm closing the door.

I got peed on by a cat in a car once. I recommend any enzymatic cleaner, and have heard great things about Nature's Miracle.
posted by bookdragoness at 11:04 PM on November 3

Some cats really don't like hard-side carriers. Our soft carrier has a removable hard floor under which I put a puppy pad.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:56 AM on November 4