paint the walls in the closet. They've likely absorbed the smell. Use kilz or binz first.

Arm and Hammer make paint that is suppose to absorb odors, I'd try that AFTER priming with the Kilz or Binz.

I am positive the cats didn't spray or have urine splashed on walls. They are very house broken. I do think that doing the Kilz and then repainting walls is probably something worth doing.

It's been discussed on GW before...

Here is a link that might be useful: oh those cats

Is the concrete floor painted or bare? The pet forum is a great place to talk about pee and smell. LOL. Most of us there who have had lingering cat urine smells ended up going to a pet dispensary and buying an enzymatic cleaner. It has always worked for me. If the floor is at all porous, you may want to buy a little bottle of it, and wash the floor with it, allowing it to soak in. What about doors to the closet? Wood? Painted or natural? Aromas can sink into wood as well.

Paint the concrete floor. Put a few reed-diffusers around the entry to give a nice, soft smell as people enter the house. Stick one in the closet. The concrete is probably holding the odor.

Good luck,
Jane

Has anyone said what the smell smells like? Maybe it has nothing to do with where the litter box is.

Today's litter is pretty darn good at masking odors. I use Fresh Step and my only complaint is that the carbon smell is so strong that things that I store in my basement smell like charcoal.

Probably good to have someone with a good nose try to identify the smell.

check the internet for vinegar use on pet urine

my daughter (shame on her) didn't crate her dog when she went to scool for a couple of months and developed a bit of odor
i told her to try vinegar and the next time i was there, there was NO smell at all
she said the vinegar did the trick!!

I use an ozone generator. This is nothing like those Ionic Breeze things you see in infomercials. This is powerful. You don't leave it on all the time. You use it when you need it. You might be able to find one for rental.

I have 3 dogs and it's a huge help.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ozone Generator

We ended up having the room painted with shellac and having the floor cleaned and sealed. So far the paint smell is still there but is dissipating. I suspect that this will take care of the pet odor, at least, I sure can't smell anything now.

Great thread! We have three cats and are planning on selling down the road, and this has been one area I've worried about.

Kats, did you get rid of the cats smell? I know this is an old thread, and I am not a cat person. We are renting out a apartment unit, a cat lady & her boyfriend love it so much want to move in, we listed it as no smoking no pets......but they popped out viewing the unit, and told us about her 2 cats at the end! A lovely couple but I am afraid of the cats smell, I really don't want it in my rental unit......... just wondering if you got rid of the smell. Thanks

Summersrhythm, cat urine is very hard to get rid of. If I were renting I wouldn't accept cats without a hefty pet deposit and extra rent, to cover the cost of deodorizing after they move. Unfortunately I have learned that even the best box compliant cats will have "accidents" at some point; not only that, but not all owners are diligent about keeping the area clean and odor free (for example, by cleaning the litter box frequently enough, or picking up the dog's poo in the yard)

Thanks Raee for the input. I hope some nice renters will show up soon to fit no smoking no pets requirements. I don't want to have cat's urine problem. Thanks again! :-)

Yes, I did get rid of it. In our case it involved cleaning and repainting a concrete area with a shellac and then having our ducts cleaned.

That said - I would not worry about the cats for the apartment if you get a good pet fee. Most places I am familiar with charge a non-refundable pet fee (sometimes plus a deposit) so things can be cleaned later.

Our situation years ago was unusual. We were using a room under the stairs for the litter box. Our kids at times weren't diligent on cleaning the cat litter. I think because of the lack of air in the little room (no ventilation in it) that it made things worse. That is the only place where I had any problem. For example, I recently sold a different house and we had cats in it and I had no problem from cat odor.

Thanks Kats for the update. I am glad you got rid of the smell. Haven’t find anyone to match my rental requirements yet. I will keep your words in mind. :-)

Most good cat owners won't mind a pet fee and deposit. I would recommend both. That is you want some non-refundable pet fee just for normal cleaning. On the other hand, I wouldn't do just a pet fee. Having a deposit that is refundable gives the pet owner incentive to try to do everything they can so they get the deposit back. We recently rented a short term apartment after we sold our house and were waiting to buy and move into our new house. We paid a non-refundable fee but also a deposit and didn't mind at all. And, someone who is willing to lay out that much money for fee/deposit is probably someone likely to be careful. (At least, we were).

Thanks Kats. Deposit means nothing sometimes. Last renter refused to pay the last month's rent, forced us to use her security deposit as the last month rent. A high school English teacher, an educator could do such a thing, she really surprised us.