cat poop on carpet...

My roommate's cat has suddenly taken to taking dumps on the stairway.   Anyone know of a good spray solution to get the smell out of the carpet?

We used an enzymatic spray called Nature's Miracle.  It works OK, especially for urine.  We also use a cleaner called Spot Shot which works pretty well on hairballs and other miscellaneous emissions.  But, frankly, the short answer is that there isn't anything that effective.

That being said, if it is sudden and in a very public place like that, the cat is telling you something.  Unless it is a very old cat, there is some new major stress in its life, or it is sick.

Move the litter box to wherever it is crapping. It should start using it again. Then gradually move it back where it belongs. It should keep using the box. 

All else fails, spray the cat with lead? 

In getting the cat to use the box again, consider changing litter. That has helped with my parents cat. They went from pressed pine to ground corn husk with their cat and that has taken care of her issues. They also replaced ALL the carpet with a hard floor. 

Step 1: Don't own a cat.

Nature's Miracle is really amazing on pee, less so on poop.  We have an incontinent cat and we get a lot of use out of our Bissell Spotbot steam cleaner.

What Duke said!

Your cat is trying to tell you something. If you changed something like litter, food etc. then your cat might not be happy with the change. If nothings changed then he/ she may be  constipated and it associates going in the litter box as painful. A trip to  the vet is needed.

My cat had worms last year around Halloween and hasn't used her litter box since, despite getting a clean bill of health from the vet. The changes we've made at home actually make it calmer for her, although she's a bit more lonely with me being gone 6am-11pm. I've tried to re-train her to use the litter box (we have three in strategic places in the apartment) but she still won't use them. Cats are divas and pains in the butt, no matter how much we love them.

baking soda is the ticket i have found. let it set on the carpet for a few days and vacuum up. 

Go to a professional cleaning supply store, and ask them to recommend a enzyme cleaner. I can't remember the name of the brand that I bought off hand, but I got a gallon jug of concentrated cleaner for less than the price of the stuff you buy at a pet store. The gallon of concentrate, makes 16 gallons of cleaner. It works great, is cheap and It has many other uses around the house.

A small lead pill delivered at high velocity.

Soak it in large amounts of cat blood. It won't remove ntoo much but greatly decreases the likelihood of future occurrences. 

Resolve Spot&Stain works well. I have an older cat who misses the litter box at times. Has been effective on both poop and pee.

In reply to captdownshift :

The cat or the carpet?

I agree that any sudden changes in the cat's behavoir regarding food or litter box usage should be an indicator to take it to the vet for a full checkup. Roommate should pay for cleaning the carpet once the cat has started using the box again. 

Agree with taking the cat to the vet.  Afterwards, though, the general rule I’ve heard, is have one more litter box than you have cats, and make sure at least one is in a quiet area.  

However, if it’s behavioral, not medical, I wish you luck.  I have a cat that started pooping whenever (and wherever) he got annoyed at something you did or didn’t do (usually not paying enough attention to him).  One thing that helped were feliway diffusers, but for us it didn’t solve the issue permanently.  In the end, we had to keep him in a large cage for a significant part of the day, with his food, water, and litter in it.  I think being forced to be near where he poops got him back in the habit of using a litter box, because even when he’s out, he still uses a litter box again.

Duke said:

We used an enzymatic spray called Nature's Miracle.  It works OK, especially for urine.  We also use a cleaner called Spot Shot which works pretty well on hairballs and other miscellaneous emissions.  But, frankly, the short answer is that there isn't anything that effective.

That being said, if it is sudden and in a very public place like that, the cat is telling you something.  Unless it is a very old cat, there is some new major stress in its life, or it is sick.

Let dry til crunchy.  Vacuum, apply natures miracle.  Seek out issue causing it.  With mine it was urinary tract stuff.

next dog thread i am totally throwing out the shooting suggestion to see what the reaction is.   I'd expect it will be different

suddenly taken to taking dumps on the stairway. 

Move the litter box to wherever it is crapping. It should start using it again. Then gradually move it back where it belongs. It should keep using the box. 

All else fails, spray the cat with lead? 

So am I the only one who pictured a full litter box rolling down the stairs, with a cat inside? 

Boost_Crazy said:

 

suddenly taken to taking dumps on the stairway. 

 

Move the litter box to wherever it is crapping. It should start using it again. Then gradually move it back where it belongs. It should keep using the box. 

All else fails, spray the cat with lead? 

So am I the only one who pictured a full litter box rolling down the stairs, with a cat inside? 

No

You have to understand that it is not your house it is the cats. The cat just lets you live there.  

dean1484 said:

You have to understand that it is not your house it is the cats. The cat just lets you live there.  

I can disabuse their owner of that pretty berkeleying fast if necessary... 

In reply to HillyWelos :

Given that this thread is several years old, I am certain that the OP came up with a workable solution by now.

Trans_Maro said:

A small lead pill delivered at high velocity.

It's weird, when I make that suggestion to people when they say their kid pee's the bed... they get upset....

I would go with a 3 iron.  Chip that @#$% right outta here.