In Cecil’s column on cat “spray,” Cecil manages to dodge potential accusations of inaccuracy by hedging, “it’s *claimed * that vinegar will neutralize the smell” [italics mine].
Vinegar, in fact, does nothing more than add a layer of, well, a vinegary odor to the stank of cat spray.
I’ve personally logged about 150 cat years in my life as a pet owner. I also worked at one of Chicago’s oldest and largest independent pet stores for about seven years, spending a lot of that time in the “Cat Room.”
Nothing reliably eliminates cat spray or urine odor except enzymatic solutions that chemically break down the proteins in the stuff, thereby making it not urine. It’s these proteins that are impervious to such things as soap, vinegar, and curses.
The product that I personally endorse without reservation is called Odormute. It also has the distinction of being about the cheapest such product on the market.
What does Cecil have against cats anyway?
lissener, what do you think of Nature’s Miracle? I’ve seen it recommended by several people at the SDMB, including, IIRC, our own Duck Duck Goose.
Nature’s Miracle works, and on the same principle as Odormute. The very best thing about NM (from the manufacturer’s point of view at least), is that it comes already mixed with water! Odormute, on the other hand, is sold as a powder, which the user must endure the drudgery of mixing with his or her own water. For this fantastic time saving service (I can’t call it labor saving, since you’re lugging the water home from the pet store), Nature’s Miracle adds a small premium onto the price of its product: a gallon of Nature’s Miracle costs around $30, while a gallon’s worth of Odorumute powder costs about 50 cents.
So really, it’s 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Unless of course you have better things to do with the other $29.50.
Thank you for the tip. I will look for it at my local pet shop(s).
The column can also be found on pages 11-12 of Cecil Adams’ book «The Straight Dope (1984; reissued 1986, 1998)».