How To Clean Cat Vomit From A Carpet

Cleaning cat puke is a part of being a cat owner, and you must sadly get used to it. However, you must take it seriously, or else your floors will quickly get covered in stubborn stains. Luckily, cleaning cat vomit isn’t that hard if you get it down to a science.

You can easily clean cat vomit from the carpet if you remove the solid part and then soak the liquid with a few paper towels. Next, carefully blot the liquid part with a 1:1 mixture of white vinegar and warm water to remove the stain. However, you may want to use a commercial pet stain remover if the stain is stubborn. 

Follow along as we explore how to clean cat vomit from a carpet, whether it’s fresh or has sat out all night.

How To Clean Fresh Cat Puke From A Carpet

Cleaning fresh cat vomit may be gross, but it’s your best chance at stopping stains from forming. All it takes is a few simple steps.

1. Act Fast

Unfortunately, you may not catch any signs that your cat has vomited until the vomit has already been there for a long time. That’s especially true if it happens overnight or while you’re at work, in which case it’s possibly dried by the time you get home. However, it’s important to act fast and clean cat vomit from the carpet as soon as you find it.

That way, the liquid won’t soak too deeply into your carpet and leave a stain behind. It’s a good idea to keep a roll of paper towels or napkins in a convenient location for this purpose. Upon finding fresh cat vomit, you must carefully remove the solid waste from the carpet and throw it away.

Next, carefully blot the wet part with a thick layer of paper towels. Be careful not to spread the moisture, or else you’ll have a bigger mess to clean up. Finding fresh cat vomit is the best-case scenario, as it’s much easier.

2. Spray

Once you soak up most of the liquid, spray the spot to prevent stains. Today, you can find many bio-enzymatic cleaners at grocery stores and pet supply stores. They are quite effective, as they can remove stains and eliminate odors in little time, and they’re affordable.

Nature’s Miracle is a great option, and you can find it at most pet supply stores. Whichever one you use, you must carefully read the instructions to ensure you don’t use too much. Most pet stain cleaners are safe for carpets, and it’s hard to use too much.

The instructions typically recommend waiting 5 to 15 minutes before wiping the cleaner off the carpet. Cover the spray with a paper towel as it sits to ensure your pets don’t sniff or lick it off the carpet. Follow the instructions and remove the cleaner from the carpet fibers after the allotted waiting period.

3. Use A Natural Remedy

Many people want to save money and avoid using chemicals at home, and that’s understandable. You can clean cat vomit from a carpet using several simple household remedies. For example, you can treat the spot with distilled white vinegar, which is quite easy to do.

Manually remove the solid part of the cat vomit, then mix equal parts white vinegar and warm water. You can either put the solution in a spray bottle and spray the carpet or soak a paper towel in it. The latter is a great option, as spraying may be overkill since you won’t need much.

Carefully rotate the paper towel to ensure you don’t spread the cat vomit and to give a full dose of vinegar. Next, you can either let the spot air dry or soak the liquid up with a fresh rag or towel. Thoroughly wash your hands when you’re done and enjoy your clean carpet.

How To Clean Old Cat Vomit

Cleaning old cat vomit is different than cleaning fresh cat vomit in a few ways. That’s because it doesn’t take long for cat vomit to create a stubborn stain. As such, you must not only remove the vomit, but also treat the stain to restore your carpet to its natural beauty. However, it isn’t so hard if you follow a few key steps.

1. Remove The Solids

Removing the solid waste is the easiest part of cleaning old cat vomit from the carpet. By now, it’s probably dry, which makes removal slightly less gross and difficult. Pick it up with a paper towel or napkin and throw it away.

That said, it’s worth wearing a pair of gloves if you are worried about it being unsanitary. This is especially true if you have cuts on your hand, as it’s not worth risking getting an infection. Be careful when removing the solids, as dry cat vomit can sometimes crumble.

If it crumbles, it’s worth vacuuming it up to ensure it doesn’t spread throughout the carpet. That is less of a concern when removing dry cat vomit from hardwood and vinyl floors.

2. Treat The Stain

Unfortunately, you may need to use a heavy-duty stain remover if the cat puke has sat on your carpet for a while. That’s because it’s probably had a long time to soak deep into your carpet and the floor beneath it. Spot Shot is a great option, but you can also use Resolve and Oxiclean for stubborn cat puke stains.

That said, you may need to use something different, like Bona Pet System or Simple Solution for cat puke stains on hardwood. Keep in mind that it may take a few tries, depending on how long the stain has sat on the floor. Never mix cleaning chemicals, no matter how bad the stain is, as doing can be dangerous.

Mixing cleaning chemicals can create toxic gases, which may cause serious illness or worse. If you insist on using another chemical, you must soak the spot in water to remove the previous chemical you used. Otherwise, you can avoid commercial cleaners and simply use white vinegar, baking soda, and warm water.

Is It Normal For Cats To Throw Up?

Yes, it's normal for cats to throw up, however, a cat shouldn’t be throwing up every day or even a few times per week. You’re not alone if you’ve ever panicked about your cat throwing up, especially if you’re a new cat owner.

That said, cleaning up cat vomit is unfortunately a major part of standard cat-owner maintenance. Keep a bottle of pet stain remover in your cabinet and stock up on paper towels to keep up with messes. It’s also a good idea to keep distilled white vinegar and baking soda on hand.

Does your cat typically throw up in the same spot? If so, then you may want to set some potty pads out to save yourself some time and protect your floors.

Why Do Cats Throw Up So Much?

Cats throw up more than some other domesticated animals in many cases because of their grooming habits. That’s why you often see “hairballs” in their vomit, which can be gross, but that’s nothing to worry about.

They also often throw up when they eat too much too quickly or eat things they shouldn’t consume. Avoid overfeeding your cats and don’t change their diet too often, or the puking may get worse.

Summing It Up

The best way to clean cat vomit from a carpet is to quickly remove the solids with a paper towel, then soak the liquid with a paper towel. If it’s fresh, you can quickly soak the liquid up before a stain forms. However, you’ll have to use a commercial pet stain remover or a mixture of white vinegar and warm water if a stain has formed.

Related Guides:

• How To Keep Your Cats Off The Kitchen Counter
• Nine Tips For Leaving Your Cats Alone While You Are Away On Vacation