When Cats Pee on Upholstered Furniture: What You Need to Know Before Reupholstering

Introduction

Cat urine on upholstered furniture presents a unique set of challenges—strong odors, possible health risks, and the potential for long-lasting damage that goes beyond what the eye can see. If you’re considering having a piece reupholstered after your cat has used it as a bathroom, there are a few important things to understand first. The seriousness of the problem determines how deep the remediation process needs to go, and ultimately affects both the cost and the quality of the final result.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the key questions to ask when evaluating cat-soiled furniture. You'll learn why it's important to assess how deeply the urine may have penetrated, what might need to be done before new fabric can go on, and why simply reupholstering over the old problem rarely works. We’ll also explain how your upholsterer can take care of this for you—or, if you're looking to save some money, how you can do some of the prep work yourself, step by step.

Assessing the Damage

cat's pee on wing chair.png

1. Not All Urine Incidents Are Equal
The first thing to consider is how often the furniture has been urinated on.

• Single accidents might only affect the outer fabric and a small area of padding.

• Ongoing or repeated marking could mean that urine has soaked deep into the padding, inner support materials, and even the wooden frame.

Smell is often a key indicator: if you can still smell urine after the surface has dried, the damage has likely gone beyond just the fabric. Also, if you’ve cleaned the surface multiple times and the odor returns, it probably means the inner materials are contaminated.

2. What Can Be Salvaged—and What Can’t
Once urine has soaked into foam or cotton padding, those materials almost always need to be removed. Even if dried out, the uric acid crystals left behind can reactivate with moisture (including humidity) and cause the smell to return.

• Reusable items: In some cases, springs, webbing, and some of the padding may be salvageable it not damaged by the urine.

• Non-reusable items: Contaminated fabric, burlap, webbing, foam, batting, dust covers, and anything else that might be damaged.

The longer the problem has gone untreated, the more thorough the restoration will need to be.

Your Options: Have the Upholsterer Handle It—Or Do It Yourself

3. Option A: Let the Upholsterer Handle It
A skilled upholsterer can take care of every part of this process for you:

• Disassemble the furniture

• Remove contaminated fabric and padding

• Clean and seal the wood frame, if needed

• Add all new webbing, burlap, padding and/or foam, as needed

• Rebuild and reupholster the piece

This will add to the cost of the reupholstery job, but it ensures the work is done professionally and safely. 

4. Option B: Save Money by Doing Some Prep Yourself
If you’re looking to reduce costs and are comfortable doing some hands-on work, you can prepare the furniture yourself before bringing it in for upholstery. Before you begin, follow this sequence:

DIY Preparation Guide

3 shots of wing chair.png

5. Take Photos from Every Angle
Before removing anything, take clear photos of the furniture:

• Front, sides, back, top, and bottom

• Close-ups of details (trims, corners, tufting, etc.)

• Attachment methods (staples, tack strips, buttons)

These will help your upholsterer understand how the piece was originally constructed and reassemble it accurately.

6. Carefully Strip Away Fabric and Padding
Start with the bottom dust cover and work up:

wing chair frame.png

• Use a staple remover and pliers

• Wear gloves and a mask, especially if the padding is urine-soaked

• Bag and dispose of contaminated materials immediately

• Be sure to save any reusable parts (legs, screws, metal braces)

7. Inspect and Deodorize the Frame
Once exposed, smell and examine the wood frame. If there's still a strong odor:

• Clean with an enzyme-based urine remover (such as Nature’s Miracle or Anti-Icky-Poo)

• Let it soak and dry thoroughly, which may take several days to dry.

• Repeat the treatment if necessary

8. Seal the Frame to Block Residual Odor
If any odor remains after cleaning, apply a sealant:

• Shellac-based primers (like Zinsser B-I-N) are excellent at locking in odor

• Oil-based primers or polyurethane can also work

• Be thorough—cover every surface, including joints and corners

Allow the sealant to dry completely before transporting the frame for reupholstery.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with cat urine on furniture isn't fun, but ignoring the problem or covering it up will only make things worse in the long run. Whether you choose to have your upholsterer handle the full restoration or prefer to do the initial cleanup yourself, what matters most is that the issue is addressed fully. That’s the only way to ensure that your newly upholstered piece will be both beautiful and free of lingering odor.