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So I've got
two cats that my boyfriend and I first got them from a shelter a year
ago. We knew that we would adopt Zelda right away. She was really cute
and responded to our fingers sticking into her cage with purrs and
meows. We wanted someone really mellow and Zelda seemed to fit the
bill. While looking for a companion, we spotted a boy-kitten pawing out
to me from his cage. We fell in love with him right away and
decided to bring him home.
So my home is
about 900 sq. feet and I didn't really think cats would be a problem. I
thought, "Hey, they're young...we'll train them to do whatever we
want!" But yeah, I was pretty wrong about that. With a 2 bedroom/1 bath
deal, the bathroom had to be shared with the cats and it was a bit
obvious to our guests that there was a litter box by the toilet. I
began to get really concerned about the smell, so I had this genius
idea that we should potty train them.
At first I
thought..."Yes! They're using it right!" but you really had to be
vigilant. Link seemed to respond really well to the training and had no
problem doing his business but it was hard to go to the next level with
Zelda messing up.
We caught her
peeing on the couch a few times - and cat urine is arguably one of the
most foul smells on the earth. After two to three months of constantly
washing cushions and going through gallons of Febreeze, we converted
back to the traditional kitty litter but didn't solve the odor problem
one bit.
Most would think, "Oh, just get an air freshener," and I had one
plugged in for a weeks straight. The bathroom isn't exactly roomy and
the odor would even seep into the towels; all the plug-ins did was
cover the underlying smell.
So what next? Now that my couch smells like cat piss and the bathroom
problem hasn't been solved, what other options did I have? I started
researching information on air purifiers and found that carbon
filters were pretty efficient at trapping odors. I also had the
problem of having guests over due to allergies, which carbon filtered
air purifiers would be able to tackle effectively. I thought,
"Hmm...maybe an air purifier
would be a good investment..."
Trying to save a buck, at first I borrowed my mom's ionized filter for
awhile thinking that it'd do the job, but it didn't do anything for the
smell. Then I found out that ionized products can harm the environment
on top of not helping me with my pet odor problem.
Now, most
people would go out to Wal-Mart or something to find an air purifier,
but their products usually aren't industrial grade. I mean, what would
you do if you had your whole couch soaked in cat piss, and your living
space was condensed to a mere 900 ft? You'd want the most strongest
industrial grade air purifier there is - something that would suck the
odor like a black hole.
After a bit of researching, I came across a company that sells air
purifiers - but what I loved about their site was the wealth of
information they had - a whole online
library I could go through plus their offer to call them up and
talk to an industry professional. I did exactly that.
When I called them up, they asked what I needed it for and if there
were any special considerations - (this is also something you keep in
mind if you go venture out on your own to pick one out for your pet
odor problems). I told the specialist that I needed:
- something
small and compact, not something the cats can tackle down
- with a
washable filter and preferably a carbon filter (apparently carbon
filters are best for odors)
- under $300
- lightweight
or moveable
- has a
design that compliments my home decor (my home has an earthy tone, so I
can't get anything too modern looking)
- relatively
quiet (I've already got computers, the cats' water filter, and machines
buzzing around)
Based on what
I needed, I was offered a few choices. I ended up going with the AirTube
Air Purifier, which covers everything I'm looking for and includes
both a carbon and HEPA filter!
My rule of
thumb is: buy from the people who know it best...saves you the headache
of having to replace/repair/exchange a poor product.
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