Start at the tray, because that is where the smell lives
A house smells of cat for one main reason: waste sits too long in one place. Urine soaked into old litter, solids left unscooped and residue built up on the tray plastic all release odour continuously, and no candle or plug-in can outrun a source that is still producing smell. That is why the fix is a cleaning rhythm, not a fragrance. Once the source is under control, most homes stop smelling of cat within days, even to visitors who notice these things instantly.
The daily and weekly rhythm that actually works
Scoop the tray at least once a day, and twice if your cat uses it heavily or you have more than one cat sharing it. Keep the litter deep enough that your cat can bury waste properly, because shallow litter leaves urine pooling on the base where it soaks in and lingers. On a regular cycle, empty the tray completely, wash it with hot water and a mild unscented soap, dry it fully and refill it with fresh litter. Litter itself also ages: even litter that looks clean gradually absorbs odour, so endless topping up without a full change just preserves the problem in a tidier-looking form.
Placement, air and the tray itself
Put the tray somewhere air can move a little, rather than sealed into the smallest cupboard in the house, and open a window in that room when weather allows. Check the tray itself as well. Old plastic trays develop scratches that trap residue and smell no amount of washing fully removes, so a tray that still smells straight after a proper wash has probably reached the end of its useful life. Covered trays can help contain odour for human noses, but only if your cat is happy using one and you scoop it just as often, since a lid traps smell inside for the cat as well as keeping it in for you.
What not to reach for
Strongly scented litters and air fresheners placed right beside the tray often backfire with cats. A cat's nose is far more sensitive than yours, and a tray that smells of perfume to her can become a tray she avoids, which trades a smelly tray for accidents elsewhere in the house. Unscented litter, cleaned often, beats scented litter cleaned rarely every time. If one room still holds a smell after the tray routine is solid, wash any bedding your cat sleeps on and check soft furnishings nearby, because fabric absorbs and re-releases odour long after the tray is clean.
When a stronger smell is a health clue, not a housekeeping one
If your cat's urine suddenly smells much stronger or sharper than usual, or she starts urinating outside the tray, straining, or going far more often, treat that as information rather than mess. Changes in urination can be an early sign of a urinary problem, and cats who feel discomfort in the tray sometimes start avoiding it. A housekeeping fix will not solve that, so book a vet visit and describe exactly what changed and when you first noticed it.
Sharing the job so it never slips
Odour control fails in most homes not because nobody cares, but because everyone assumes someone else scooped today. KinsLe's Care Teams let you assign the scooping, the full wash and the litter top-up as named duties for your cat, and each completed task is marked with a timestamp, so the rota is visible instead of guessed at.