Knowing how to detect cat urine quickly can save the heartache of ruined carpets and furniture. Once it’s soaked in, the odor of cat urine is notoriously hard to get rid of.
In this post you’ll discover a few proven methods of detecting cat urine as well as tips on eliminating the smell fast! Although cats are fastidious, accidents can happen.
Cats are also highly sensitive and changes you may perceive as minor, your cat sees as overwhelming. Also, bullying from other pets can result in peeing outside the box.
Keep reading to discover how you can detect cat urine even if you can’t smell it. Often, neutered or spayed cats have less pungent urine odor.
However, once soaked in it will smell bad! The reason for this is it’s highly concentrated. Added to which it contains an amino acid known as felinine.
Once broken down, this odorless chemical produces foul smelling odors, enough to knock your socks off!
Sniffing out cat pee is the most basic way you can detect it, but by the time you can smell that foul odor the urine has already soaked in. If you suspect your cat has peed on the laundry, sniffing the clothes will quickly confirm your suspicions.
Using A Blacklight To Detect Cat Urine.Stains
Blacklights make detecting cat stains a breeze. It can save you hours of crawling under beds and sofas trying to find that elusive stain your cat left behind. If your kitty has left her mark it will show as either a green or yellow spot.
In fact, backlights are so powerful they can also detect forgeries and scorpions! This could be useful if you live in a tropical country, or suspect you’re handling stolen bank notes!
What Is A Blacklight And How Does It Work?
Blacklights emit ultraviolet light and hardly any light that’s visible to the human eye. This means if you were to enter a room lit by a blacklight it would appear as total darkness.
However, they have many uses including disinfection, treating acne, and other skin infections. Detecting cat urine is just one example, but extremely helpful in finding where your feline friend has peed!
The best type of blacklight for this job is one with LED bulbs. This is because they emit a stronger amount of UV light.
It’s always best to use a backlight for detecting stains in dimly lit areas. You’ll be able to see any urine stains clearly and deal with them fast.
There are many blacklights for detecting cat urine on the market, and you may be able to find one in your local store. However, I’ve handpicked a few for you to check out.
Although I’ve not personally used them, I’ve based my opinions on research and customer ratings. In addition, I may make a small commission on any purchases which won’t affect the price you pay.
UV Black Light Flashlight,100 LED UV Flashlights, Super Bright Ultraviolet Flashlight Professional Blacklight Pet Urine Detector for Dog/Cat,Hunting Scorpions
Glossday UV. Black light has 100 LED bulbs making it super bright. Made from aircraft grade aluminium it’s non-slip making it easy to grip.
As the LED lights are 40% brighter you’ll find the flashlight covers a larger area. This makes it super fast to uncover any spots of urine left by your fur baby.
You will have to get your own batteries though as they’re not supplied. You’ll need 6 AA batteries.
However, if you only use the backlight occasionally it’s suggested you remove the batteries to conserve them.
In addition to revealing where your cat has peed you can use it for multiple purposes including finding scorpions, and showing dirty areas in bathrooms and kitchens.
The latter may shock you if you believe you’ve done a thorough clean! However, this blacklight could quickly become your best friend!
Key Features
- Made from strong aircraft grade aluminium
- Non-slip for easy grip.
- 100 LED lights
- 6 AA batteries required
- 40% brighter than many other blacklights.
- Long running life up to 100000 hours
- Multi-purpose
- Covers large areas
Average Rating 4.6 out of 5
You Can Buy UV Blacklight Flashlight Here
TriNova Pet Urine Detector
TriNova pet urine detector is made from eco-friendly materials. Though it only has 51 LED lights compared to 100 with Glossday blacklight it’s still a powerful flashlight.
You will need 3 AA batteries which aren’t supplied.
As it’s water resistant it can survive splashes of liquid. Although don’t try dropping it in the bath!
As with all blacklights, TriNova works best in dark or very dim conditions. In addition to revealing pee stains you can also uncover pesky spiders and bed bugs as well as scary scorpions!
Key Features
- Made from eco-friendly materials
- Water resistant
- 51 LED lights
- Multi-purpose
Average Rating 4.3 out of 5
You Can Buy TriNova Pet Urine Detector Here
Karrong Rechargeable UV Flashlight
Karrong rechargeable flashlight makes an ideal cat urine detector as well as handy flashlight for camping or power outages. As it’s rechargeable you can power it up using a power bank or laptop.
This saves money on expensive batteries and you’ll never be left in the dark! In addition, as a pet urine stain detector you can widen or narrow the beam.
This means you can cover a large area for revealing tell tale spots of urine. For example, around the litter box, living room floor, or even bathroom.
With a powerful 1200 lumen, and 7 different lighting modes you have plenty of option. Plus, you also get adjustable focus for pin sharp areas you need to clean.
Key Features
- Rechargeable battery
- USB cable
- Waterproof
- 1200 lumen for super bright light
- Pocket clip so you don’t lose your flashlight
- 7 different lighting modes
- Adjustable beam width and focus
- USB cable
Average Rating 4.6 out of 5
You Can Buy Karrong Rechargeable UV Flashlight Here
Eliminating Cat Pee Odor
Once you’ve found where your cat has peed you need to get rid of the stain immediately. The longer you leave it the more it will become ingrained.
You can use natural methods such as outlined in my post on how to get rid of cat urine smell for a fresher home. Alternatively, you could always opt for products such Natures Miracle which claims to help stop your cat remarking.
Sadly, once carpet has become embedded with cat urine it can be very hard to get rid of, and often, replacing flooring or carpet is the only option. By using a blacklight and revealing urine stains you should be able to remove the offending odor.
However, this depends on how long the urine stain has been there and where it’s located. In some cases you could remove the patch your cat has been peeing on providing it’s quite small.
Covering the bare space with a rug may be a good option. Of course, you’ll have to keep a close eye on your cat to make sure she doesn’t revert back to her bad habits!
Final Thoughts
Now you know how to detect cat urine you should be able to remove those offending marks your feline friend created.In many cases it will be obvious where she’s peed as the pungent smell will reveal.
However, using a blacklight can show hidden spots that aren’t so obvious. It can also make the job of cleaning much easier as you can see exactly where to target.
If you’ve enjoyed this post and found it useful please share. Feel free to share this pin on your “pets” board.
Also if you have any questions or would like to share experiences leave a comment below
Wishing you a purrfect day:)
Kathy
Kathy, if I had a cat I would certainly prefer the black light to sniffing out cat urine lol. I am sure cats make great pets, but for me personally cat hair all over the place, cats jumping on the kitchen table, cat urine that leads to the replacement of carpets does not sound like a lot of fun to me.
I guess it also depends on how you train them. I heard of some cats sharpening their claws on the curtains as well, haha. But I know my sister in law has a cat and from what I can see her cat is quite well disciplined and I don’t see that kind of behaviour.
Hi Schalk, most cats are very clean and peeing outside the litter box will usually have a reason. For example, litter box that hasn’t been cleaned, urine infection, or stress. Cats are highly sensitive and any one of those causes could result in an accident. However, they shouldn’t be a regular occurrence once you’ve established the cause. Yes, you’re right, cats have been known to tear curtains, but this would normally be kittens and younger adults. Your sister in law obviously has her cat well trained! Thanks for stopping by again:)
This is a fantastic article.
If I had a cat, I would go with the Glossday backlight because of its long lifespan, large coverage area, and multipurpose capability. The Karrong Rechargeable UV Flashlight is another blacklight that I prefer. Its 7 various illumination options, adjustable focus, and rechargeability set it apart from the others. The usage of a blacklight is beneficial and saves one from having to scent out cat pees. I don’t see myself searching around the home for cat urine; instead, I’ll toss the rug or carpet.
It’s comforting to know that well-trained cats are less likely to pee outside of their litter box for no apparent reason.
Cats that have been properly educated appear to be more disciplined and cleaner than dogs; yet, I could be mistaken. Due to their sensitive nature, I believe the best safeguard or preventive action against cat pees is to properly train them and be very attentive to them.
Thank you for this.
Femi.
Hi Femi, thanks for stopping by again. Glad you found this post useful, and yes, Glossday backlight is good as it covers large areas. Karrong is also a popular backlight as it has so many lighting functions, as well as adjustable focus. This is a great tool not only for detecting cat urine, but as a torch for camping.
Hi Kathy,
I wish I had seen a post like this a few years ago. We had a cat that was peeing in on certain spot, and never realized until it started to break down like you said. Oh my, the smell was awful. We did manage to get it to a level that was barely detectable, but what a job. I never even thought of a black light, and I knew that black lights could detect bleach on clothes. I am sure if I had a black light, I could have checked the whole house very quickly! Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Hi Chas, glad you found this post useful ? yes, it can take time to get rid of the smell of cat pee. Black lights can be a game changer, and save hours of sniffing out the source. I’m sure you would easily have checked the whole house? thanks for stopping by again and giving your input
Wow, thanks a lot Kathy. I wasn’t aware of this powerful blacklight as helping tool for detecting cat’s urine. I agree, it can be super awful to smell it. One question on you. How long does it take from the cat actually peeing and until it gets smelly that you can change your carpet? How many days approximately? I also wonder how we can stop the cat peeing outside the box in first place….you said bullying from other animals cause cat doing it, but what can be the reason for cats that are not around other animals? I enjoyed your post.
Hi Julius, cat pee really starts to smell once it dries. The longer it’s left the worse it gets. Ideally, use a backlight to detect any stains and clean the patch as soon as possible. In answer to your other question, there are many reasons for a cat to pee outside the box. Anything from a different brand of litter to a change in the environment.