Cats make fantastic pets with their playful, affectionate, and inquisitive nature. You’ll find many cat parents fawning over their fur babies much the same way parents would over their human babies. However, as wonderful and adorable as your cat may be, if they have a tendency to miss the litter box or mark the house, it can be frustrating to deal with.
It can get even worse if you can smell the pee but have no idea where they went. Now, the easiest way to detect where your cat has peed is by using a blacklight, but not everyone has one of those just laying around.
So, how do you find cat urine without a blacklight? The best way to locate cat urine without the use of a blacklight is to check the usual spots, search around corners, and check your bed or any clothing you might have laying around. These are the places where your cat is most likely to do their business.
Stick with us as we explain the ways you can locate where your kitty cat might have peed without the assistance of a blacklight. We’ll also talk about how to properly clean cat urine up and encourage your kitty to choose the litter box text time.
Why Do Cats Pee Outside Of The Litter Box
We have to do our due diligence here and explain that one of the biggest causes of cats urinating outside of their litter box is usually due to not being neutered or spayed, so please, for the love of your cats and your beautiful floors, get your cats fixed!
Those hormones will drive your poor kitty crazy and cause them to feel the need to mark their territory. And yes, both male and female cats practice marking. Neutering and spaying will eliminate this urge and allow your cat to relax, your floors to stay spotless, and your house to stay smelling pleasant.
Another reason your cat may be turning their nose up at the litter box may be because it is already full. A full litter box won’t exactly be inviting your pet to use it. It’s important to always clean your cat’s litter daily, even twice a day if you have the time. Vets also recommend having at least one litter box per cat that you own.
Besides just being a hygienic practice in general, daily cleaning will keep unpleasant odors and textures away that might disgust your kitty just as much as it disgusts you. Wouldn’t you choose a clean toilet over an out-house?
However, if your litter box is always spotless, your cat may just not like the feeling or smell of the litter you’ve chosen. Some cats find sand or silica gel irritating or uncomfortable to step in. Others hate synthetic scents. So try experimenting with different types until you find one that works for your fluffy friend.
More serious reasons could include stress and anxiety (usually caused by a major change in the household), or medical issues such as incontinence, kidney stones, bladder infections, or more. So if your cat has never had issues with peeing outside the litter box before and their habits have suddenly changed, consult a veterinarian.
How Does A Blacklight Help In Finding Cat Urine?
Blacklight, also known as UV or ultraviolet light, is higher than visible light. When you take a UV light and move it across areas with cat pee, the scent-creating chemicals of the urine illuminate under the blacklight. Even older cat urine stains are highlighted.
One thing to note about blacklight is that UV light functions better in dimly-lit or dark areas. So, if you have a blacklight and want to look for cat pee, it’s best to do so with the light switch off or try it after sundown.
Where Should You Look If Your House Smells Like Cat Pee?
While every cat is an individual, there are certainly some patterns both veterinarians and owners have been able to gather over the years they’ve lived with felines. So here are the places your cat is most likely to choose instead of their litter box to get your search started.
The Usual Spots
If you can smell cat pee in your house, you have to start by narrowing down the area where the odor is coming from. If your cat does this often, you can start with the usual spots where your cat likes to hang and the places where they have peed before. There isn’t any equipment or gadget that will give you a precise location where your cat might have peed.
But, you must, as a cat parent, realize that cat urine leaves a nasty stain as well as scent. And, if your poor kitty cat is suffering from a urinary tract infection, the scent and the color of the urine is going to be quite telling. So, it may not take much for you to be able to sniff out the precise area where your cat might have peed.
Around Corners
Look around corners and closer to the furniture. Table legs, the base of a sofa armrest, or chair legs are areas that will help you locate the scene of the crime. If you find pee on areas such as these, it’s likely that your cat is spraying to mark their territory. Both male and female cats do this if they are not spayed or neutered . . . so get on that.
Your Bed Or Clothes
Your cat could also be feeling insecure due to the addition of a new family member who might be sharing your bed. If they feel that they need to mix their scent with yours to include you as a part of their community, or clan, then they may end up peeing on your bed or on a pile of clothes you’ve left on the floor.
In most cases, cat pee is easily detected when your cat lets go on your bed. The wetness, the stench, and even the stain are telltale signs. But, if you’ve been gone and your cat was missing you, and you come back to find your house smelling of cat pee, then you should take a good look under your bed covers.
How Can You Clear The Area Where Your Cat Has Urinated?
If you’ve managed to find the correct site of cat urination, you’ll want to get straight to cleaning up the mess. As mentioned earlier, cat pee smells awful, leaves a horrible stain, and can cause a bacterial infection to spread in your household. It can even cause your floorboards to rot. So, there’s really no excuse for delaying the clean-up of cat urine.
Moreover, cats feel the urge to urinate in areas where they have urinated before. So, it’s imperative that you thoroughly clean the pee spot to remove not just the pee stain but the scent of urine as well. You may even want to pick up a cat-repelling spray to further mask the scent and discourage a second incident.
The scent from the cat urine comes from ammonia, which is not easily removed. However, it can be done, so let’s look at some of the most effective ways of removing cat urine spots.
Homemade Remedies:
- Vinegar – You can use white or synthetic vinegar with water to make a robust solution that will remove the stain and mask the urine odor. Use about 1 ½ cup of water and ½ cup of vinegar to soak up the area for at least 5-10 minutes. Then clean up the spot with a detergent-soaked sponge and dry.
- Baking Soda – You can also use baking soda to clean up cat urine. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the cat urine area and allow the baking soda to soak up the pee. Let it stay for 3-5 minutes, and then use some detergent to clean up the place.
- Hydrogen Peroxide – Use one part hydrogen peroxide and two parts water or vinegar and let the solution stay for about 5-10 minutes and clean up afterward.
- Citrus-Scented Powder or Oil – Most cats detest the scent of citrus, so if you apply some citrus-scented powder or even make a solution of citrus-scented oil with water and spray some on and around the areas where your cat likes to pee, the scent will certainly work as a deterrent. It may also keep them from scratching on your furniture.
There are plenty of products available on the market that can help you clear up cat urine and work to prevent your kitty cat from trying to use the same place to do their business.
How Can You Help Your Cat With Going To The Litter Box?
You need to remember that any form of negative response from you will not encourage your fur baby to go to the cat litter box. It will only work to weaken the bond of trust and love between you and your beloved pet. Never yell at your cat or even consider hitting them.
The only way to get your furry friend to go back to using their litter box is to use positive reinforcement. If your cat has chosen a spot where it prefers urine, clean up the site and use a mat pad.
There is a strong possibility that your cat is under stress or unwell, so a visit to the vet will help determine whether or not all is well, and once your pet has received a clean bill of health, you can move on to training them to pee in the litter box. Cleaning the litter box daily will encourage your pet to use it.
Litter boxes vary in size, so if you bought one for your kitten and are still using the same one, your kitty might not want to use it because it is uncomfortable. Replacing the small-sized litter box with a bigger one will go a long way in getting your kitty to use their litter box rather than going around urinating all over the house.
Up Next: Male Vs Female Cats – The Difference