As adorable as cats are, the frustration of hidden cat pee can be overwhelming. Your furry friend may mess up areas in the house that are difficult to locate, leading to a persistent foul smell or odor. In that regard, knowing how to find cat pee smell is vital to address the issue.
You can find cat pee smell by checking in the most suspect areas, vertical surfaces, hidden spots, and feeling dampness on surfaces. In addition, use your nose to sniff around the odor until you find the pee. You can also use a special UV black light to locate dried stains in the suspected areas.
If you have suffered cat pee smell frustrations, stick around to learn how to detect cat pee even in hard-to-reach areas. You’ll also know how to eliminate such for a clean, sparkling, fresh-smelling house.
How to Find Cat Pee Smell Without a Blacklight (2 Easy Ways)
You can find cat pee smell without a blacklight by sniffing around and checking specific and hidden spots in the house.
Once your cat helps herself elsewhere in the house outside the litter box, you know that you won’t have the easiest time locating the smelly pee. Let’s examine the aforementioned methods in detail.
How to Find Cat Pee Smell By Sniffing
Smelling around lets you detect where your feline friend has peed outside the litter box.
Usually, the pee smell is pungent and strong on the nose, thanks to ammonia breakdown. Sniffing is simple and direct but grossly disgusting and a pain.
Here is a quick procedure on how to sniff cat pee till you find it:
- Find out which room the smell is coming from. You should have identified where your loves are hiding or resting, like under furniture, near the litter box, and on carpets and rugs.
- Get on your knees and hands—this is the perfect position to sniff the urine accurately. If you find this one difficult, use your dog to help find the smell.
- As you sniff around, keep a reasonable nose distance. Don’t hold your nose too close to surfaces – maintain a comfortable distance.
- As you close in the affected area, you can sense a strong scent that may choke you. Take small breaks between sniffings to avoid sensitivity issues.
- Be patient during the process. Don’t be in a hurry to finish, as you may leave out certain areas.
- Another set of nostrils could help. So, use help from another person in the house, making the work even less burdensome.
That said, sniffing around the house can be a great method of locating both fresh and dried cat pee. If you don’t find the pee soon, you can also consider a method like looking for stains.
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How to Find Cat Pee By Looking for Stains
You can also check out specific spots for urine stains.
- Consider the most common areas your cat loves sleeping or resting. These could be on rugs, carpets, furniture, and near the litter box.
- You can open the windows to ensure penetration of natural light for easy stain search. When the surfaces are bright-colored, revealing the stains would be a cinch.
- Check for the surface discoloration. Some areas appear darker than others – you can investigate such areas further.
- Look for stains on the walls and other vertical surfaces like furniture. It could be urine stains if you notice discolored sections or unusual spots.
- Inspect thoroughly areas under the bed, chairs, table, or inside closets for stains.
How to Find Cat Urine With Peroxide and Baking Soda
You can find cat urine with peroxide and baking soda by observing whether the suspected area turns white when spraying the peroxide or baking soda. Generally, the solutions react with ammonia or urea in the pee to form a white stain.
That said, use the following step-by-step procedure to find cat urine with peroxide and baking soda:
Materials:
- Hydrogen peroxide (3% solution as it’s safe for most surfaces)
- Baking soda
- Clean cloth or paper towels
- Small bowl for mixing
- Spray bottle
Steps to Find Cat Pee Using Peroxide and Baking Soda
- Create a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. For example, add one tablespoonful of baking powder to a bowl.
- Add small amounts of the hydrogen peroxide gradually and stir the mixture until it forms a paste. The paste should be easy to apply – not runny or too thick.
- Blot the affected area if the urine is fresh. You can use a clean cloth, or paper towel dipped in water.
- You can apply the paste with your fingers, but remember to wear disposable gloves. Then gently scoop small amounts of the paste and apply it on the surface.
- Alternatively, use a spoon to apply the paste or a clean cloth dipped into the paste and applied to the affected surface.
- After you have spread the paste sufficiently on the area, let it settle for 15-30 minutes. This is vital to help ammonia to break down. You can easily note the presence of cat pee when you notice fizzing and bubbles.
- To clean it out, blot and clean the area using a clean cloth or paper towel.
- Dry the surface thoroughly to avoid further smells.
Also Read: How Long After Deworming a Cat Are the Worms Gone? 4 Factors to Consider
How to Check for Cat Urine
You can check for cat urine in places where you know your cat loves disappearing or hiding away.
Check for the suspect areas where you most likely imagine getting your cat. Some of these places in the house include:
- In the closet
- Under furniture
- In corners of carpeted rooms
- Planters
- On the walls and other vertical surfaces like furniture
- Basically, under everything
- Favorite playing spot
Additionally, check on the objects in the house that may have fallen over. Cats are repeat offenders and seem to know what’s going on. It’s not unusual for cats to kick objects to cover the mess up.
Cats can urinate repeatedly once they find a place to comfortably do it without being spotted or much interference. Nevertheless, carefully monitor your cat’s behavior to help you guess the specific areas she could be habitually urinating.
As indicated earlier, nose sniffing is a huge way of detecting cat urine. When sniffing, you should smell a strong pungency. Sometimes, you will need to get on your hands and knees to try and locate the direction of the smell.
How to Find Cat Pee Smell With a Blacklight
You can find cat pee smell with a blacklight by shining the blacklight flashlight in a dark room, prompting the cat urine or pee to glow yellow or green. When these colors shine in the dark, you will know exactly where the pee is for cleaning.
Here’s the procedure on how to find cat pee smell with a blacklight:
1. Get a High-Quality Blacklight
When you purchase your blacklight, consider one with top-notch UV light. It should be an LED with about 9-12 bulbs, rated at 365-385 nm or nanometers. These specs are powerful enough to produce excellent results when the light shines on cat urine. Don’t take UV light with lower or higher ratings if you will get good outcomes.
2. Make the Room Dark
You have the option to draw curtains as close and tight together as possible. However, doing this during the day may prove hard to control natural light filtering through the windows and other ventilation.
Hence, it’d be appropriate to wait till it gets dark outside. Turn off all the lights in the room and elsewhere in the house.
3. Turn On the Light Over the Suspected Area
Once you are sure the dark conditions are enough, turn on the UV light. You should have positioned yourself close to the affected area. Generally, that point where the pungent smell keeps blowing.
Start shining the light on the area where you think the mess is and spread outwards as directed by the foul smell. Make sure to hold the light close to the surface, shining it at a low angle so that it illuminates any dried urine stains that may be lurking around.
4. Watch Out for Fluorescent Yellow and Green Shines
Generally, cat urine fluoresces under black light. Typically, the urine glows yellow or green. It could appear as a spot, splatter, or drip. So, you can follow up on the fluorescence trail to locate the urine odor source.
However, other substances like tonic water and bodily fluids can glow under black light. You should use other clues like smell to verify that the glow is undoubtedly cat urine.
5. Keep Moving the Blacklight on Different Areas
To locate more affected areas, sweep the black light back and forth. The cat may have sprayed her pee at different areas on the surface.
So, you need to be patient and carry out the process gradually. Check on the door frames, furniture tops, and sides, along the walls, floor, and under carpets to ensure you cover all areas.
The last thing you’d wish to happen is get the same bad odor even after identifying and cleaning purported stains.
6. Remember to Mark Urine Spots and Stains
When you identify a urine spot or stain, mark it to remember where it is. Otherwise, you may forget some sections while cleaning. In that context, use tape or chalk to mark the stain around.
How Long Does Cat Urine Smell Last? 3 Factors
Cat urine smell can last forever if it’s not removed correctly and soon enough. However, the urine odor can be effectively removed if the urine is still fresh. Also, remember to use the correct cleaners to ensure great outcomes.
With that in mind, the duration of cat urine smell depends on factors such as surface type, environmental conditions, how fast the stains get removed, the cleaning agent used to remove the stain, and how correctly the entire stain removal is done. Let’s look at these factors next:
- Surface type: If the surface where cat urine goes is bulky and porous, the urine smell may stay permanent, especially with poor cleaning. Non-porous surfaces such as tile floors or glass are easy to clean – hence, the smell is extinguished fast.
- Environmental factors: The urine odor intensifies in high humidity and warm temperatures. On the other hand, dry conditions help lower the odor.
- Cleaning promptness: How fast you react to fresh cat urine determines whether the smell will prolong or not. It’s better to clean promptly before it stains the surface. You don’t want it to penetrate the deeper layers of your rug.
What Causes Cats to Pee Outside the Litter Box? 3 Things
Cats pee outside the litter box because of causes such as medical issues, stress, and litter box aversion.
Once the cat gets used to helping herself outside the litter box, getting her back in the correct ways will be hard.
Let’s examine the five reasons why cats pee outside the litter box:
- Medical issues: Several medical conditions can cause your cat to urinate everywhere. They are urinary medical issues, including bladder stones, idiopathic cystitis, and urinary tract infections or UTIs.
- Stress: Stress in cats is an indication that they are unhappy. Male cats may communicate with you or another pet in the house by urinating in certain spots to mark their territory.
- Litter box aversion: Your cat may be averting the litter box you provided because it’s dirty, uncomfortable, or not providing sufficient privacy.
Final Thoughts on How to Find Cat Pee Smell
Learning how to find cat pee smell is not just about maintaining a clean home, but also about ensuring the health and happiness of both you and your feline friend.
By following the four simple methods outlined in this guide, you can reclaim your space from unwanted odors and provide a more comfortable environment for your beloved pet.
Remember, early detection is key to addressing any underlying issues that may be causing your cat to urinate outside the litter box.
Armed with these techniques, you’ll be equipped to tackle the problem head-on, leaving your home smelling fresh and your bond with your furry companion stronger than ever.
