# Cat Urine - Finding the spots **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 2001, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860 "2001-10-01T23:02:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShouldBeWorking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@ShouldBeWorking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShouldBeWorking)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2001, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/1 "2001-10-01T23:02:58Z")
I have light colored carpet. Can I find the locations and the extent(s) of the spots where my cat has urinated using a black light? If not, is there any way, other than my nose, to locate ALL of these spots? ---
**Author:** ![d12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71c47a/32.png) [@d12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d12)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/2 "2001-10-02T00:10:08Z")
You could try to sniff them out. ---
**Author:** ![dec](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@dec](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dec)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/3 "2001-10-02T00:10:36Z")
I tried this in an attempt to locate cat spray and discovered a surprising large number of florescent spots. I have hard wood floors, so I cleaned every spot and eventually got the smelly one. Apparently, most biological fluids will glow under a black light including old food dribblings. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/4 "2001-10-02T00:43:18Z")
As an owner of several duplexes I have had to deal with this more than I care to remember. Use a black light to make the spots show up, and saturate them with any of the enzyme-based urine deodorizers from your local pet supply store. ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/5 "2001-10-02T00:52:49Z")
what’s a “black light”? is it UV? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/6 "2001-10-02T19:11:35Z")
Yes, a black light is UV. I suspect they can still be found in any reputable head shop. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/7 "2001-10-02T20:03:24Z")
Also, I don’t know where you’d come across one of these things, but we once moved into an apartment that had cat piss _everywhere_. Even after they came out and steam cleaned all the carpets, My mom (being a stickler for cleanliness) claimed she could still smell it. They sent out another guy who had this metal pole that had a prod on the bottom of it and it would buzz wherever there was any remnants of piss. Maybe it was sensing the salt, or the acidity? I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/8 "2001-10-02T20:51:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > \*\*Also, I don’t know where you’d come across one of these things, but we once moved into an apartment that had cat piss _everywhere_. Even after they came out and steam cleaned all the carpets, My mom (being a stickler for cleanliness) claimed she could still smell it. > \*\* Steaming carpets actually sometimes makes the smell worse.I know of one aparetment where they had to replace the carpet after the new residents steamed the carpet themselves to rid the cat stink and … ooops! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/9 "2001-10-02T21:40:59Z")
i said it before, and i’ll say it again: i hate cats. ---
**Author:** ![ShouldBeWorking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@ShouldBeWorking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShouldBeWorking)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/10 "2001-10-02T21:55:48Z")
> [@](#): > > They sent out another guy who had this metal pole that had a prod on the bottom of it and it would buzz wherever there was any remnants of piss. Maybe it was sensing the salt, or the acidity? It senses the balance in your checking account… 😉 I actually fell for this. The guy said that each time it buzzed, you needed an “injection” of some enzyme cleaning solution. That damn thing buzzed almost 200 times. I paid the bill. But it worked. ---
**Author:** ![Threadkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@Threadkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Threadkiller)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/11 "2001-10-02T22:12:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > They sent out another guy who had this metal pole that had a prod on the bottom of it and it would buzz wherever there was any remnants of piss. Maybe it was sensing the salt, or the acidity? I don’t know. Has to be a resistance measurement. They are supposed to ask if you have had your carpet cleaned recently. ---
**Author:** ![ShouldBeWorking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@ShouldBeWorking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShouldBeWorking)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/12 "2001-10-03T01:58:00Z")
Threadkiller: I thought conductivity. Same thing really. BTW, I tried the black light - it didn’t work. So I just spread the enzyme cleaner everywhere. That’ll show 'em. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/13 "2001-10-03T02:19:52Z")
I’ve noticed that our locak discount store is selling a cat-piss light. So they’re not such a rare item anymore. Maybe the black light wasn’t quite the right thing? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2001, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/14 "2001-10-04T22:05:07Z")
> [@](#): > > _the spots where my cat has urinated using a black light_\* Why does your cat use a black light while urinating? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-urine-finding-the-spots/84860/15 "2001-10-05T00:46:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShouldBeWorking \* > \*\*I tried the black light - it didn’t work. So I just spread the enzyme cleaner everywhere. That’ll show 'em. \*\* For the enzyme cleaner to work you really need to saturate the spot, so unless you bought it by the gallons it probably won’t do you much good to spread it everywhere. In fact you’ll need to put the solution not only on the carpet but directly on the padding, or better yet just throw the padding away and replace it - it’s cheap. Finally you may even need to saturate the concrete slab, subfloor, carpet tack strips, and anything else the urine may have soaked into. It’s a real mess to clean up.