Removing Cat Urine - When is it gone??

So I recently discovered that my cat has turned my dining room into his own private potty. I have taken him to the vet and he is now on meds for a urinary tract infection. Now, I am turning my attention to clean-up. I have been browsing these forums and found many good suggestions.

So here's my question. I have a blacklight which I used to find the stains, and tried a few different cleanup methods on a few different stains to see which works best. After using products like Nature's Miracle, if I go back over the area with a blacklight, will I still see the yellow glow that indicates cat pee? Or if I do, does that mean it's not clean yet?

Hi Kitty,

Thank you first of all for understanding that when a cat pees outside of their box, it is usually a health issue. You in taking him to the vet have prevented a small problem from becoming a larger health isssue! KUDOS!!!

About the black light- because your cat is a male, their spray can really travel. Look up, look down, look all around and follow those glow spots. Nok-Out is one of the best urine eliminators, but in a pinch vodka works too. Once the glow is gone, that means the enzymes in the urine have been broken down and the stain is gone.

Once again, thank you for taking this cat to the vet.


UTI can hit at any time, and if ignored, they can get pretty ugly and painful for both pet and owner.

Amazingly it wasn't the smell that made he realize what was happening. I caught him in the act, and then pulled out a blacklight I had in college. YIKES! I can't say that I wasn't mad, but I found sites like this one that made me realize that it could be a medical problem, and that made me much less upset. (I can definately understand the pain of a UTI!!!)

As to using vodka as a cleaner, how do you use it? Pour it on and dap it up? Let it dry? So many methods and so much pee.....

Just curious about the blacklight. What is it? I mean, it is problably not only for detecting cat urine. I am interested because I have a male cat. Not a problem yet, but if the urine odour should find the way to my nose one day, this blacklight might be a useful tool.

Blacklights produce ultraviolet light and make fluorescent colors "glow in the dark." Cat urine happens to glow a bright yellow-green. I bought one when I was in college in a store called Spencer's Gifts. It was about $20. (We used to put old highlighters in water in bottles, and put the blacklight behind it. When you turned off the room lights, the bottles looked like they were glowing. Cool effect for parties and the like.) Some pet stores sell small blacklights intended to help locate messes (although they are the same thing as what I have but smaller, and maybe more expensive).

Thank you.

As to using vodka as a cleaner, how do you use it? Pour it on and dap it up? Let it dry? So many methods and so much pee.....

just pour it on and let it dry on it's own. Drying time isn't very long.

Hello,
I was wondering how the black light works to spot the urine.
I have a cat whom has urinated in many spots. I purchased a 75 watt, blacklight,
and nothing shows up. I wonder if it's the color of my carpet, green, which prevents the stains from appearing. I've tried Natures Miracle, and even rented a steam cleaner, but the smell was worse after the steam cleaner. I bought some cheap voodka and a spray bottle. and hit the closets, but how does the blacklight work, or do I need a stronger or different style of blacklight.
any help is greatly apprieciated.
thanks
Patrick Snider
[email protected]

Okay, I know it sounds weird, but she's in heat, and I hear this can happen. She's getting spayed on July 14th (thank goodness...my vet originally couldn't get me in until August 30th, but they have a sister hospital, so she's going there...it's worth the extra drive). Anyway, I've read with interest the posts about the pee and was curious: Other than vodka and nature's miracle, has anyone had success with other natural ways to remove it. Once, when my beloved Mr. Fuzzypants had an accident, I used vinegar and water, then used hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and a drop of mild dish detergent. Now, he only got a few drops out and I caught him right away. But I'm wondering if my female does this again and I don't catch it right away, is the vodka the recommended natural thing? I probably have some of that in my home. Since I caught her spraying yesterday, I've ordered a black light and will look for other spots, but I'm afraid they may be set by then.

Thanks.
Sandy & Rogue a.k.a. the Mistress of Mischief

As to the question about the blacklight, is it a bulb or a tube? The light bulb-like blacklight really isn't very good. You need one that looks like a flourescent tube light.