If your cat is urinating outside of the litter box, you’ll have to clean the areas that kitty has chosen as her impromptu toileting spots…but in order to clean them, you’ll have to be able to locate them. If you still smell urine in your home after you’ve cleaned them, then you haven’t tracked down all of kitty’s secret locations. Just because an area looks clean doesn’t mean it is clean. Your nose will be the first to tell you that!

To track down areas that need cleaning. Enlist the help of a very effective tool: a blacklight (also known as a Woods lamp.) This is a special ultraviolet light that causes urine to fluoresce. Blacklights are available at pet supply stores and online.

For the urine to fluoresce, darken the room and shine the blacklight a few inches above the surface you’re examining. Go along furniture, baseboards, the bottom of curtains, and anywhere else kitty may have eliminated. Mark the problem areas with painter’s tape so you’ll be able to easily find the spots for cleaning when the lights are on. I use painter’s tape because it doesn’t leave a residue on anything.

If you suspect kitty has been spraying, check vertical surfaces such as the sides of furniture, above baseboards, curtains, etc.

Use a stain and odor neutralizer made especially for cat urine. Don’t use ordinary household cleaners because they only mask the odor.

Cleaning urine stains is only one aspect of dealing with litter box issues. Have your cat checked by the veterinarian to rule out medical causes, and do appropriate behavior modification to help prevent the problem in future.

For step-by-step instructions on retraining your cat back to the litter box, refer to the book Starting from Scratch.

© 2009 Cat Behavior Associates, LLC