Blue Lights, for urine detection do they actually work?

Deex2

2 Boys & A Girl
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 9, 2021
Messages
64
Purraise
19
Location
California
If you have used, are using a blue light flash light to detect cat urine accidents what brands (where did you get it) do you use or which ones to avoid?

I know you can't just use any blue light as for cat pee it has to be within a certain rating parameter, don't recall off hand the #'s.
 

ArtNJ

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Messages
5,485
Purraise
6,957
You can search UV light on amazon if you want to save a few dollars over Petco and see product ratings.

They do work, BUT they also detect every spot on your carpet where you ever spilled food, where a cat vomitted and you cleaned, where you tracked something in with your shoes and didn't clean to forensic standards, etc, etc. It can look like a crime scene. They are useful if you have a pee problem. And horrifying. They are also fairly cheap and a low risk purchase -- unless your so horrified you can't sleep!
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
It's black / UV light that makes cat pee spots glow in the dark.
 

Cat McCannon

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Mar 28, 2021
Messages
919
Purraise
2,233
UV radiation can be harmful to the eyes. Get a pair of UV protection goggles.
 

tabbytom

Happiness is being owned by a cat
Staff Member
Mentor
Joined
May 12, 2016
Messages
19,668
Purraise
36,862
Location
Lion City, Singa-purr
If you have used, are using a blue light flash light to detect cat urine accidents what brands (where did you get it) do you use or which ones to avoid?

I know you can't just use any blue light as for cat pee it has to be within a certain rating parameter, don't recall off hand the #'s.
For cat urine, it is best to use a light in the 365 nm to 385 nm range, best is 365 nm. Let the urine dry up first, which in the case of looking for urine, most probably it's dried up already which is easier to detect as dried up urine will glow.
Also make sure the lights are off, the darker the room there better.

If you detect cat's urine with the black light, he urine will glow yellowish with greenish tinge but many other substance will also glow like fibre, glue and drinks which reacts with the black light but if it's a big patch, that could be it.

Use tape to mark around the stain and then turn on the lights so that you know which area to clean.
 

Caspers Human

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
2,693
Purraise
4,703
Location
Pennsylvania
UV radiation can be harmful to the eyes. Get a pair of UV protection goggles.
Under normal use the kind of UV-A flashlights that you buy to detect pet urine are not harmful as long as they are not shined directly into the eyes. The diffuse light reflecting from surfaces at average distances should not be harmful to most people, at all. The caveat is that, if you have an eye condition or if you are extra sensitive to light, get advice from a doctor before using an ultraviolet flashlight.

A UV-A flashlight probably carries the same risk as the red laser pointer that people use to play with their cats. Take the same common sense precautions with a UV light as you would a kitty laser and you should be safe:
• Don't shine the light toward the eyes or face.
• Use the device at a distance, not up close. Arm's length or farther away.
• Be mindful of reflections. If the light reflects from a shiny surface, into the eye, it's almost the same as a direct hit.
• Limit use to occasional, short periods of time.

Your point is well taken but, more importantly, if you let common sense prevail, you will not need to wear goggles when using an ultraviolet flashlight
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

Deex2

2 Boys & A Girl
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 9, 2021
Messages
64
Purraise
19
Location
California
You can search UV light on amazon if you want to save a few dollars over Petco and see product ratings.

They do work, BUT they also detect every spot on your carpet where you ever spilled food, where a cat vomitted and you cleaned, where you tracked something in with your shoes and didn't clean to forensic standards, etc, etc. It can look like a crime scene. They are useful if you have a pee problem. And horrifying. They are also fairly cheap and a low risk purchase -- unless your so horrified you can't sleep!
Yes thank you, I know I can search Amazon/Google...and what they are useful for. My question was asking for specifics.
 

ArtNJ

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Messages
5,485
Purraise
6,957
Yes thank you, I know I can search Amazon/Google...and what they are useful for. My question was asking for specifics.
Believe me, I like to research things beore I buy them so I get where your coming from. However, they are not a complicated product. Any highly rated one indicated as for pets will work just fine, and they start at about 6 dollars. You can get one specifically for pets with 10,000+ reviews and 4.5 stars for like 10 bucks or so. It really is that simple. If you want to learn the science or something, great, but otherwise you can just buy one.

For example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A5KLUG2/?tag=thecatsite
 

Caspers Human

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
2,693
Purraise
4,703
Location
Pennsylvania
I wouldn't buy that item from Amazon.

The title says: "UV Flashlight Black Light , Vansky 51 LED Blacklight Pet Urine Detector for Dog/Cat Urine,Dry Stains,Bed Bug, Matching with Pet Odor Eliminator"

But, then, in the description it says: "Not work well on cat urine"

Furthermore, in the specifications chart, it says: "Color Uv-2"
I have never heard of such a thing as "Uv-2." There is UV-A, UV-B and UV-C as well as some other categories such as "Extreme Ultraviolet" but Uv-2 is a mystery.

Could they have mixed something up and confused it with UV-B? Well, if that is the case then this light is not what you want. You need UV-A in order to detect cat urine.

But that makes sense when you consider that it also says that it doesn't work on cat urine.

Frankly, I smell a scam. :(

If I was buying a UV flashlight, I'd probably buy something like this item at Lowes.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

Deex2

2 Boys & A Girl
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 9, 2021
Messages
64
Purraise
19
Location
California
For cat urine, it is best to use a light in the 365 nm to 385 nm range, best is 365 nm. Let the urine dry up first, which in the case of looking for urine, most probably it's dried up already which is easier to detect as dried up urine will glow.
Also make sure the lights are off, the darker the room there better.

If you detect cat's urine with the black light, he urine will glow yellowish with greenish tinge but many other substance will also glow like fibre, glue and drinks which reacts with the black light but if it's a big patch, that could be it.

Use tape to mark around the stain and then turn on the lights so that you know which area to clean.
Yes thank you. I had previously read all the info about what a blue light can do and which nm to look for. I was asking for and about specific flashlights/brands. Do you have one?
 

tabbytom

Happiness is being owned by a cat
Staff Member
Mentor
Joined
May 12, 2016
Messages
19,668
Purraise
36,862
Location
Lion City, Singa-purr
Yes thank you. I had previously read all the info about what a blue light can do and which nm to look for. I was asking for and about specific flashlights/brands. Do you have one?
Yes, I have one but it's not branded. Before I bought mine, I checked out which range was the right one to use and after that I bought it from a seller that sells UV lights and he has different ones and I requested for the range I'm looking for. But that was many years ago.

You can YouTube it and some popular brands will pop up and see the demo.
 

Caspers Human

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
2,693
Purraise
4,703
Location
Pennsylvania
Yes thank you. I had previously read all the info about what a blue light can do and which nm to look for. I was asking for and about specific flashlights/brands. Do you have one?
I don't have one, now, but I used to use a UV light all the time for work.

Casper doesn't pee in the house. He's the most fastidious cat I have ever had. The only time he ever peed was when he was sick and couldn't help it. He was in the car and on the way to the vet within the hour.

For work, I used UV lights for measuring certain chemicals.
Potassium permanganate is a dark, purple substance and, when mixed in water, produces an almost opaque solution. It is difficult to measure in a graduated cylinder or burette because you can't see the measurement markings. However, the stuff is partially transparent to UV light. In order to make a measurement, I held a UV light behind the glassware and the graduations would light up like a Christmas tree.

The light that I used in the lab is very similar to the one I linked to, above.
 
Top