I think my cat is spraying, but I can’t find it even with a UV light!

Amanda 2.0

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Hi, I’m Amanda. I have a 9 year old flame point Siamese, Dennis. He doesn’t seem sick, because he usually lets me know, but lately it seems as though he’s been spraying. He is neutered, but my boyfriend has a 6 year old husky, and when we moved in 2 years ago, they didn’t have a good meeting, but we haven’t had any issues since the first month. Anyway, I have spent the last two weeks crawling all over the house to sniff out spray. Any area that smelled funky I cleaned well with vinegar (I’ve used gallons, and even scrubbed the finish off of the hardwood floors!) Everytime I think I have it beat, the smell comes back. It’s almost like it’s traveling. I’ve used a very good enzyme, and all was good for a day or so. Now it’s back and stronger than ever. I don’t know what to do. I’ve used a black light and searched everywhere, but there’s no sign of it. It’s to the point I’m going to have to rehome him because my boyfriend is mad! I am at a loss. I don’t know where it’s coming from. Please. Help.
 

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You need to use a pet mess specific cleaner. Vinegar will not remove pet mess odors. Nature's Miracle is one brand you can find at most pet stores. You may need to soak suspected areas with the cleaner and let sit before wiping up. Check the walls and furniture with the black light to check for urine spots. If urine has gotten under the hardwood, you will have to remove the floor and replace the underlayment to fully get rid of the urine. If you rent, this might not go over well with the landlord.
 
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Amanda 2.0

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You need to use a pet mess specific cleaner. Vinegar will not remove pet mess odors. Nature's Miracle is one brand you can find at most pet stores. You may need to soak suspected areas with the cleaner and let sit before wiping up. Check the walls and furniture with the black light to check for urine spots. If urine has gotten under the hardwood, you will have to remove the floor and replace the underlayment to fully get rid of the urine. If you rent, this might not go over well with the landlord.
I used a bottle of Naturre’s Miracle and two bottles of Rocco and Roxy’s which was very highly rated with thousands of reviews, after I used the vinegar. It seemed to work well. I have shined the black light literally everywhere. Before the treatments and since then. There’s nothing. The odd thing is that if I stand on a chair, the smell gets stronger. It doesn’t seem to be coming out of a vent. We own the home free and clear so no worry of landlords, but my guy isn’t really very happy. Dennis was a “dealbreaker” but he and I are so attached the boyfriend let him move in.
 

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Hi. If this all just started very recently after 2 years, and your cat is 9 yo, your best bet is a vet visit for a complete checkup. Your cat is on the verge of his senior years, and he really should be seeing a vet at least annually at this point.

Maybe it is your BF's dog instead of Dennis???? It is highly possible. Ever considered setting up baby cams, or something similar to see if you can find who is doing it?? I think you have a lot of investigating to do before you can come to any conclusions - and, most certainly before you even consider the idea of rehoming your cat.
 

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Hi, I’m Amanda. I have a 9 year old flame point Siamese, Dennis. He doesn’t seem sick, because he usually lets me know, but lately it seems as though he’s been spraying. He is neutered, but my boyfriend has a 6 year old husky, and when we moved in 2 years ago, they didn’t have a good meeting, but we haven’t had any issues since the first month. Anyway, I have spent the last two weeks crawling all over the house to sniff out spray. Any area that smelled funky I cleaned well with vinegar (I’ve used gallons, and even scrubbed the finish off of the hardwood floors!) Everytime I think I have it beat, the smell comes back. It’s almost like it’s traveling. I’ve used a very good enzyme, and all was good for a day or so. Now it’s back and stronger than ever. I don’t know what to do. I’ve used a black light and searched everywhere, but there’s no sign of it. It’s to the point I’m going to have to rehome him because my boyfriend is mad! I am at a loss. I don’t know where it’s coming from. Please. Help.
.
First take him to the vet. Get a urinalysis. If he finds anything try to catch your cat in the action. Even put your hand as he's going and where. I can tell my cat peaches is going by sound and litter soiled and covering. Maggie I'm not sure
Oh,and hi Amanda! Any pics?
 

Neko-chan's mama

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Have you checked outdoors, around the perimeter of the house? If you can't find any urine inside with the black light, it could be possible a stray cat is spraying outside.
 

Astragal14

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You may also need a different type of black light. Cat urine and dog urine are visible on different wavelengths (nanometers, or nm) and most black lights available are for the dog urine wavelength.

Unfortunately, not every blacklight is going to be ideal for detecting cat urine. You need to check the wavelength of the UV light emitted from each product. The ideal wavelength for detecting cat urine is typically between 365nm and 385nm.

It is best to avoid blacklights that use LEDs with a wavelength of 390nm or more. While some people have reported these higher wavelength blacklights have had some success, it is best to purchase a light with the recommended nanometers to improve your chances of successfully detecting cat urine.
6 Best Blacklights for Finding Cat Urine Stains in 2022 – Reviews & Top Picks | Pet Keen
 

Caspers Human

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Years ago, when I moved back home with my first cat, "K.C." my brother thought it would be fun to let our dog (a black Labrador) come into the house to "play" with the cat and that started some problems similar to what you are having.

KC didn't have problems with big dogs, per se. He had been friendly with other dogs, before. He just didn't like that big, black dog galumphing all over "his house." Every time my brother brought the dog inside, the cat would take a dump in my brother's bedroom closet.

My family kept trying to blame it on the cat. My parents didn't know that my brother had bringing the dog inside.
When I told them, they just wrote it off to the cat not liking dogs.

I was like, "No! KC was friends with a big German Shepherd, back at school. He just doesn't like it when a big, dumb dog comes in and starts slobbering all over his territory."

I proved it by telling my parents to make my brother keep the dog out of the house for a week.
He was an outdoor dog, anyhow. He had a nice pen with a doghouse and could run in the yard all he wanted. The dog didn't need to come into the house unless the weather was too cold. But, this was summer time. The dog was just fine, outdoors.

Anyhow, the house stayed clean for an entire week but, the next time the dog came inside... Poop!

Point is that the dog and the cat might APPEAR to get along but one or the other might be secretly marking territory by peeing or pooping in the house.

The solution might be as simple as giving each their own territory inside the house. For instance, the cat gets the laundry room in the basement and the dog gets the garage. Whatever your arrangement, no matter. As long as each one knows that he has a part of the house to call his own.

Yes, cleaning up the pee is important. Both cats and dogs use the scent or urine to mark territory. If you don't remove the smell they will keep going there to "refresh" their calling cards. In a worst-case scenario, you might have the dog and the cat peeing in the same spot, trying to play a "one-upsmanship" game... The dog pees in a spot to mark his territory then the cat pees on top of it to say, "No! You can't pee here! Only I can pee here!" Then, the dog will pee there again to say, "No! This is MY pee spot!" You'll end up in a never ending cycle.

First things first, set each animal its own territory. Next, clean up all the pee.
After that try to watch and see when the peeing starts again. Does it happen when the dog goes in the cat's territory? Does it happen when the cat goes in the dog's territory?

Yep! I think you're going to need to do some detective work to solve this one! ;) ;) ;)
 
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