Asked on Apr 20, 2016

Cat urine smell in yard

Gayle
by Gayle
We have a small landscaped area by our front door that has evidently been used by an outdoor cat. The urine smell is strong. I can't open my front window because that smell comes in. We just bought this house in November so I have no idea how long this has been going on. I know I will need to pull all the mulch out but what else can be done to get rid of the smell as well as prevent it from happening with the new mulch?
  9 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Apr 20, 2016
    To start sprinkle baking soda in that area to naturally breakdown the odor. Then make a citrus spray with water and orange peels or lemon peels and heavily spray all around. See if this at least curtails the odors. To try to stop the cats from urinating in your yard you can try putting down cayenne pepper.
  • Colimbia1 Colimbia1 on Apr 20, 2016
    There is another possibility other than cat urine. Do you possibly have either a Boxwood or a Yew shrub near the front door. I have never had Boxwood but have had Yews before. A Yew gives off an odor that is similar to cat urine. It is a very offensive odor and near your front door it would be certainly smell like a whole pack of cats had been there. Yews are a very popular shrub and are used not only by homeowners, but VERY much around buildings and other public spaces. When I googled cat urine smell your almost exact question came up and said: "This is weird. Right outside my front door is a strong odor of cat urine. I have a cat but she doesn't go outside - too much traffic. I only see one or two cats around - I am beginning to think the odor is coming from a hedge-like bush near my front door. If I cut some greenery from it the odor isn't noticeable - but sometimes as I am walking by the stench just jumps out and smacks me. Could it be this bush? How can I deal with this problem without offending?" Boxwoods also put out a similar odor. If you google both you will find they look quite different. Hope this may help. Only advice I would give....get rid of it.
    • KC KC on Apr 20, 2016
      @Colimbia1 Yes I got rid of our boxwood hedge at our front door for that very reason and I find junipers also smell like cat urine.
  • Carolyn Carolyn on Apr 20, 2016
    That's what I was going to mention. Boxwoods? Yews? I hate that they smell like urine.
  • Susan N Susan N on Apr 20, 2016
    As I walk around my neighborhood, I pass Yew-type hedges and that urine smell is strong and very sour only by those bushes. They're not very pretty when they get really big (in my opinion) so I wouldn't hesitate to pull them out. That should solve the smell...
  • Nancy Strickland Hawkins Nancy Strickland Hawkins on Apr 20, 2016
    Cat urine is a base, so acid, like vinegar will help, if indeed that is what it is.
  • Betty Bradley Betty Bradley on Apr 20, 2016
    Sprinkling red pepper in the urined areas will keep both dogs and cats from reoffending.
    • Angel Angel on Jan 13, 2020

      DO nOT USE RED PEPPER, FIND ANOTHER SOLUTION. This can cause animals to go blind if it gets in their eyes! tHERE ARE OTHER MORE HUMANE SOLUTIONS LIKE COFFEE GRINDS.

  • Cindi Cindi on Apr 20, 2016
    My mom use to dump the coffee grounds from her coffee maker in the garden under the kitchen window to keep the cats from going there, it seemed to work.
  • Eileen Proctor Eileen Proctor on Apr 21, 2016
    Also, anywhere you don't want a cat to be, just put vicks vapor rub around, rubbed onto stones border fences etc... inside you can leave a jar of vicks vapor rub open where you don't want a cat to start scratching, or rub a small amount on wooden furniture.
  • Darrel Rose Darrel Rose on Jun 02, 2016
    Try this stuff it works, and when you get rid of the smell you can then use a deterrent such as orange peels mixed in your soil this will help deter the cats from peeing in your yard and plants here is the link about the product http://www.houzz.com/photos/19194293/Smelleze-Eco-Yard-Smell-Removal-Deodorizer-50-lb-Rid-Pet-Urine-and-Stool-Odors-contemporary-pet-supplies I found this on Houz.com you might be able to order it online or get from a pet store they also have this on amazon.com for less money and smaller amount, also try ebay.com The other alternative is remove the soil and add fresh soil, you can sometimes pick up fresh soil from sites such as craigslist.org or find some on an open lot somewhere near your home, there is many ways to deal with this, what I did when that happened to me was I covered the area with a piece of wood for a certain amount of time until no cats around the neighborhood and the smell was getting fainter then added some fresh soil on top of where the cat pee is then on top of that I layed concrete pavers and made a little patio out of it, but I have heard people have used the Smelleze product with success, read some reviews before buying this