I was just at Leu Gardens in Orlando and their bamboo is in a ton of shade. So, what about a hedge of clumping bamboo to block some of the scent along with different jasmines growing up through it to disguise any scent that passes through the bamboo? I plan on putting a lot of different jasmines on my fence so I have bloom all season.

Another thing to consider adding is Tea Olive, Osmanthus fragrans, near your sitting area.

Possibly between all three you could gain some relief.

Isn't there a limit to the number of cats they can have? Here there is a limit to the number of dogs. I think it is 5, but I don't know if there is a limit to cats.

I can't think of a plant to fit that space at the moment that has fragrance.

Plant native honeysuckle - doesn't lose it's leaves, always in bloom and smells heavenly!

I had thought of Coral Honeysuckle, but doesn't it prefer to be more in the sun than in the shade?

I have my Coral Honeysuckle in full sun because it doesn't bloom much or at all in shade. Guess what else is about it? It has no scent whatsoever.
Cats don't like the smell of citrus. Any way you can use that to your advantage? Keep the cats from coming near your property line? You could spray lime juice or scatter citrus peels along the property line.

This is a direct c&p from lakecountyfl.gov in their FAQ section:

"Is there a limit on the number of dogs I can have on my property?

Yes, Lake County has limitations for both dogs and cats based on the size of the property. A property owner may have up to four dogs/cats on property less than five acres in size. A property owner can have up to nine dogs/cats on parcels more than five acres but less than 20 acres. On parcels more than 20 acres in size, the property owner can have up to 19 dogs/cats on your property. Any number over these limits will require a rezoning for a kennel/cattery. "

Shear, I guess that's the part I wasn't clear on. All their cats are currently indoors. They used to allow them to run around outside, but the park manager started trapping them. For the past year and a half they've been inside. The stench is coming from their HOUSE, not the yard. The worst times to be outside is when they open their door and the wind is blowing from the south. While the wind tends to blow mostly from the west here, it does sometimes curl around to the south. There have been nights where we have come home from a night out and found the inside of our house stinking because the wind had been blowing just right and for long enough period of time.

Oh, Lord... that's awful!
I can't think of anything that grows in shade, smells good, and blooms constantly.
You might have to try to plant things that will successively bloom and in that way perhaps have camouflage from Spring to Fall?

I think I would want a wall or fence to block the breezes entirely...

No walls or fences allowed in my neighborhood, otherwise I would. Trellises up against the house are allowed, as long as they're withing 18 inches of the house. Any further and they're considered fences. I could get away with making a trellis border along our property line, but it can't be any more than 6" tall and that just wouldn't serve any kind of decent purpose other than marking the line.

There's an osmanthus fragrans cultivar called "Four Seasons" that has up to four bloom cycles a year. Probably the best balance of intense fragrance and year-round bloom you're going to find. Although they can get large, they're slow growing and easy to keep in bounds. They grow in pots or even bonsai, so I'm sure you could keep it in bounds, and possibly even train it to form an espalier shape for your wall of scent. Does best in shade when young, anyway. Needs to be established to take full sun.

I'm not sure the smell of cat pee mixed with a lovely floral scent will be any better. And that is definitely interfering with your ability to enjoy your property. I don't see how a smell would be different from a noise, in that regard, but have never investigated. What about trying that angle?

The info Shear posted doesn't designate indoor vs. outdoor animals.

An animal rights group might do more to help than the county... and might be better able to get the county involved if there is cause, being very familiar with animal laws. The conditions inside the house, I can only imagine... Maybe something in that regard could be helpful.

The law refers to pet ownership period. (indoors or out) Purple is right.

They only have three indoor cats that I know of. They like to sit at the window sill and watch the birds visiting my bird bath and feeder. They had four, but one died last summer. I remember this because they were sitting at the back of their house with a mason jar with water and sorrel blossoms in it. My daughter asked them what they were doing and they told her they were holding a memorial for their cat. I clipped a rose bud that was just opening and gave it to my daughter to add to their memorial.

I think the issue is that they don't have litter boxes, though I'm not certain on this. I have seen then carry in bags of cat food, but never any sign of them carrying in cat litter. Nor have I ever seen anything like them cleaning out a box.

Talking to the park owner about them, he has tried to get various agencies involved with somehow getting them removed from the park. But they somehow manage to stay paid up on lot rent, own the home outright and really haven't violated any codes, health or otherwise. So the park owners as well as the rest of us are kind of stuck with them. Personally, I think the park owners would have a good leg to stand on if they issued an eviction notice if this couple doesn't improve the smell of their home to a point where it doesn't cause a problem for neighbors, but they (the owners) don't seem willing to pursue this course for some reason.

In about 5-6 years we will have enough put back to get ourselves our own bit of land to live on, but for now we're stuck in this park (which for the most part is quiet and nice). I kind of keep counting the days until that time comes, but every time the wind shifts, I don't know if that day will come soon enough.

I'm going to look into those Four Season Tea Olives (Thanks Tradition) and perhaps mix in some herbs as well. It might end up being a nauseating mix of ammonia, blossoms and herbs or it might be that the herbs and blossoms overpower or diffuse the ammonia. I don't know, but right now I need to do something to help make sitting outside (my favorite place) a bit more enjoyable.

Man, I feel really bad for you, that's just gross, so sorry! I'm surprised there isn't a law against having a house full of poo, to put it bluntly, 'cuz it sounds like that's what's going on.

After reading your last, I might go for all potted plants in that situation. 5-gallon buckets would probably work well, and you could have whatever shrubs or other plants you can fit on your property. Whatever's blooming, that's what's in use in that spot at the moment. It would give you some options of plants that need more sun, and then you can take it all with you when you leave, if you feel like it at the time.

Would it be possible to hook up some kind of fan? Probably wouldn't help against strong gusts, but might help on gentle breeze days.

Scented candles might help.

Scented foliage was touched on... add scented Geraniums (Pelargoniums) to that idea. Basil is extremely pungent.

Shepherd hooks would allow you to hang pots while sitting there, some Petunias are extremely fragrant and bloom forever. Hang them in the sun when they're not on duty.

I recently bought an Osmanthus fragrans. When that's blooming, you'll definitely smell it downwind. It's amazing! Will have to check the tag to see if it's that re-blooming one. I got it almost 2 mos ago and it's been blooming ever since.

You said you can't put up a fence... can you plant fast-growing shrubs? LOL!

That's terrible! I agree, an intermixing of plants that bloom in different seasons might give you the best coverage. How intermixing the tea olive with white butterfly ginger (blooms June or so to frost), that would give you flowers most of the year. White butterfly ginger is powerfully scented and similar I think to the scent of jasmine. Mine is probably 25-30' away from my doorway, but I can often smell it from the doorway. And maybe add some Jasmine or Gardenia if there is still a gap in the spring.

Shear, I'll have to talk to the park owner/manager about putting up a hedge row. I know he doesn't have a problem with putting up shrubs near homes and I've seen other lots where the backs are adjoined that have hedges to separate the back ends, but I haven't seen any hedge rows between houses themselves. Probably due to lot width issues.

Thanks for the suggestions so far folks. I really like the container idea and might run with that, though that would mean a lot of container juggling and I don't know how long my back could handle that. It would have the added benefit of being able to just load up the plants and take them with us when it's time to move out.

Keep the ideas coming! You guys are awesome.

Get a commercial fan, heck get 3, something really smelly, and when they open their doors, turn the switch.

I know you said you've contacted the health dept., but if it is as bad as you say, what conditions might be causing it? I'd try again, I think & try that approach - to be that bad, there must be some extraordinary conditions.

Had another thought while reading these comments - I recently bought granulated fox urine to repel the possums that have been demolishing my veggies & hoo boy! That stuff is cat urine on steroids! Might you have foxes around there? Or skunks, perhaps?

Carol, did the granulated fox unine work to repel the critters. And if so, where did you get it?? TIA.

hang car air freshners everywhere any anywhere on your lanai. I don't think you'll find a strong fragrant plant that grows in the shade and bloom year round. Maybe do wall of bamboo and hang the air freshners from it! horrible problem to have and not be able to enjoy your yard.

Do you like the scent of Eucalyptus? Many of them will give off a fairly strong scent that is not dependent on them blooming. globbii or one of the smaller and more decorative ones may be a choice.

I personally like the scent of Eucalyptus, but it could be objectionable to some.

I can't say I recall ever smelling Eucalyptus.

I think I am going to go with the container garden idea. I could have a mixture of fragrant herbs and flowers and keep juggling them from shade to sun and back. Plus it will have the bonus of being one of the few ever-changing areas of my yard as the rest will be fairly static once I'm done. I'm even thinking of building a fascia out of treated lumber to hide the containers themselves and make it look like one long planter full of plants.

>I can't say I recall ever smelling Eucalyptus.

Ever smell a cough drop? Lots of those have eucalyptus. Vicks uses eucalyptus, too, although it has other things in it as well.

Have you tried calling animal control yourself? If it smells that bad inside, it's not healthy for the cats much less humans. They should check out the situation and make recommendations to the owners. I have a couple of friends that work for Volusia county animal control and that's what they would do.