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What is that smell?

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Posted by moo_sue z5 NY City (My Page) on
Thu, Feb 9, 06 at 21:39

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?

***The bush is an evergreen and gets hollow red berries in the fall.

Thanks/Sues

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RE: What is that smell?

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I'm pretty new to this, but there are two possibilities that I can think of.

Boxwood can have an unusual urine-like odor, but it doesn't have red berries.
Here's a link with pictures:
http://landscaping.about.com/od/evergreenshrubsbushes1/p/english_boxwo od.htm

Hollow red berries sounds like an english yew.
Another link with pictures:
http://landscaping.about.com/od/evergreenshrubsbushes1/a/japanese_yews .htm

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RE: What is that smell?

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I strongly suspect that the cats are marking their territory on a regular basis, and you just haven't caught them at it. It would only take ONE male cat to create this kind of stench. I'll be that if you take some steps to repell this kind of behavior, that the odor will eventually go away.

In other words, the plants are not the problem!

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RE: What is that smell?

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I also think it's a cat marking its territory. We had one do that to us last year. We thought it was a gas leak. The confirmation was the presence of cat poop in the area of the smell.

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RE: What is that smell?

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  • Posted by nurmey 5 Omaha, NE (My Page) on
    Tue, Feb 14, 06 at 19:44

I think you have Yews. They have and always will smell like cat pee to me.

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