Who is killing my lawn with stinky pee?

Also, what creature killed a cat and then later came back for the body?

DEAR JOAN >> Some animal or animals are urinating on our backyard lawn. Their urine is so strong it kills that grass, leaving a 3- to 4-inch diameter dead spot. We have five such spots now. Any ideas? — Allan MacLaren, San Jose

DEAR ALLAN >> I think you might have two unrelated issues going on. One, the stinky pee and two, the brown spots.

Dogs get the most blame for brown spots on lawns. Their urine is high in nitrogen, which in concentrated levels can kill the grass or any other plant they choose to bless. But their urine is not particularly smelly.

Cats, especially male cats, can have urine that is disturbingly pungent, but it is not known to kill the grass.

Raccoons can build latrines on your property, which they use repeatedly, joined by other visiting raccoons. However, I could find no indication that their urine will create brown spots on your lawn.

The only other option I could think of is coyotes. Being from the dog family, their urine could be high in nitrogen, and it certainly is pungent. Coyote urine often is used to scare away other animals. However, the brown spots may be unrelated to the urine. You might have insects damage that is causing them.

If your backyard is completely enclosed, then that would make it more difficult for some of the creatures to get in, and would bolster the theory that insects are to blame.

Whenever you detect the strong aroma and can pinpoint where it was left, trying spraying the area with water to help dilute the nitrogen. If it’s an insect issue, try beneficial nematodes to kill the grubs and worms in the lawn.

You might also want to check your sprinklers to make certain they are reaching all spots of your lawn. I couldn’t figure out what was killing part of my lawn until I discovered a broken sprinkler head that had been sending the water in the wrong direction.

Has anyone else had this issue? If so, what was the culprit in your case? DEAR JOAN >> Two weeks ago, I went outside to get my morning newspaper and found my cat lying in my yard, clearly dead. My trash cans were knocked down and I had heard a loud bang in the middle of the night, so perhaps a car hit her and she managed to get back to the house?

I didn’t have time to bury her before going to work, so I asked my son to do so when he got back from school, but her body had disappeared.

A few days later there was a slight odor and I found a tiny bit of fur underneath my chicken coop. My free range chickens could not have dragged her across the yard. I do have opossum and raccoon visitors. Any ideas what would have feasted on my small older cat?

Before you speculate that she was really still alive, she wasn’t and so she didn’t move herself. — Julie Ludwig, Sunnyvale

DEAR JULIE >> I’m so sorry about your cat. I think she might have had a run in with a raccoon, which also could have been responsible for your overturned garbage cans.

Whatever killed the cat, however, might not be the one that ate her. That could have been a dog, coyote or even a turkey vulture. It’s a dangerous world for outdoor cats.