looking for a cat deterrant

Question
hi Jesicca,
I'm having a problem with neighborhood cats peeing in my open car port which is situated right by the kitchen, so the smell is really unpleasant,--pretty incompatible with enjoying my morning cereal. Do you know of any (preferably natural)deterrant I can spray around the area to discourage this activity. I'm not interested in products that cover up the odor; I'm interested in something that cats find unpleasant enough that they will relieve themselves elsewhere!    Thank you soo much

Answer
That's really a tough one.  There are lots of spray deterrents on the market.  They're not terribly effective in general.  Some people wrap some mothballs in some cheese cloth and plant them around the area.  I don't know that that would smell any better!  Or if you have any plants around the area, you could try using cedar mulch.  Cats don't like the scent.  The best I could suggest is to visit a pet store or lawn and garden center and look for a safe deterrent there, and give it a shot.  There are more options for indoor cats, but outdoor cats are very hard to keep away.