We airbnb a unit in a two-flat that was gutted to the studs when we bought it. There has never been a cat in it. I don’t usually respond publicly to reviews but I feel this one needs it. Thoughts?
You don’t have any open windows that stray cats could have got in, I suppose? the feral cats round here are one of the banes of my life and sometimes they’ve squeezed in the tiniest window gap and taken up residence … if that’s not a possibility, then maybe the guests brought the smell with them!!
I would suggest you definitely respond to that one. In fact, it is better to respond to most of the reviews to keep up your reputation as a host who cares.
In your situation, you can answer in a very polite way that you never had a cat in the flat. And it might be that guests, in fact, mistook the smell, that could even come from outside. You may want to point out that no other guests had this concerns before either. Still, let the guest know that you are sorry that they were not satisfied.
Do you have boxwood plants (buxus)? In my mother’s garden they sometimes smell like cat pee. (Mr.Google confirms it too.)
The neighbors do! And there’s juniper a few houses away, too. I did mention the boxwood in my response (as well as the fact that no cat has ever been in residence) so hopefully that will alleviate any future guest fears. 
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