Is it true the mushrooms on my backyard come from cat pee?

Question

A lot of mushrooms grow on my backyard and frontyard. There are a lot of cats on my neighborhood.
I was asking a friend if those mushroom could be edible, she tells me they are toxic, and they are a result from cat pee.

Could this be true?

Answer 1

Your friend has a lively imagination to see a connection or she is pulling your leg. Fungi of any kind grow on carbon rich sources so they grow on underground wood, forest detritus, or thatch in lawns beside sometimes sampling the timbers in a house causing 'dry rot'.
The mushroom you see is the reproductive or fruiting body of the fungi. When you pull the fruiting body there are mycelium still in the soil centered on the fruiting body's position. When the mycelium have regrown and if the soil is wet enough they may refruit.
If the fungi are growing in a ring they may be 'Fairy Ring fungi. All varieties of grass are susceptible to this and there are several fungi species that produce the rings. The rings serve to stimulate the grass caused by the release of plant nutrients as the fungal hyphae decompose organic matter in the soil. Later if the fungus becomes very old it may crowd the grass out of the inside of the ring. This is what lead to the belief fairies danced there beating down the grass inside their dance area.
Another reason for fungi in lawns is buried wood for them to grow on. Buried scraps of construction lumber, dead tree roots, or other organic matter can support fungi until the decomposition is complete. Because fungi live on decaying material or detritus fallen from trees like leaves or needles they are integral in recycling carbon and nitrogen back into forms the plants can use. Certain mushrooms form a mutually beneficial relationship with the roots of plants, ranging from trees to grasses. Plants with fungal partners can resist diseases far better than those without.
If you are worried about the mushroom you can ID it here.
http://www.nmmastergardeners.org/Fungi%20pages/Mushroom%20ID.htm
http://tomvolkfungi.net/
http://www.fungaljungal.org/key/key.html
http://www.capsandstems.com/id.htm

Mushrooms require water to grow so try never to water your lawn more than 1 inch per week. Also encourage the lawn to crowd the mushrooms by feeding a very high nitrogen source fertilizer like Hasta-gro 12-4-8 liquid lawn food.

Remove a mushroom as soon as it appears to prevent the spores being released. This keeps the fruiting body away from pets or children who might sample a poisonous one. The difficulty is they probably blew in from a fair distance and will reappear. They will not cause grass disease so they are more a risk to children or pets and then only if harmful. Toxic mushrooms are safe to handle and only cause problems if eaten.

Answer 2

In every season and different places there is some kind of old and new type of mushrooms that grows all over, some are visible like big to see and some very small, nature has its own way to make mushrooms, the soil, water, temperatures, surrounding trees, plants and animal fices play part in all that, let say you see a mushroom today looks white the next morning you might see another one next to that in different color, any how it is very long subject, please do not touch or eat any, if in Case you touch one wash your hand with soap and water at lease 2 minutes under running water. sorry, no cat story for you.

Answer 3

Well mushrooms grow from to much water in a place. Not lots but the soil is very water at a constant time. It might be from the cats if they pee a lot in the same place or if they have large bladders and all go in the same place. But I dont know the situation but hope I helped good luck!

Answer 4

That's a new one to me. I have always heard circular collections of mushrooms in the yard, or "Fairy Rings" were caused by fiaries playing under cover of night, but never cat urine. Mushrooms repoduce by spores and are fungi. And yes, they very well could be toxic...even deadly!
I would heartily suggest you NEVER eat anything from nature that you are not 100 % sure of it's safe consumption.

Answer 5

So..
Mushroom growing is very easy if you know exactly what you're doing, and it's not difficult to learn the different steps involved in the process. You should by a good book with a step by step approach. This is one I recommend http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=573


I hope it helps

Answer 6

Actually many ancient myths surrounding mushrooms exist citing "various" sources of origin, including feces, blood, semen, tears and other body fluids. Not only from humans and animals, but also from the gods themselves. This myth seems to be retro in some current aboriginal tribes including this little tribe of young ones. RScott

Answer 7

Mushrooms come from spores....released by other mushrooms. Have you ever seen a cat with mushrooms in it's bladder??! I rest my case!
Listen to gardengallivant.....thumbs up!

Answer 8

no.. fungus breaks down organic material, typically in the soil. There's probably a dead root or something under your grass and the fungus is converting it to humus.

cats don't make mushroooms. Don't eat them anyway if you don't KNOW if they are edible.

Answer 9

I think your friend possibly ate some magic mushrooms when she told you that . . .

Answer 10

LMAO Everyone has a story! Mushroom are fungus...coming from fungus. Urine is sterile...that would be impossible.