topher@cyb-eng.UUCP (Topher Eliot) (09/06/85)
We have just acquired a kitty. At first I thought "boy, does he poop".
Then I took him to the vet for a checkup. Now I think "boy does she poop".
The question is, can I sift this out of the litter box and drop it in my
compost heap with good results, or should it just go out with the garbage?
My impression is the cat urine is not so good for plants, so the used
litter itself (soggy) will go in the garbage.
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rsig: Not an editor command
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Cheers,
Topher Eliot Cyb Systems, Austin, TX (512) 458-3224
{gatech,ihnp4,nbires,seismo,ucb-vax}!ut-sally!cyb-eng!topherbooter@lll-crg.UUCP (Elaine Richards) (09/07/85)
Sender:booter Kitty droppings or the feces of anyother carnivorous animal are a definite nogo for the plants, especially those for human consumption. Too much uric acid in the ...ahem..stuff can eat away the roots of popular garden plants. Also, the litter you use for her box functions by drying the fecal matter. This is like little non-biodegradable rocks. A sewage engineer at an SCA event scolded me for placing the little morsels in the bowl intended for humans. They apparently block screens and sewage control equipment that is inteded to clean heavy nasties from the H2O. Put it the garbage and keep you local sewage control people happy. Also, Science Diet or another low ash cat food will keep her output small and relatively odorless. Good luck ! E ***** P.S. read The Book of the Cat publ. Summit Books, editors are Wright & Walters
jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman) (09/09/85)
> We have just acquired a kitty. At first I thought "boy, does he poop". > Then I took him to the vet for a checkup. Now I think "boy does she poop". > The question is, can I sift this out of the litter box and drop it in my > compost heap with good results, or should it just go out with the garbage? > My impression is the cat urine is not so good for plants, so the used > litter itself (soggy) will go in the garbage. > > Topher Eliot Cyb Systems, Austin, TX (512) 458-3224 This will work fine as long as you let the *ahem* manure rot completely before you use it on your plants. Unrotted manure will burn the plants' roots. The main problem I see with this is that it will smell terrible. -- Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.) aka Swazoo Koolak {amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff {ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff
jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla) (09/10/85)
> We have just acquired a kitty. At first I thought "boy, does he poop". > Then I took him to the vet for a checkup. Now I think "boy does she poop". > The question is, can I sift this out of the litter box and drop it in my > compost heap with good results, or should it just go out with the garbage? > My impression is the cat urine is not so good for plants, so the used > litter itself (soggy) will go in the garbage. > I was always taught that this was not a good idea as it could cause parasites and feline-borne bacteria to propagate (unless you have a very good, HOT compost heap). Better to dispose of it some other way. -- jcpatilla "At night, the ice weasels come."
scott@hou2g.UUCP (Racer X) (09/10/85)
Actually, my kitty "poop" usually goes down the toilet, but... I don't see any problem with "adding" to your compost heap except that you're likely to attract some of the neighborhood cats investigating the smell. Of course, your cat may actually figure you're doing her a favor by "marking" her territory for her... SJBerry
dak2@mtuxt.UUCP (D.KALL) (09/11/85)
Ix nay nix on the kitty pix. Don't plant your feline's feces. A while back I lived in New Hampshire. I learned to grow things organically. More than a post-hippy trend it does work. So I thought maybe I could increase my organicness by using cat caca. Wrong! I consulted the most organic person I knew. He was a local bio-chem type; even used the French Intensive Planting Method. He went into a long long long explanation that translates into: The stuff in cat poop that gives it that wonderful odor also puts nasty acids in your soil. Some plants it won't help, others it will kill. My advice is get a chicken for a pet.
tvw@ihuxw.UUCP (t. williams) (09/12/85)
Extracted from "The Rodale Guide to Composting", quoting Harold S. Perimutter, M.D., of Newtom, New Jersey: "Cat dropping harbor two extremely dangerous organisms, both of which are prominent causes of blindness, especially in children." ... "The most common cause of retinal inflammation in this country is due to the one-celled parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which is carried by the cat and excreted in its droppings. ... It causes a flu-like illness in pregnant women and can be transmitted to the unborn fetus, causing both brain and eye disease. The second organism is Toxocara cati, which is a nematode (round worm) of extremely common occurence in cats. ... cause infection in many organs, including the eyes." ... "I, therefore, urge that cat droppings and litter material be handled with extreme caution, if at all."
turek@cca.UUCP (Leslie Turek) (09/13/85)
I would not advise dumping used kitty litter in the compost heap. I don't remember the details, but there is some sort of disease that can be transmitted from cats to humans via cat feces. I understand that pregnant women are particularly at risk, and should not handle catboxes at all. I don't know whether the disease organism would survive a trip through the compost heap, but why risk it? You'll also get odors and flies and a generally unpleasant mess, and won't be adding that much to your compost. I would think that the fact that cats are carnivorous would imply that their feces are substantially different in composition than those manures that are generally added to compost: cow, horse, rabbit, chicken, etc.