Composting: Cat Manure

Is there any reason not to put cat manure in a compost bin?

Dick

Reply to
Dick Adams
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You're about to hear all the same reasons I was told not to put dog poo in the compost bin . See the "What to do" thread that started with my post on

1/31 /12 . Seems it all boils down to "there might be dangerous pathogens in it since it is predator poo" . IMO , a properly working compost bin will achieve temps that should kill those "dangerous pathogens" . And that sounds better than allowing the rain to wash it all back into the soil ...
Reply to
Snag

cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, and toxoplasmosis

Reply to
Billy

Not everybody bothers with hot composting.

D
Reply to
David Hare-Scott

But can you guarantee that the temperature is hot enough for long enough? That is, specifically around the feces.

Gardeners often get fairly up close and personal with their compost so my primary concern would be contact infection.

In a world where some risks are better avoided, IMO avoiding this one is the better choice.

Reply to
phorbin

Next time I see Oscar, I'll tell him to poop in the dead of night in someone else's compost pile.

Cheers

Reply to
Martin Riddle

Plus there is no upside to using carnivore crap. Carnivores like cats and dogs produce very little waste because meat is a highly efficient food source. Herbivores like cows and horses produce vast quantities of partially digested plant matter which makes excellent fertilizer compost. The bulk of cat waste is the kitty litter not the crap. You don't want modern clumping litter anywhere near your garden, it turns into quick sand and it never hardens or mixes with the soil. About five years ago I tried dumping used cat litter into some groundhog holes on the theory that it contains predator urine which would frighten the groundhogs. It was a huge mistake, the litter turned in to sticky slurry and stayed that way for years. I eventually dug it out and dumped it in the woods.

Reply to
General Schvantzkoph

You'd be very surprised at just how well human feces works in compost. Basically, all you do is buy a bag of your standard compost from Boots or wherever you get it from, spread some in your garden before laying a great, big poo on top of it and mixing it together with your hands.

Honestly, you've never seen anything like it.

Ian.

Reply to
Oopsy Daisy

The use of human feces as fertilizer is a risky practice as it may contain disease-causing pathogens. Nevertheless, in developing nations it is widespread. Common parasitic worm infections, such as ascariasis, in these countries are linked to night soil, since their eggs are in feces. There have also been cases of disease-carrying tomatoes, lettuce, and other vegetables being imported from developing nations into developed nations.[citation needed] Human waste may be attractive as fertilizer because of the high demand for fertilizer and the relative availability of the material to create night soil. In areas where native soil is of poor quality, the local population may weigh the risk of using night soil. The safe reduction of human waste into compost is possible. Many municipalities create compost from the sewage system biosolids, but then recommend that it only be used on flower beds, not vegetable gardens. Some claims have been made that this is dangerous or inappropriate without the expensive removal of heavy metals.

"Humanure" "Humanure" is a portmanteau neologism designating human excrement (feces and urine) that is recycled via composting for agricultural or other purposes. The term was popularized in a 1994 book by Joseph Jenkins[28] that advocates the use of this organic soil amendment.[29]

Humanure is not traditional sewage that has been processed by waste-treatment facilities, which may include waste from industrial and other sources; rather, it is the combination of feces and urine with paper and additional carbon material (such as sawdust). A humanure system, such as a composting toilet, does not require water or electricity, and when properly managed does not smell. Because the term "humanure" has no authoritative definition it is subject to misuse; news reporters occasionally fail to correctly distinguish between humanure and "sewer sludge" or "biosolids".[30]

By disposing of feces and urine through composting, the nutrients contained in them are returned to the soil. This aids in preventing soil degradation. Human fecal matter and urine have high percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, carbon, and calcium. It is equal to many fertilizers and manures purchased in garden stores. Humanure aids in the conservation of fresh water by avoiding the usage of potable water required by the typical flush toilet. It further prevents the pollution of ground water by controlling the fecal matter decomposition before entering the system. When properly managed, there should be no ground contamination from leachate.

As a substitute for a flush water process, it reduces the energy consumption and, hence, greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation and processing of water and waste water.

Humanure may be deemed safe for humans to use on crops if handled in accordance with local health regulations, and composted properly. This means that thermophilic decomposition of the humanure must heat it sufficiently to destroy harmful pathogens, or enough time must have elapsed since fresh material was added that biological activity has killed any pathogens. To be safe for crops, a curing stage is often needed to allow a second mesophilic phase to reduce potential phytotoxins.

Humanure is different from night soil, which is raw human waste spread on crops. While aiding the return of nutrients in fecal matter to the soil, it can carry and spread a vast number of human pathogens. Humanure kills these pathogens both by the extreme heat of the composting and the extended amount of time (1 to 2 years) that it is allowed to decompose.

Reply to
Billy

Billy you are feeding an obvious troll.

D
Reply to
David Hare-Scott

No offence Ian, but you do talk crap sometimes..

hugs and kisses WD

Reply to
Wine Delilah

And passing along good gardening information, which I think is a lot better than getting pissed off at a bunch of inbred pommy twits ;O)

Reply to
Billy

That's something you would do only out of desperation. Human waste is doubly bad, first because closely related species carry common diseases, and humans are by definition the most closely related species, and secondly because humans are carnivores and carnivores concentrate all of the diseases of the animals that they eat. The second reason is less true for people than it is for cats because we cook our food, outdoor cats don't. The rule should be don't use poop from an animal that you wouldn't eat. We don't eat closely related species like chimps and we don't eat carnivores or scavengers.

Reply to
General Schvantzkoph

Isn't dog supposed to be a specialty in China? And don't forget "roof rabbits". I don't eat them, just sayin'.

Reply to
Billy

There are some cultures that practiced cannibalism until very recently, the Fore people in New Guinea come to mind. They stopped because it was the cause of the spongiform encephalitis disease kuru. AIDS crossed the species barrier because Africans hunt apes and monkeys for food. Eating any closely related species is a very bad idea as is eating carnivores and scavengers. The only reason to do it is when the alternative is starvation. China has a long history of famine so they do eat cats and dogs, it doesn't make make it a good idea. In fact there was widespread cannibalism in China during the Great Leap Forward when Mao starved 50 million people to death and there must have been cannibalism in the Ukraine when Stalin deliberately starved 7 million people to death. Under those circumstances the first thing you eat are the horses, then the rats, then cats and dogs and finally people. This thread started about using cat poop as fertilizer. Very very poor people use whatever they have on hand including human waste, they do that because the alternative is starvation. That doesn't make it a good idea for anyone who isn't living in a desperately poor third world village. Rich westerners with their suburban gardens should stick to manure from cows, horses (the French eat them even if Americans don't), sheep and chickens.

Reply to
General Schvantzkoph

I wouldn't but you can compost anything. Wife's Aunt lost her eyesight working her little flower garden. Neighbors cats had used it for a litter box. Despite washing hands she got a horrible infection from brushing her hair away from her eyes or something. She didn't use gloves of course. I have forgotten the details except that cat poo had a very bad pathogen in it. It's ot just tht or those cats but most cats.

Reply to
little turtle

I remember being cautioned against pregnant women cleaning cat boxes or otherwise handling the litter. I do not remember what the pathogen is.

Reply to
The Cook

Toxoplasmosis.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Cat waste must be left to compost for at least eighteen months before it is completely safe to use on edible crops. This eliminates the risk of parasites like e. coli, tapeworm, and toxoplasmosis contaminating foods grown in soil that has been enhanced with cat manure.

Clay-based, sand-based, and crystalline litters are not compatible with use in compost, since they can damage your the structure of your soil and cause synthetic toxins to leak into your garden. The best choices for compostable cat litters are those made from natural, living sources.

Plain sawdust is a wonderful, inexpensive, and delightfully green cat litter that utilizes a wasted resource. Most cats love its texture and will eagerly use a sawdust-filled litter box. However, it can sometimes be difficult to find in urban and suburban areas, and some owners may not be satisfied with the degree of odor-control it provides, especially if they own more than one cat or do not plan to empty the litter box frequently. It is an excellent option if you have only one cat and don't mind a bit of extra work.

Another good option for an earth-friendly and compostable cat-litter is a commercially produced litter made from pine or cedar. These tend to have pleasant, natural scents, and they have been processed in such a way as to be significantly more absorbent than plain sawdust. However, it is somewhat expensive by comparison.

After adding the first layer of sawdust, soil, or leaves, simply dump your cat's waste (feces or urine-clumped litter) directly into your bin. Cover it with a one-inch layer of sawdust, soil, or leaves, and leave it alone. When the time comes to empty your entire litter box, simply do the same, and add another layer of your composting material. To speed the composting process, it's a good idea to aerate the litter every few weeks or months.

Reply to
allen73

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