I have a very old cat who goes through mountains of kitty litter. I
use the bio-degradeable kind, and go through about 5kgs a week at
least, but by the time it gets to the compost bin, it is soaked in ,
well, you know what kitty litter gets soaked in. Whats more, there is
so much of it that it is 90% of what goes i the compost bin.
Can someone tell me if I can use this in large quantites in my garden,
or should I just put it in the bin and only keep a small percentage
for the garden.
Robyn.

In article , Robyn wrote:
Can someone tell me if I can use this in large quantites in my garden,
or should I just put it in the bin and only keep a small percentage
for the garden.

Presumedly it's no different to human and other animal manure which gets
used on gardens. I've known people to use separate bins for kitty
litter, though not sure necessary that is. If left to break down it
probably does become suitable for the garden. However, you probably
don't want to get too much liquid in there, as that helps to develop
bacteria that gives sewerage the bad smell that it's known to have.
Should be okay if it's fully absorbed by the litter.

--
Jeremy Lunn
Melbourne, Australia
Homepage: http://www.austux.net/
http://www.jabber.org/ - the next generation of Instant Messaging.

On 21 May 2003 01:46:59 -0700, (Robyn) wrote:

I have a very old cat who goes through mountains of kitty litter. I
use the bio-degradeable kind, and go through about 5kgs a week at
least, but by the time it gets to the compost bin, it is soaked in ,
well, you know what kitty litter gets soaked in. Whats more, there is
so much of it that it is 90% of what goes i the compost bin.
Can someone tell me if I can use this in large quantites in my garden,
or should I just put it in the bin and only keep a small percentage
for the garden.
Robyn.

We have the same issue. We use the pelletized paper kitty litter. We
flush the solid waste down the loo and put the remainder in the
compost, where it eventually breaks down into lovely compost (our
compost pile is not hot enough and everything seems to take forever to
break down). We also find that flushing the solid waste each day (or
twice a day sometimes) makes the rest of the litter last much longer.

Tish

Look here b4 you dine on the food grown from pussy cat's waste products or
even handle said stuff:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/toxo.html
Jock

"Tish Silberbauer" wrote in message
...
On 21 May 2003 01:46:59 -0700, (Robyn) wrote:

I have a very old cat who goes through mountains of kitty litter. I
use the bio-degradeable kind, and go through about 5kgs a week at
least, but by the time it gets to the compost bin, it is soaked in ,
well, you know what kitty litter gets soaked in. Whats more, there is
so much of it that it is 90% of what goes i the compost bin.
Can someone tell me if I can use this in large quantites in my garden,
or should I just put it in the bin and only keep a small percentage
for the garden.
Robyn.

We have the same issue. We use the pelletized paper kitty litter. We
flush the solid waste down the loo and put the remainder in the
compost, where it eventually breaks down into lovely compost (our
compost pile is not hot enough and everything seems to take forever to
break down). We also find that flushing the solid waste each day (or
twice a day sometimes) makes the rest of the litter last much longer.

Tish

On Fri, 23 May 2003 03:05:23 GMT, "Jock"
wrote:

Look here b4 you dine on the food grown from pussy cat's waste products or
even handle said stuff:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/toxo.html
Jock

Toxoplasmosis is a concern for some people and should be taken
seriously (which is why we flush the cat's solid waste rather than
composting it), but for most people it is not a problem (taken from
the web site above). You need to keep some perspective about the
risk from urine-soaked kitty litter.

Nowhere in the literature do I see any suggestion that the parasite is
harboured on plants, so washing the soil off root vegetables and any
leaves or fruit with soil on them would ensure that you are not
bringing the parasite into your home from the veggie patch.

Tish


"Tish Silberbauer" wrote in message
.. .
We have the same issue. We use the pelletized paper kitty litter. We
flush the solid waste down the loo and put the remainder in the
compost, where it eventually breaks down into lovely compost (our
compost pile is not hot enough and everything seems to take forever to
break down). We also find that flushing the solid waste each day (or
twice a day sometimes) makes the rest of the litter last much longer.

Tish

I suppose I just have issues with cats in general and the thought of using
their biproducts as a growth promoter is a bit 'out there' for me. In my
experience, cats *can* be made beneficial to the garden. Simply bury one at
the base of each citrus tree each year and the fruit will be loverley!
That's about the end of their usefulness as I see it and if every Australian
applied that method of gardening, it would be no time before there were no
cats around.. - that has to be good for Australia.
Jock

"Tish Silberbauer" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 23 May 2003 03:05:23 GMT, "Jock"
wrote:

Look here b4 you dine on the food grown from pussy cat's waste products
or
even handle said stuff:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/toxo.html
Jock

Toxoplasmosis is a concern for some people and should be taken
seriously (which is why we flush the cat's solid waste rather than
composting it), but for most people it is not a problem (taken from
the web site above). You need to keep some perspective about the
risk from urine-soaked kitty litter.

Nowhere in the literature do I see any suggestion that the parasite is
harboured on plants, so washing the soil off root vegetables and any
leaves or fruit with soil on them would ensure that you are not
bringing the parasite into your home from the veggie patch.

Tish


"Tish Silberbauer" wrote in message
.. .
We have the same issue. We use the pelletized paper kitty litter. We
flush the solid waste down the loo and put the remainder in the
compost, where it eventually breaks down into lovely compost (our
compost pile is not hot enough and everything seems to take forever to
break down). We also find that flushing the solid waste each day (or
twice a day sometimes) makes the rest of the litter last much longer.

Tish

On Fri, 23 May 2003 05:01:54 GMT, "Jock"
wrote:

I suppose I just have issues with cats in general and the thought of using
their biproducts as a growth promoter is a bit 'out there' for me. In my
experience, cats *can* be made beneficial to the garden. Simply bury one at
the base of each citrus tree each year and the fruit will be loverley!
That's about the end of their usefulness as I see it and if every Australian
applied that method of gardening, it would be no time before there were no
cats around.. - that has to be good for Australia.
Jock

That, of course, is your perogative. One way to look at it is that
folks who have a need for kitty litter are responsible cat owners who
keep their animals inside all or most of the time, avoiding problems
for local wildlife. What's more, such people are trying to dispose of
their cat's liquid waste in an environmentally-friendly way that also
benefits the garden.

Tish

Where people are responsible for their cats, that's good. The Kitty Litter
manufacturing folk need to think up better ways the stuff can progress to
the next step through the environment without it becoming a 'toxic waste'
issue. - Organic disposal is best.
Jock
"Tish Silberbauer" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 23 May 2003 05:01:54 GMT, "Jock"
wrote:

I suppose I just have issues with cats in general and the thought of
using
their biproducts as a growth promoter is a bit 'out there' for me. In my
experience, cats *can* be made beneficial to the garden. Simply bury one
at
the base of each citrus tree each year and the fruit will be loverley!
That's about the end of their usefulness as I see it and if every
Australian
applied that method of gardening, it would be no time before there were
no
cats around.. - that has to be good for Australia.
Jock

That, of course, is your perogative. One way to look at it is that
folks who have a need for kitty litter are responsible cat owners who
keep their animals inside all or most of the time, avoiding problems
for local wildlife. What's more, such people are trying to dispose of
their cat's liquid waste in an environmentally-friendly way that also
benefits the garden.

Tish

Cats and pets generally are vital to many people's happiness and I find your
remarks offensive. Animals do have feelings, as do people who care for them.

"Jock" wrote in message
...
I suppose I just have issues with cats in general and the thought of using
their biproducts as a growth promoter is a bit 'out there' for me. In my
experience, cats *can* be made beneficial to the garden. Simply bury one
at
the base of each citrus tree each year and the fruit will be loverley!
That's about the end of their usefulness as I see it and if every
Australian
applied that method of gardening, it would be no time before there were no
cats around.. - that has to be good for Australia.
Jock

"Tish Silberbauer" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 23 May 2003 03:05:23 GMT, "Jock"
wrote:

Look here b4 you dine on the food grown from pussy cat's waste products
or
even handle said stuff:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/toxo.html
Jock

Toxoplasmosis is a concern for some people and should be taken
seriously (which is why we flush the cat's solid waste rather than
composting it), but for most people it is not a problem (taken from
the web site above). You need to keep some perspective about the
risk from urine-soaked kitty litter.

Nowhere in the literature do I see any suggestion that the parasite is
harboured on plants, so washing the soil off root vegetables and any
leaves or fruit with soil on them would ensure that you are not
bringing the parasite into your home from the veggie patch.

Tish


"Tish Silberbauer" wrote in message
.. .
We have the same issue. We use the pelletized paper kitty litter.
We
flush the solid waste down the loo and put the remainder in the
compost, where it eventually breaks down into lovely compost (our
compost pile is not hot enough and everything seems to take forever
to
break down). We also find that flushing the solid waste each day (or
twice a day sometimes) makes the rest of the litter last much longer.

Tish

Oh Please! Tell that to the native animals they eat and tell that to the
kids that dig up cat faeces in their sandpits and tell that to the neice of
mine whose beloved family pet swiped her eyeball out of a fascination with
random acts of violence. That cat's in a better place now too. Buy a teddy
bear. They don't need feeding and you can rely on them to do nothing
spiteful, dirty or contrived. Cats are bludgers on the kind humans of this
world such as yourself.
Jock

"judy" wrote in message
...
Cats and pets generally are vital to many people's happiness and I find
your
remarks offensive. Animals do have feelings, as do people who care for
them.

"Jock" wrote in message
...
I suppose I just have issues with cats in general and the thought of
using
their biproducts as a growth promoter is a bit 'out there' for me. In
my
experience, cats *can* be made beneficial to the garden. Simply bury
one
at
the base of each citrus tree each year and the fruit will be loverley!
That's about the end of their usefulness as I see it and if every
Australian
applied that method of gardening, it would be no time before there were
no
cats around.. - that has to be good for Australia.
Jock

"Tish Silberbauer" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 23 May 2003 03:05:23 GMT, "Jock"
wrote:

Look here b4 you dine on the food grown from pussy cat's waste
products
or
even handle said stuff:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/toxo.html
Jock

Toxoplasmosis is a concern for some people and should be taken
seriously (which is why we flush the cat's solid waste rather than
composting it), but for most people it is not a problem (taken from
the web site above). You need to keep some perspective about the
risk from urine-soaked kitty litter.

Nowhere in the literature do I see any suggestion that the parasite is
harboured on plants, so washing the soil off root vegetables and any
leaves or fruit with soil on them would ensure that you are not
bringing the parasite into your home from the veggie patch.

Tish


"Tish Silberbauer" wrote in message
.. .
We have the same issue. We use the pelletized paper kitty litter.
We
flush the solid waste down the loo and put the remainder in the
compost, where it eventually breaks down into lovely compost (our
compost pile is not hot enough and everything seems to take forever
to
break down). We also find that flushing the solid waste each day
(or
twice a day sometimes) makes the rest of the litter last much
longer.

Tish

"Jock" wrote in message
...
Oh Please!

Well you were asking for it

Tell that to the native animals they eat and tell that to the
kids that dig up cat faeces in their sandpits and tell that to the neice
of
mine whose beloved family pet swiped her eyeball out of a fascination with
random acts of violence.

Yeah it can happen, the killing of native animals, the digging up of cat
faeces. But it's hardly the cats fault, but rather irresponisble owners.
Sorry to hear about your niece, but whether it's a cat/dog/snake, having any
pet could have it's dangers.
Not saying your niece harmed the cat in anyway for it to scratch, it may
well have been playing, but a swipe from a cat taking out an eyeball is
hardly any reason to hate them all.

That cat's in a better place now too. Buy a teddy
bear.

And if a child choked on the eyeball of a teddy bar would a cull of all
teddybears fix the problem?

They don't need feeding and you can rely on them to do nothing
spiteful, dirty or contrived. Cats are bludgers on the kind humans of
this
world such as yourself.

And narrowmindedness has even more harmful effect on this world. I'm no cat
lover, or dog lover. I had a bird, but it escaped. That's enough for me, as
other than that bird I'm not really a pet person.
I only found out recently my girlfriend is expecting in December, so maybe
when our baby grows up there will be pets.
As I said, it's the owners that make the difference, not the pets.

In regard to the OP question. I would be very careful of using it near
edible plants such as your vege garden. I know my mum used to always throw
the cat litter under the camellias at her place. They are still alive and
hasn't harmed them. But then I don't think it was a large amout as I
remember her always scooping out the poos and putting them in a bag for the
bin, and putting the litter outside in the sun to help it dry a little to
get more use.
Just don't pile it on one area, rotate it, and try not have too much in the
compost.

Jock

Joe wrote:
Hmmmm. A cat lover is easily identified, non?

I have proferred what I think is an excellent solution (see post
below)
to the issue of wandering neighbourhood cats.

snip

Some dogs bite people does that mean all dogs do? Should we get rid of all
dogs?
You are generalising. Not all cat owners are irresponsible, the same as not
all dog owners are.
I object to one of my neighbours who walks his dog in our street every day &
letting his dog do his business in my front yard, doesn't mean I wish harm
on all dogs. Another neighbour's dog jumped our back fence & killed my much
loved elderly cat, doesn't mean I wish harm on all dogs.
I had a problem with Scrub Turkeys digging up my yard on a nightly basis,
not just a little dig here & there, but totally digging out every plant in
my yard, this has been ongoing for years, did I kill the Turkeys? No, I kept
persisting with finding a method to rid myself of the damn things.
I have cats & dogs, also a yard with quite a lot of wildlife, so many
lizards etc, that I have no snail problems (as per another post by you), the
blue tongue lizards take care of that problem for me. It is possible to have
cats & local fauna.
Contrary to what has been said here, most cat owners will curtail their
cat's activities if approached in a reasonable manner. Of course there are
irresponsible cat owners, just as there are irresponsible dog owners, so
what is new in the world?
BTW as responsible parent, when my children were small, I always covered
their sandpit when they weren't using it. It looked tidier & kept it safe
from unwanted visitors. Took all of a minute of my day to do so.

Hmmmm. A cat lover is easily identified, non?

I have proferred what I think is an excellent solution (see post below)
to the issue of wandering neighbourhood cats.

I object to cats being on MY property uninvited. I control where my dog
goes, so cat owners can damned well control the movement of their pets.
All they have to do is keep them in at night - the useless animals do
nothing but sleep all bloody day, then rampage through the other peoples
gardens at night, peeing, depositing turds, howling and then taking up
valuable space in newsgroups.

The damage done to wildlife in this country by cats, and I don't just
mean feral cats, is nothing short of terrifying.

Cats can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned.

Wow! Was that a bit strong?

And BTW, Andrew, if a child choked on a Teddy Bear eye, those particular
Teddy Bears would be taken off the shelves. Actually, it happens quite a
bit, but things do get fixed - check the product recall notices in your
local paper, or CHOICE magazine - the problem is that the cat problem
*PERSISTS*.




Andrew G wrote:
"Jock" wrote in message
...

Oh Please!


Well you were asking for it


Tell that to the native animals they eat and tell that to the
kids that dig up cat faeces in their sandpits and tell that to the neice

of

mine whose beloved family pet swiped her eyeball out of a fascination with
random acts of violence.


Yeah it can happen, the killing of native animals, the digging up of cat
faeces. But it's hardly the cats fault, but rather irresponisble owners.
Sorry to hear about your niece, but whether it's a cat/dog/snake, having any
pet could have it's dangers.
Not saying your niece harmed the cat in anyway for it to scratch, it may
well have been playing, but a swipe from a cat taking out an eyeball is
hardly any reason to hate them all.


That cat's in a better place now too. Buy a teddy
bear.


And if a child choked on the eyeball of a teddy bar would a cull of all
teddybears fix the problem?


They don't need feeding and you can rely on them to do nothing
spiteful, dirty or contrived. Cats are bludgers on the kind humans of

this

world such as yourself.


And narrowmindedness has even more harmful effect on this world. I'm no cat
lover, or dog lover. I had a bird, but it escaped. That's enough for me, as
other than that bird I'm not really a pet person.
I only found out recently my girlfriend is expecting in December, so maybe
when our baby grows up there will be pets.
As I said, it's the owners that make the difference, not the pets.

In regard to the OP question. I would be very careful of using it near
edible plants such as your vege garden. I know my mum used to always throw
the cat litter under the camellias at her place. They are still alive and
hasn't harmed them. But then I don't think it was a large amout as I
remember her always scooping out the poos and putting them in a bag for the
bin, and putting the litter outside in the sun to help it dry a little to
get more use.
Just don't pile it on one area, rotate it, and try not have too much in the
compost.


Jock

"Joe" wrote in message
...
Hmmmm. A cat lover is easily identified, non?

You lost me there? You mean I am one? Nope, not here. Not 'cos they are a
cat, but a pet that I don't have time for.

I have proferred what I think is an excellent solution (see post below)
to the issue of wandering neighbourhood cats.

I object to cats being on MY property uninvited. I control where my dog
goes, so cat owners can damned well control the movement of their pets.

Exactly what I was saying. It's the owners responsibility.
I've thrown large crackers at cats in the backyard, as I have to dogs. They
never come back though :-)

All they have to do is keep them in at night - the useless animals do
nothing but sleep all bloody day, then rampage through the other peoples
gardens at night, peeing, depositing turds, howling and then taking up
valuable space in newsgroups.

Ok, let me stoop to levels of sterotyping dogs then.
If a firecracker, bakcfire or siren goes off around here then one dog will
start all the others in the neighbourhood. That is no different than cats
howling.


The damage done to wildlife in this country by cats, and I don't just
mean feral cats, is nothing short of terrifying.

They do, agreed. Irresponsible owners. But there is a problem not far from
here of dogs attacking Koalas, so it's not just cats.
The problem of wild dogs near here at Hallidays point is pretty bad. A mate
had his dog attacked a few times. Not that long ago when just out of school
a local sales manager at a new development paid us to cull wild dogs. I now
work on that development, but still you see the occasional mauled native
animal from a wild dog.


Cats can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned.

Since you are a dog owner, and the third I have heard of to carry on like
that about cats v's dogs, should I stereotype all dog owners into that
group? No, not right is it?


Wow! Was that a bit strong?

Doesn't phase me. Say what you like as far as I care.
I'll just stick with my argument that any introduced species can do damage,
it's just a matter of what the owners are like.
A quick example was the story of a guy I knew who took a disliking to a cat
visiting at night as it would make his dog bark. Quite often his dog would
get out of the backyard during the day and roam the neighbourhood. Anyway
using a simple method he poisoned the cat.
About 8months later he come to work devasted. His dog had been poisoned, as
a note was found in his letterbox stating something along the lines of "told
you to keep your dog in". His dog dead in the backyard.
Now it's pretty sad if you ask me that it happened. To the dog, and cat. I
Couldn't care less about the irresponsible owners.
But let me guess. You can see that the dog owner was the victim here, and
serves the cat right?

And BTW, Andrew, if a child choked on a Teddy Bear eye, those particular
Teddy Bears would be taken off the shelves.

Ok then, perhaps a newborn gets suffocated by a teddybear in it's cot, even
though the bear is not meant to be near the kid (due to age restricitons and
that it's bad anyway).
Ahhh, it doesn't matter. Point I'm trying to make is cos a cat scratches an
eye does it mean they are all bad? Perhaps if I were to be bitten by a dog,
do I hate them all?
Tell me why, if a cat scratches or attacks a kid, do these 2 particular dog
owners I know go on with "bloody useless dangerous cats" etc?
BUT, if a dog attacks a child, do these same people go on with "oh, that
child must have harmed it" or "it was only defending it's territory".
As I said in my OP, I'm not a cat lover, or dog lover, just not really into
owning those sorts of pets. But I find this "cats v's dogs, I hate cats but
love dogs" arguments that come up quite amusing.

Actually, it happens quite a
bit, but things do get fixed - check the product recall notices in your
local paper, or CHOICE magazine - the problem is that the cat problem
*PERSISTS*.

Yeah I know the recalls you mean. I used a bad example.

Andrew G wrote:


I only found out recently my girlfriend is expecting in December, so maybe
when our baby grows up there will be pets.


Congratulations!!!

Jane