Safe composting of used cat litter
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Safe composting of used cat litter Posted on Sep 2 2007 at 9:25pm by I have 7 indoor-only cats in my care and use a litter made from recycled newspaper. If it weren't for the can dedicated to used litter we'd only need to put out trash every three weeks. We're on the "if it's yellow then it's mellow, if it's brown flush it down" system and there's no way to flush it all! I live in town on a small lot and do compost all leaves and kitchen waste but have never seen any guidelines about composting litter. I want to contact my municipality and work on getting them to develop a facility for such but need information before I do. Even if someone has successfully done that in their back yard in a commercial composter, hole in the ground, whatever, (and knows how to make sure any funk has been thoroughly converted and won't be a danger to humans when used around the odd tomato plant)-please, let me know. The thought of so much perfectly biodegradable material being sent to a landfill where there's little natural decomposition is really getting to me.
Thank you all for all you do,
Beacon
RE: Safe composting of used cat litter Posted on Nov 8 2007 at 11:57pm by I'm with you on this one. A huge lover of cats, I've had as much as 16 at one time in my life. Now, I only have one--a new kitten I named Gabriella, after my last cat whom I absolutely adored more than life itself and recently lost, to my continuing grief. This new little girl uses the box more often than any cat I've ever had, and she has to share it with 5 other cats that belong to my roommates, so we go through a LOT of litter. All 3 of us are very environmentally conscious people, and I'm sure I speak for them as well, when I say that we'd be very interested to know a safe way to compost and recycle this stuff safely. I see no one has replied to your comment, besides myself, so I hope for both our sakes, that someone will notice this thread and give us a heads up. Thanks for the idea, btw.
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RE: Safe composting of used cat litter Posted on Dec 28 2007 at 7:26am by Where and how you compost your "greenable" cat litter depends on what pathogens your cats may carry and what chemicals or drugs may be passing through your cats. Red worm composting will remove most pathogens from compostable litter, but other pet-related substances can kill off the red worms.
http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/2005/Eric.html
When in doubt, compost your cat litter (and/or dog poo) in the woods, away from edible plants, herbs and garden crops, and far away from play areas for small children.
Some say cat urine smells "like death" to rodents, so you may have some good outdoor "targets" to stuff litter into - I managed to effectively "remove" a large woodchuck from my back yard by using this method over a period of weeks, tossing the litter clumps deep into the chuck's hole(s) and following up with dirt.
Toxoplasmosis seems to be a big deal when cats have outdoor access, so read up on it at http://www.hsus.org/ (search for [toxoplasmosis]).
The internet has many resources and discussions on this subject... I found a wide range of concerns and solutions addressed (to some degree) on Grist/Umbra at http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2005/9/26/104828/489 - it's a start. Another is found here:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lab/msg0810140313296.html
I think you've made a good green choice, getting away from clay (strip-mined bentonite) cat litter. Good Luck with the compost!RE: Safe composting of used cat litter Posted on Dec 31 2007 at 9:20pm by you might try sheet composting of cat litter. that is, if you were building an ornamental flower bed, you could layer the litter along with grass trim, weeds, dry leaves, etc. after decomposition, plant with flowers or other ornamentals. or you could try trench composting. a little harder, but usable for established beds. dig a hole deep enough that when litter, or other compostable material is added there will be room for 4-6 inches of soil.you can work a little soil into the compostable material. the soil that goes on top comes from the area adjacent to the hole, thus beginning the hole for the next "offering" the idea is to get it deep enough to stop odor and discourage critters from digging it up. you can use this method to side dress fruit trees or shrubbery. what you would not do is put it where leafy vegetables are growing. that is, if the cat litter had any disease factors, it could conceivably be drawn into the fast growing leaves that you would then consume. unlikely, but possible. some litters are better than others for composting. clay litters would add little to clay soil. and some clay litters are produced by strip mining. corn and wheat based litters would add nutrients to the soil. seems a shame to use what ought to be food for cat litter. litters with added scents and the crystal stuff are unsuitable. i am thinking of experimenting with potting soil. it wouldn't clump, but it is intended for the garden, isn't strip mined, can't be eaten, and is absorbent.
RE: Safe composting of used cat litter Posted on Jan 30 2008 at 11:59am by You can try a natural litter called Feline Pine- scoopable. It smells like pine and you can actually flush it. If you don't want to flush it can be composted because it is nothing but pine and pine resin. Stay away from fragranced clay litters. They are cheap, but you can't do much with it. Pine smells great!
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RE: Safe composting of used cat litter Posted on Mar 3 2008 at 6:20pm by I just read about this new home composting system. It is available at http://naturemill.com/products.html They have one made for pets. It uses heat and airflow to decompose the matter thereby killing any pathogens. -
RE: Safe composting of used cat litter Posted on Mar 3 2008 at 10:01pm by Holy help, Batman! Lots to look into, here. I'll keep you posted once I finish the research and let you all know how it goes with our municipality!
Thank you all for the information and "Yay!" to Sundance for making these connections possible.RE: Safe composting of used cat litter Posted on Mar 13 2008 at 7:21pm by [u][i][b]Wow! Great site! [/u][/i][/b] we're going to switch to potting soil... we'll see how it goes!
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