Y'all have inspired me. I have 7 rescued cats, the volume of cat litter we consume bothers me and composting seems to be the solution. So I've built a separate compost bin and lined it with straw. My local Orscheln store sells huge bags of pine shavings for 3.50! So far two of the cats are using the new pine shaving litter. The others are curious.
The real test will be how long the pine litter lasts.
Oh, and just for arguments sake. All the cat waste and pine shavings will go in that separate bin for use on the flowerbeds and shrubs, not the veggies.
I really hope this works.
The real test will be how long the pine litter lasts.
Oh, and just for arguments sake. All the cat waste and pine shavings will go in that separate bin for use on the flowerbeds and shrubs, not the veggies.
I really hope this works.
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Missouri
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Re: Eureka
Fri, January 5, 2007 - 9:00 AMCool Amy, let us know how it works! By the way, cat litter is great for repelling rodents. I'm repairing an old cabin in the desert. When I first came out here in October there were numerous active rodent tunnels. At first I just filled them in to see which holes were still occupied. I found that about half had fresh entrances within a few days. I filled those entrances with cat litter, and no more activity. -
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Re: Eureka
Fri, January 5, 2007 - 9:21 AMwhat repels cats? They like my garden too much, and I'm allergic -
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Re: Eureka
Fri, January 5, 2007 - 10:57 AMmaybe you can find something here...
www.cat-repellant.info/ -
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Re: Eureka
Fri, January 5, 2007 - 12:03 PMYour post was prophetic.
I just saw a dog go by with the neighbor cat's head in his mouth. A quick swat of the broom liberated one soggy, pissed off cat and the dog took off down the road. -
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Re: Eureka
Sat, January 6, 2007 - 1:32 PMOkay, update. Some of the cats won't use the pine. So I put about an inch of pine in the bottom of the box, then about a half inch of plain clay litter on top of that. Now they are all using the boxes.
We have very sandy soil here, so the addition of clay should actually help. -
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Re: Eureka
Sun, January 7, 2007 - 10:22 AMAh! I decided to compost my christmas tree in the back yard instead of leaving it for the dept of sanitation to recycle. I guess I know where to sprinkle those pine needles.... -
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Re: Eureka
Sun, January 7, 2007 - 10:52 AMhaha. send some over. My christmas tree is in the backyard, drying out (if it ever stops raining).
The pine shavings seem to keep the smell under control. Or maybe my nose is dead. -
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Re: Eureka
Tue, February 20, 2007 - 4:22 PMwhat a wonderful idea. I'll tell people I know with cats (we have one but she prefers the loose straw in the barn) . Pine actually smells nice. ARe the shavings from trees that are harvested just for that purpose? where do they come from?
just a word about using coniferous shavings: they may be too acidic for some plants. I'm sure you could check easily with one of those hardware store home soil testing kits. -
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Re: Eureka
Tue, February 20, 2007 - 5:03 PMAfter serious consideration, and without chemical testing of the soil, I've decided never to grow edibles. I live on the border of a residential zone, several automotive shops abut my property. There's just no way they haven't tainted the soil. However, my flowers did very well last spring/summer, and the basil in store-bought potting soil was great. The compost adds to the overall volume of soil in my yard, which is good.
After the first rain above 45 degrees, I'll go out and turn soil. And just for giggles, I will test this spring.
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Re: Eureka
Tue, March 4, 2008 - 10:00 AMThe pine comes from sawmills and furniture manufacturing and is a byproduct of production. Its available in big bags and is sold as horse bedding.
Even if I end up sending some out in the trash, it must be better than litter laced with God-knows-what kind of chemicals and perfumes.
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Re: Eureka
Tue, February 12, 2008 - 12:02 PMpepper was what i always heard...
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Re: Eureka
Thu, March 29, 2007 - 10:49 AMYou know, every time I read about how you should never put carnivore's manure in compost, it hardly ever occured to me to argue, "Well, what if I'm not putting the compost on food?" ...that's a good argument! I have two cats, and I'd love to find a better way to dispose of their litter.
Mostly, I'm composting for flowers, though I guess eventually I'll move on to food. Are the pathogens in the pet manure harmful if handled at all in gardening, or really just if you're eating food that it's been grown with?
And how does it compost and break down? -
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Re: Eureka
Sat, March 31, 2007 - 5:51 AMI'm taking my advice from some people who use humanure. They recommend a 2 year cycle. One year to fill the bin, and another to let it break down. I have a ways to go yet, but I'm encouraged. The bin doesn't smell (big relief) and I'm adding lots of "green" to curb the acidity.
I'm told that the only concern is leaf and root veggies. That many people have used humanure on their other vegs and fruits for years. I don't know if I'm that brave, but my flowers will be gorgeous.
Now the question becomes, do I let the neighbors in on my little secret or do I just let them wonder? I definately shouldn't tell the garden club. hahaha.
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Re: Eureka
Thu, April 12, 2007 - 8:09 PMIf you're digging around in your flower bed, then don't wash your hands good enough, there may be a chance of getting Toxoplasmosis. www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/p...plasmosis.htm
Maybe the 2 yr cycle Amy mentioned would do the trick. I wonder if you could test your first batch somehow to see if the parasites are gone? -
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Re: Eureka
Thu, April 12, 2007 - 8:21 PMIf my cats had toxoplasmosis, I'd have it by now. I may have it anyway. My cats stay indoors so their chance of exposure is minimal, but I'm the one who changes and cleans the boxes. I've been bitten many times by hostile rescue cats. Once I got cat scratch disease from a feral cat and my neck swelled up like a grapefruit. But toxoplasmosis would be important if I were pregnant or planning to get pregnant. Nope and Nope.
My major issue right how is having enough space to compost all this litter. Eventually it will break down, but the volume is impressive. My neighbors now think I've lost is as I've gathered up their grass clippings to green up the bins. -
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Re: Eureka
Fri, April 13, 2007 - 6:13 PMToxoplasmosis is transmissible if you let the cat litter box go too long without changing it, and I don't think it's transmissible through fresh cat shit. I'm just guessing here but maybe if you're a conscientious cat owner you might not have the exposure to the infectious form. The parasite goes through a transformation while the shit sits, and becomes infectious after a few days. Id worry about turning the compost maybe in the first week or several, which is when you normally want to turn it.
But kudos to you for exploring this disposal option!
Mark -
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Re: Eureka
Fri, April 13, 2007 - 8:04 PMExcellent point, Mark.
So I should be careful when turning the pile. Maybe I need a longer pitchfork. -
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Re: Eureka
Tue, April 17, 2007 - 5:19 PMmaybe just a 'real' (ie cartridge-style) respirator? That'd keep mold spores and other nasty crap out of your lungs, too. warning: I have no idea how big the toxo cysts or eggs are, so I don't know if this would work.
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