To compost or not compost cat poo (your thoughts/opinions?)

[tnbsp]

I have heard it is dangerous to compost poop of carnivores, but I also see on the internet that some people compost their cats' poops. What's the truth here? Can we or can we not throw the cat's poop outside/in a compost bin?

 

[Talien]

It depends on what you're planning on fertilizing with it, using it on any edible plant is a bad idea because of the bacteria present in carnivore or omnivore excrement. It's mostly considered ok to use for lawns or shrubs, however, but I still wouldn't do it because it has to be 100% composted otherwise it can harm the plants.

 

[Lari]

The town I used to live in had a composting program and collected it weekly and specifically said no pet waste allowed.

We've set up a compost in our new backyard which is mostly yardwaste now (I need to order a little bin for food waste), but are still just throwing out the cat waste. I think toxoplasmosis can be found in cat waste, not as likely for indoor cats, but apparently still possible since I've been told that I can't scoop for the next several months, and if you use it as a fertilizer on any fruits, veggies, or herbs you grow, the toxoplasmosis can spread to them, so it's just safer not to.

 

[Azazel]

Also depends on what your cat is eating. If you're feeding it Royal Canin or Hills for example, it's probably eating more like a horse (i.e., grains, corn, etc.) rather than like a true carnivore. But if you're feeding your cat proper animal protein, especially raw, then they will have more bacteria in their poop, which is how it should be.

 

[tnbsp]

Yeah, that all makes a lot of sense. I’m mostly curious about reducing how much trash I take to the dump and whether if it could be thrown away outside (But not for Fertilizing s garden). there’s a product on amazon that is a dig in the ground compost thing for cat poop haha but it seems like waaay too much work and just easier to keep tossing it in the trash

so, here’s another question. I have paper litter- do you think it would be safe to compost that and throw the poop away or is that litter also probably contaminated?

 

[Talien]

Yeah, that all makes a lot of sense. I’m mostly curious about reducing how much trash I take to the dump and whether if it could be thrown away outside (But not for Fertilizing s garden). there’s a product on amazon that is a dig in the ground compost thing for cat poop haha but it seems like waaay too much work and just easier to keep tossing it in the trash

so, here’s another question. I have paper litter- do you think it would be safe to compost that and throw the poop away or is that litter also probably contaminated?

It depends on whether it's plain paper or just has black ink, or if it's got colored ink. Colored ink is made with various metals and is not a good idea to use in compost, or even using the ashes in a garden if you burn paper with colored ink. If it's just plain white paper or only has black ink it's ok to compost.

 

[tnbsp]

It depends on whether it's plain paper or just has black ink, or if it's got colored ink. Colored ink is made with various metals and is not a good idea to use in compost, or even using the ashes in a garden if you burn paper with colored ink. If it's just plain white paper or only has black ink it's ok to compost.

Cool, thanks! Thats good to know