[SustainableTompkins] Dealing with Cat litter

[Mark Darling]

To follow up on this fascinating string about cat litter. According to the
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)brochure on Toxoplasmosis:
"Toxoplasma in meat can be killed by cooking at 152ºF (66ºC) or higher or
freezing for a day in a household freezer. Cats are the definitive host
for the production of the infectious and resistant Toxoplasma oocysts. The
oocyst, released from the intestine of cats in their feces, is very hardy
and can survive freezing-even several months of extreme heat and
dehydration. Moreover, oocysts can be carried long distances in wind and
water."
(http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/toxoplasmosis/toxoplasmosis_brochure.asp)


I hate to say it but, cleaning the cat feces from the cat box litter daily
and disposing of them in a sealed plastic bag in a sanitary landfill looks
to be the preferred method for protecting human health. It would appear
that if this is done, then composting urine soaked litter, a suitable one,
has little or no risk of spreading toxoplasmosis.

It would also appear that flushing the feces into an on-site septic system
isn't such a good idea either. I suspect that the oocycsts are destroyed
in a waste water treatment plant.

The best protection is to "scoop those poops" every day. which we all do ,
right? And wash your hands after cleaning the box.

MD


Mark Darling
Program Coordinator
Recycling/Resource Management
201 Facilities Building
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-274-1777

"We cannot solve the problems that we have created with the same thinking
that created them."
 - Albert Einstein


> My imagination is working on this problem now.
>
> I like the idea of composting cat waste/litter. We have three cats
> and now we are using litters that are not clay. Still we are throwing
> it in the trash. I have heard about not being able to compost cat
> waste in regular compost bins because it doesn't heat up enough to
> kill the parasites. I hadn't thought about making a separate cat
> waste compost and using it outside of the vegetable garden.
>
> Does this seem like a plausible idea, or just wacky. Segregate the
> cat waste into its own compost pile. WHen it has baked down naturally
> could it be cooked more say in a turkey roast tray on a covered
> outside grill. Make it hot enough to kill the bad stuff. I forgot
> what the temperature needs to be, something like 150 degrees... Is
> this likely to work?
>
> On another pet waste topic, we also have a dog. Last autumn I bought
> a Doggie Dooley, which is a plastic pail that works like a septic
> tank. I dug a hole, put the thing in and fill it with water and a
> plumbing/septic system enzyme. The dog waste is supposed to break
> down and the water overflows the pail and goes in the hole where is
> absorbs into the ground. We filled it before winter, now it is frozen
> "something." It is supposed to work at temperatures above 40 degrees.
>
> Doogie Dooley
> http://www.amazon.com/Dooley-2000-Septic-Tank-Style-Pet-Waste-
> Disposal/dp/B0002DI34A/ref=pd_sbs_k_njs_title_5
>
> The Doggie Dooley website is terrible. So I linked to Amazon
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Mark Darling
Program Coordinator
Recycling/Resource Management
201 Facilities Building
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-274-1777

"We cannot solve the problems that we have created with the same thinking
that created them."
 - Albert Einstein