I read the "Humanure Book" on-line and did a search about Taxoplasmosis.
I have six cats, but only about 5000 sq ft of yard. The facts about cat
fesces are:
1. Hot composting(at least 160 degrees F for 5-7 days)will kill taxo cysts.
1-2 days of below 0 degrees F will also kill the Taxo cysts.
2. The procedure for safely composting cat or dog fesces is
a) Hot composting to achieve 160 degree temperatures.
Be sure! Use a compost thermometer. It must be maintained
for at least 5 days, then the pile turned and 160 degrees for
another 5 days, I usually get another turn and another 5 days
of high heat--but I have access to a supply of goat manure.
b) Long settling period, over at least one cold season.
The Humanure guy suggests at least 2 years after which time the
compost can be used even for food crops!
3. Burying the cat fesces at least 12 inches deep, as suggested by the first
post, will work because even if the cysts survive the freezing
temperatures
(or if you don't have freezing temperatures)they will be too far below
the surface for any likelihood of another creature ingesting them, with
the exception of earthworms--who probably won't transport them close
enough to the surface for worry. The cysts will die after 5-6 years
without
a host. Obviously the deeper you go, the less likely it is to cause any
problems to anyone in the future--2 to 2.5 feet is the deepest I'd go
because
then even potatoes wouldn't be within 1 foot of the cat fesces residue.
I think potatoes are the deepest growing food crop. Especially if you
are growing food crops, bury about a foot below the furthest down that
the deepest tubers will be!!
4. Encourage your cats to "use" a certain area of your yard by making it
more inviting to them--(and make sure your children do not play there)
a) loosen the soil to make it attractive for them to bury their poop.
I use an EZ-Tiller($5)which is like a garden weasel cultivator-
a device with 3 spoked wheels to loosen the soil(easier than
digging)
and is used by rolling it along the ground.
b) add builders(coarse)sand to make it drain well
I compost my six cat's manure using the hot composting and then a yearlong
seasoning(over at least one sub-zero winter). I then use that compost in
my flower beds(I don't grow food crops on my wooded and shaded yard).
I hope this was helpful
John A. Kozup
Northeastern Ohio wrote in message
news:MOD$001223.13091@rec.gardens.ecosystems... > > I was wondering about the possibility of recycling cat feces. I have two > cats. I don't like to just flush it down the toilet, as it increases the > chances that my toilet will stop up, and I don't like to put it in the > garbage, either, as that seems unsanitary and smelly for the garbage > people to have to deal with. We have a really big yard (about 1.6 acres) > and I'd like to be able to just bury it and have nature take care of it. > > Does anyone have any suggestions or know of any way to decompose the cat > feces once it's buried so it is not liable to spread disease to other > animals? Or do you know of any literature that deals with the subject? > Any tips would be greatly appreciated. > > > Sent via Deja.com > http://www.deja.com/ > >