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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Is cat poo that bad really?

16 replies

SurvivingNotThriving · 15/03/2023 19:16

My neighbours all have cats. And I suspect that our garden is the boundary between various territories, because a lot of pooing goes on, mostly in my veg beds. (I have cats too, but they're indoor-only so not part of this problem.) I remove the poo when I can, and chuck it in a corner of the garden where no edible crops are grown. As a result, the rowan tree is looking wonderfully well fertilised.

But.

Sometimes I don't notice the poo until it's very clearly been there for quite a long time. Realistically, all my veg beds contain quite a bit of cat poo. (And rat/fox/hedgehog poo too, I assume.)

Still, I eat the vegetables.

I assume that it doesn't especially matter with crops that are cooked before eating, or crops that are up off the ground away from the poo (e.g. gooseberries). Am I right in thinking this? I don't see how toxoplasmosis can be transmitted via a plant... So that's my first question.

My second question is about salad crops. If a cat poos in my lettuce bed, I need to ditch the lettuce, right?

OP posts:
CatherinedeBourgh · 15/03/2023 22:33

If you had cats, you've probably had toxoplasmosis anyway.

And if you think commercial vegetables are grown without ever coming into contact with cat poo, then you've never seen a commercial farm!

Just wash them and crack on.

SurvivingNotThriving · 16/03/2023 12:18

Thank you. Yeah, I hadn't thought about commercially grown veg but that's a good point.

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TonTonMacoute · 16/03/2023 13:03

I've got two news cats who love crapping in my nice prepared veg bed.

I'm not going to worry about what's already there, just dig it all in, but I will probably put something to protect my lettuces as they grow.

VenusClapTrap · 16/03/2023 16:38

My cat has been pooing in my veg beds for years. We’re all still alive.

ArianahX · 16/03/2023 17:08

I found a massive pile of fox poo (I googled it) in my garden recently, cat poo is definitely preferable.

SurvivingNotThriving · 16/03/2023 18:15

Thanks, people. You're all kind of reinforcing what I thought. It's reassuring.

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Greentree1 · 16/03/2023 18:18

Not to mention badger poo! Also bird poo from above, just wash everything and dig in the poo.

Greentree1 · 16/03/2023 18:19

Also insects leave a lot of poo particularly caterpillars, disgusting!

Greentree1 · 16/03/2023 18:20

Forgot Slugs and Snail poo!

Riapia · 16/03/2023 18:50

Is cat poo that bad really?

Only first thing in the morning when you walk barefoot into the bathroom and it squidgy up between your toes. Cold.
😉😁😁😁

Isheabastard · 16/03/2023 19:13

I actually don’t know about cat poo, but I’ve always just chucked if I’ve found some, even if it was in the veg patch.

I’ve always washed shop bought veg when I read that farm workers (male) just wee in the field when harvesting the crops.

Dont forget the Victorians (and earlier) use to collect ‘night soil’ and I believe it was used as fertiliser/manure.

SurvivingNotThriving · 16/03/2023 19:50

Riapia · 16/03/2023 18:50

Is cat poo that bad really?

Only first thing in the morning when you walk barefoot into the bathroom and it squidgy up between your toes. Cold.
😉😁😁😁

Ha ha yes, or when you find a unique gift on the sofa...

OP posts:
SurvivingNotThriving · 16/03/2023 19:51

Isheabastard · 16/03/2023 19:13

I actually don’t know about cat poo, but I’ve always just chucked if I’ve found some, even if it was in the veg patch.

I’ve always washed shop bought veg when I read that farm workers (male) just wee in the field when harvesting the crops.

Dont forget the Victorians (and earlier) use to collect ‘night soil’ and I believe it was used as fertiliser/manure.

Good point! Night soil is probably way worse than anything the local cats can excrete.

OP posts:
SurvivingNotThriving · 16/03/2023 19:52

Greentree1 · 16/03/2023 18:18

Not to mention badger poo! Also bird poo from above, just wash everything and dig in the poo.

Yup, I hear you. Sounds wise.

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MonumentalLentil · 16/03/2023 20:04

SurvivingNotThriving · 16/03/2023 19:50

Ha ha yes, or when you find a unique gift on the sofa...

Or forget to check the bath before you run the water...

SurvivingNotThriving · 16/03/2023 20:29

MonumentalLentil · 16/03/2023 20:04

Or forget to check the bath before you run the water...

Eww!

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