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Re: Cat and other (feces) in the garden


Hi Don,

I agreed with this point of view until I went to the Philadelphia Flower 
show and stopped into listen to a speaker from Organic Gardening (Jeff 
something??  I guess he's pretty well known).  He said no carnivore feces 
in the garden (any garden) because of the danger of worms to humans.  He 
pointed out that dogs and cats have "naked" pads on their feet (as 
opposed to the hoofed animals) and that they were susceptible to 
worms/diseases that could be transferable to humans.  He said don't even 
compost them.  He did however, advocate composted human excrement (from 
our country - not others) because our diet has become so sterile that 
there is little danger of disease spreading between us.

Got any way to check this out?



> At least part of what we're dealing with here is esthetics.  The manure
> commonly used for fertilizer is from herbivores (cattle, horses, etc.) and
> is perceived as being better smelling (at least in a relative sense - or it
> it scents?) that than obtained from carnivores (cats, dogs, humans.
> Herbivore manure is also available in much larger quantities and is
> generally composted before use, which would tend to diminish infectious
> material such as tapeworm cysts.
> My father was a veterinarian and I was raised on a farm.  All animal
> excrement was recycled.  A good point is made about the exposure of
> pregnant women to cat feces because of the possible exposure to
> toxoplasmosis.  Avoidance should not be difficult for the informed person.
> 
> 
> Don Martinson
> dmartin@cdmas.crc.fmlh.edu
> 
> "Existing order thrives upon ignorance and lies.
> Objective truth and individual reason are feared above all."
> 
> 

Kathleen Moran, Ed.D.			Gardening at:
Center for Learning and Assessment	Amherst, MA
Cambridge College			Zone 5 
Springfield, MA				Minimum temp: -15
References:
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