[Greenbuilding] Composting cat shit

[don lush]

Racheli- You may want to check out Toxoplasma gondii which is a protozoan
parasite that infects muscle and nervous tissue. Its natural life cycle is
to infect the brains of mice where it causes them to lose their fear of cats
so that the cats can eat the mice. The cats then defecate and then new mice
eat the feces and become infected ensuring the survival of the parasite an
completion of its life cycle.  Recent research has shown that approximately
70% of cat owners carry the antibody to this parasite meaning that they are
infected (most are a symptomatic).  Recent research has shown that this
parasite can affect behaviour in humans as well as causing spontaneous
abortion in pregnant women. 

Just google Toxoplasma gondii human behaviour and it may give you some
additional insight into the behaviour of cat owners!

Don

-----Original Message-----
From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Racheli Gai
Sent: February-23-09 2:41 PM
To: List Greenbuilding
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Composting cat shit

DH,
Can you provide references on the issue of cat feces as the cause of
blindness?
I'm very interested in this issue.

Thankd!
Racheli.


On Feb 23, 2009, at 12:24 PM, YankeePerm at aol.com wrote:

> Cats transmit several diseases to humans in their feces, including the
> leading cause of blindness in American children.   (Sandboxes look  
> like a luxury
> toilet to a cat.)   Domestic cats are what Mollison calls a Type 1  
> error, a
> decision from which you can never recover fully.   I suggest burying  
> all cat feces
> (including that still inside the cat) somewhere that you eventually 
> plant a
> tree (to prevent its excavaton).   Vermicomposting and hot composting  
> may well
> get rid of some of the pathogens, but I'd not want the product on or 
> near the
> surfact of my soil.   I'd guess that vermicomposting has the greatest  
> chance of
> effectiveness (since people are going to keep right on harboring these 
> infestations).
>
> DH
>
> In a message dated 2/20/09 5:12:08 PM, racheli at sonoracohousing.com
> writes:
>
>
>>
>>>
>>> The nice thing is that this is a resource which otherwise is hard to
>>> compost, and also feels nice underfoot.  And if the cat takes a dump,
>>> you can chuck it in the compost and add some more.
>>>
>> I wouldn't put cat shit in the compost.
>>
>> Racheli.
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
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