With 79 million pet cats in the United States, they generate a lot of poop! That’s a lot of waste. It adds to landfills, makes a mess, and attracts pests. It would be great to get rid of some of that waste. Unfortunately, the question of whether can I compost dog poop isn’t quite straightforward.
Yes, you can compost cat poop. But you want to be careful. It can have several parasites and microbiological bad things which can make humans sick. A key risk unique to cats is toxoplasmosis. This parasite can cause serious risks to pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. This parasite can live in cat feces for a while.
For this reason, you shouldn’t compost cat poop if you’re going to use the compost on edible plants.
So, you can compost cat poop if you’re using the compost for your lawn, flowers, etc. In fact, with two and half times the amount of nitrogen as cow manure (a common natural fertilizer), cat poop can be a great addition. But you don’t want to compost cat poop if you are going to use the compost in your garden.
Don’t Forget the Cat Litter.
Just because you can compost the cat poop does not mean that the cat litter is compostable. You want to consider that too. Not all cat litter is compostable, which could create a separate problem when you try to compost cat litter.
Can I Compost Cat Poop?
Cat poop requires some care when you compost it. It could carry with it diseases that you don’t want in food that you are going to eat.