Cats as compost activators.

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by ho-hum, Jun 14, 2006.

  1. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Someone recently suggested to me that cats can be used as compost activators. I have seen them successfully used at the bottom of a 9'' augered tree holes and have used one as a septic tank activator.

    Would you put them at the bottom of the heap? Wouldnt they take months and months to break down and disappear?

    :oops: :shock: :D

    PS - My property is a cat free zone.

    floot
     
  2. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Gee floot you dont Pussy Foot around with your questions do you


    Tezza
     
  3. Mungbeans

    Mungbeans Junior Member

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    The only good cat is a flat cat.
     
  4. RobWindt

    RobWindt Junior Member

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    Some permie mates use roadkill under fruit trees, apparently the trick is to tightly wrap them in plastic bags so that the offgassing from decomposition does not burn the roots. Growing roots tap into this resource when they need it
    Have heard rumours of a posh college in Melbourne whose productive grapevines are attributed to burying a dead horse near the main trunk every several years
    Cheers
     
  5. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    I had an attack of the foxes 5 years ago....outta 30 odd chooks n ducks in My garden I had 3 survivors, of the survivors 2 had stick fast one was perfect...

    About 20 odd bodys were left behind after the foxes took what thy could carry off..........

    Simple I just buried em all, 3 undr each new fruit tree/bushs that just happened to be just bought and in need of some nice slow release fertiliser

    I dug big holes inbetween my newly planted trees tossed 3 carcases in each hole and covered up again,I just tossed em in no bags or covers they were placed away from roots only as I didnt want to disturb roots and didnt want over fertilise them either.....

    Under ideal conditions A chook carcase is pretty handy addition to the ground.
    The feathers are an excellent slow release High nitrogen fertiliser,and the rest of it aint bad either 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

    I also have 2 Pussy cats in my garden1 much loved pet,another a pain in ass dirty cat.....

    Anything is pretty good

    Dare i say, We waste a good resorce every day.when we bury humans in boxes and cremate others, adding to the ozone problems.

    Tezza
     
  6. Alex M

    Alex M Junior Member

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    I am always amazed at the fervent, irrational, and uninformed hatred of cats. It was the similarly ill-informed mass slaughter of cats by superstitious zealots in Europe that contributed to the black death, after all.

    https://www.animalsaustralia.org/default ... &idL2=1310
     
  7. Ramon

    Ramon Junior Member

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    Hi Alex,
    Cats and foxes are natural preditors. Australia is a country with a relatively low number of such effective killers. So with a relatively small initial human intervention, we have changed the dynamic of the eco-system. OK, you can argue that they are now natives and deserve to be a part of the new eco-system. In this case, CO2 release is also really just the same. Human activity changing the balance of the eco-system.
    I agree that human damage probably tops cat damage especially in Australia where we(average Aussie) need a quarter acre surrounded by lawn instead of the much more efficient housing in 3-4 stories in many other parts of the world. Perhaps cats, foxes, rabits, various introduced birds, the odd V8, temperature maintained year round at a perfect 20 degrees, etc., etc. doesn't really matter. Perhaps those who say conserve simply don't understand that we live in a dynamic eco-system.

    As a child I had a cat who brought home the normal mouse, bird and the odd possum rotation most days. I still have fond memories of him but my children will grow up without a pet cat. 'Planting' one sounds like an efficient use of natural resources to me.

    Cheers,
    Ramon
     
  8. bushy

    bushy Junior Member

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    Alex,so what you are really saying is that unless we allow uncontrolled breeding of feral cats Australia is likely to have a bubonic plague outbreak?
     
  9. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    G'day floot :)

    One suggestion to increase the surface area of a dead body, and thus aid in the decompositional phase of the return to its base elements, is to first cut it up and then mince it up prior to distributing it evenly throughout the compost heap. This idea has been discussed in previous threads re: composting.

    G'day Alex :)

    I empathise with your obvious pain re: the destruction of life, in this case, cats. However, and as our learned friend, Ramon has so eloquently eluded to in his post, cats are super-efficient killers, and if left to their own devices can/do contribute to the wholesale slaughter of a plethora of other species. There is no such thing as an irresponsible cat, for only their owners can hold this title.

    IMO, all the bodies of dead beings, be they cat, human or otherwise, should be put to the best possible use. Many a dead creature has ended up in our compost system (after going through the above process) and has eventually ended up on our plates as food via the recycling process of composting/gardening/growing/harvesting.

    Why buy blood and bone, especially from unsustainble, commercial production houses, when we have a thriving 'cottage' industry just waiting for 'start up' at our local mortuary? When I die I hope the people around me have the fortitude to compost me! This is certainly my wish, and one that I share with my family and friends on a regular basis.

    Cheerio,

    Mark.
     
  10. Mungbeans

    Mungbeans Junior Member

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    >When I die I hope the people around me have the fortitude to
    >compost me! This is certainly my wish, and one that I share
    >with my family and friends on a regular basis.

    My husband often expresses the same wish. However I am afraid to point out that the disposal of our earthly remains is subject to state legislation. Burial or cremation only. The best you can hope for is an eco-friendly coffin.
     
  11. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    G'day Mungbeans :)

    Actually, the best I am hoping for is a long, happy life with a quick, painless death. But seriously, I am hoping to covince those around me that when the time does come to dispose of the corpse that they if need be 'circumvent' State legislation (regardless of the Nation State that I might be living in at the time of death) and do in fact compost me - or at least bury me whole beneath a food producing plant.

    Of course I realise that the legislation pertaining to the diposal of human corpses has come about as a matter of public health and safety. However I am hoping that by the time death arrives for me that no matter where I'm living upon this planet that the Authorities will have realised by then just how valuable a dead body is in terms of material for composting (aka: soil building).

    Oh well, this is my hope, and I guess another scenario might but that come the time of my death nearing that I just take myself off to a area of wilderness and simply lay down and die. At least this way the scavengers of the world may get a feed. I believe this is what the Inuit peoples of Northern America would typically once do.

    Cheerio,

    Mark.
     
  12. Richard on Maui

    Richard on Maui Junior Member

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    Well, a spotted quoll would make a nice pet. Might bite the heads off your chooks and suck their guts out, but they are apparently very affectionate little dears.
    To compost a domestic cat, I would put said cat in the middle of the freshly made heap, and after the first turning I would try to get it back into the middle again. If the heap has sufficient mass, moisture content and the correct carbon/nitrogen ratio the cat will more or less have disappeared by half way through next week. :wink:
     
  13. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    SOYLENT CAT!!!



    :oops: :shock: :D :D

    floot
     
  14. Woody

    Woody Junior Member

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    I've recently buried the remains of a cow! (the rest i managed to stuff into the freezer).
    Does anyone think it would be a good idea to plant a tree over the top of it or to place a compost heap on it?

    Cheers

    Woody
     
  15. Alex M

    Alex M Junior Member

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    I didn't say feral cats are not a problem in the Australian landscape, I didn't say there should not be a humane and compassionate biological control for feral cats. The point of that link is to highlight the lack of understanding of the problem, and particularly, that most people's preferred method of control, slaughter, will only make the situation worse.

    I believe that cats have been convenient human scapegoats for centuries; the screens onto which many project their pejudices, without ever questioning them. I've met quite a few people who know nothing about the environment, yet adamantly believe cats to be the single greatest threat to Australia's natural environment. Their effect is grossly exaggerated.

    Cats, unlike dogs, are solitary creatures who hunt at night. They are always closely associated with the feminine aspect, and often seen as being in league with the devil. Cats do not hunt in packs, as we do; they are "not like us". And Mungbeans, when amateur psychopaths seek to harm an innocent life, the victim of choice is, often as not, a cat.

    https://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Kit ... 19063.html

    https://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.a ... ovider=top

    https://www2.animal-lib.org.au/Detail.tp ... 1024145435

    https://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/5981/SC/UK/

    By all means discuss the real problem of feral animals, but examine yourself, and be wary of the psycopath within. There is your enemy. It's not funny, I'm not joking; it's real.

    The best cat is not a flat cat, it is the one that purrs by the evening fireside, uninterested in bothering anything other than invading rodents.

    Wild cats are, like us and our dogs, and our mice, and our too-numerous feral birds, insects and micro-organisms, here to stay. We all have to find a way to live together. That's what permaculture is all about, isn't it? And who among you has been able to create a permaculture exclusively from local native species, without animals and plants which, if not kept properly, would also go feral.

    And if you're wondering what happened to your urban song birds (many of which where not natives), are you aware how viscous and rapacious those awful Indian Mynars are?

    https://www.mdavid.com.au/mynahs/mynahs.html

    https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/ ... m=storyrhs

    If you're looking for pest species to slaughter for compost, start there. Or use feral rabbits, foxes, pigs, goats, or horses. They are a far greater problem than cats alone, which are minor nuisance by comparison.

    When my little cat (who is afraid of possums) finally comes to the end of her time, I think I will compost her. I can think of no greater compliment or tribute for such a fine friend, than to return her to the earth from which she, and we all, came.
     
  16. heuristics

    heuristics Junior Member

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    "my" small fox, killed courtesy of dog, composted brilliantly once I got the basics of composting. I relocated the pile a while back and definately no fox - the eucalypt bark was still intact, but no fox.
    Compost OR fruit tree feed, either way a good choice.

    And I too wanna be composted!

    You can apply to be buried on your own property, and I think I will investigate this and see if a tree or something can be planted in the right place.... but I would prefer to be a pile of compost.....


    and sorry Alex, in Oz, the only good cat is a dead cat.... methinks.
     
  17. Alex M

    Alex M Junior Member

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    Where's Scott A Meister? He had a few thoughts on starting a commercial funeral composting service. :idea: I wonder if it came to anything? The most environmentally friendly funeral anyone could have. :angel7: 8)

    Heuristics, I've said my piece on cats; I have nothing to add.

    "do as you will, but harm none" :cat: :D
     
  18. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Alex, your responses beg the question :
    how does a permie reconcile cat ownership in australia?


    Worth a whiz,


    floot
     
  19. PULSE

    PULSE Junior Member

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    Nevermind about the cats! What about the nazi,masonic cane farmers. They are alot more prevalent and even more destructive.
    I find my Ganja plants do real well on a dead body. :idea: :lol:
     
  20. Alex M

    Alex M Junior Member

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    Well since you ask, Floot. As a Taoist, I can only speak for myself. My desexed cat spends most of her time indoors; she rarely goes out into the environment, and never far, except in my company. You might say she is my animal familiar. I have learned a great deal from her, and I take total responsibility for her. Anyone who wants to keep a cat should be free to do so, provided they act responsibly.

    On a recent camping trip, "friendly" possums came into the vehicle and raided her food while she sat by and looked to me to correct the injustice. Cats speak eloquently without language. I shooed them away, noticing that these little buggers have big sharp claws of their own, which they're not afraid to use. (ouch)

    Bushy asked "Alex, so what you are really saying is that unless we allow uncontrolled breeding of feral cats Australia is likely to have a bubonic plague outbreak?"

    Bubonic plague, caused by the rod-shaped bacterium Yersinia pestis, was transmitted to humans in the 14th century by flees which carried it from the blood of rats. The overpopulation of rats was the result of the mass slaughter of cats by religious zealots. The plague might be thought of as a karmic reaction, to ignorant action. But the plague disease still exists today and occassionally breaks out, even in the US. Increased rodent control is still the backbone of any response to an outbreak, but obviously, basic hygeine (a recent innovation) is the best protection. So in answer to your question, Bushy: yes and no. No, I'm saying we should allow the uncontrlolled breeding of feral cats. And yes, it is conceivable that, since cats remain the main predators of the feral rat in the Australian environment, if the cat was suddenly removed, plague could become a health problem, even in this country, though not in any way to the extent of the past. (There is some debate about the rat-flea vector theory, by the way, but it remains dominant.) If we want to get rid of the cats, we'll have to deal with the rats and mice on our own; then we'd find out out how much "free work" cats do for us. Bushy, as with the plague of humans on the planet, it is presicely the breeding to which you refer, that must be controlled.

    To reiterate, cats, which arrived in this continent before 1788, are now a part of the environment, and where their numbers are a problem, a control method must be sought which is humane and effective. Fertility is the key. The indiscrimate slaughter of feral cats is as likely to make matters worse as to do nothing. I believe it to be part of the industrial military war on nature, a paradigm to which permaculture presents as a cure.

    In some areas of Australia, Kangaroos have become an environmental menace, largely due to similarly mis-applied "control", and I don't know, but guess that the indiscriminate shooting of possums in New Zealand has actually made their numbers increase. A re-reading of Darwins Origin of Species might help to explain how this mechanism works.

    Once again, the point I want to make clear is that cats have a unique place in our psyche; the reasons that people state for their hatred of cats are not born out in reality. We hate what we fear, and the cat today, as much as in the 14th century, represents some inner fear which should be rooted out, held to the light, and integrated. No amount of cat sacrifice will fix this problem.

    I'm not judging or attacking anyone here. No one should take my comments personally.

    You see, I believe there is only one life, and that life is universal, and eternal. It is constantly transforming, and exists in myriad brief, fragementary forms, of which I am just one. We must learn our place in the universe if we are to flourish, or even to survive.

    Now I've said all I have to say on cats. :cat: :D
     

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