Rats, mice, cats, and backyard kitchen compost

**Durgan** · 10-20-2010, 09:02 PM

Rats, mice, cats, and backyard kitchen compost

I walk daily around my sub division. Periodically I see rats. There are also mice in various locations, which has been told to me by various people.

It appears there are bylaws against domestic cats free running. I ascribe mice infestation to the side effects of this bylaw. There are problems with cats running free, but the benefits outweigh the downside.

Backyard kitchen compost attract rats. These silly rocket shaped monstrosities should be abolished.

Central composting by the city should be the method utilized.

**frugalwarrior2** · 10-20-2010, 09:31 PM

Agreed hardily. We had feral cats i fed on a regular basis. They kept the chipmunks in line.All the neighbors had a fit and caught them.
Our outside cat in a champ at vole killing. Seems by neighbor may have kicked it. Came home limping. Hoe he get 16 chipmunks in his attic again.

**Durgan** · 10-20-2010, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior2

Agreed hardily. We had feral cats i fed on a regular basis. They kept the chipmunks in line.All the neighbors had a fit and caught them.
Our outside cat in a champ at vole killing. Seems by neighbor may have kicked it. Came home limping. Hoe he get 16 chipmunks in his attic again.

Love it. We must start a campaign. I am on to all the municipal candidates running my area. If nothing else we can get people discussing the issue.

**frugalfranny** · 10-21-2010, 12:33 AM

Originally Posted by Durgan

There are problems with cats running free, but the benefits outweigh the downside.

Not when you have to scoop someone else's cat poop up!!!

I have gobs of cats running around............NOT FERAL........lazy cat owners that don't want to mess with a litter box...........and I have YET to see any of them with a mouse. Many are not mousers if they are kept in the house all the time......(or mom didn't teach them).

I have caught five mice so far this year. Four of them outside my garage......only one inside. I use poison and traps.

**Durgan** · 10-21-2010, 04:24 AM

Originally Posted by frugalfranny

Not when you have to scoop someone else's cat poop up!!!

I have gobs of cats running around............NOT FERAL........lazy cat owners that don't want to mess with a litter box...........and I have YET to see any of them with a mouse. Many are not mousers if they are kept in the house all the time......(or mom didn't teach them).

I have caught five mice so far this year. Four of them outside my garage......only one inside. I use poison and traps.

Most cats bury their poop. Muse about how many mice you might have if there were no cats around.

**Russ** · 10-21-2010, 07:53 AM

I think about my neighbors 20+ barn cats that kill the bunnies and baby pheasants. I agree some cats are needed, but there has to be some control.

I live out in the country and within a 1 mile radius there are no less than 4 "free kittens" signs.

**Darlene** · 10-21-2010, 07:57 AM

My cat is doing it's part to rid the world of rat like creatures. She's a champion mole, vole, mouse exterminator and specializes in cute little chipmunks. She's out on patrol now.

Maybe you could walk around your subdivison with a musical pipe and become a modern day Pied Piper Durgan.

Better not, that could lead to trouble. Cat's are where it's at.

**Trishagirl** · 10-21-2010, 08:57 AM

[IMG][/IMG]My dog is a mole & chipmunk killer too! Even the squirrels are afraid of him. He even eats bugs! LOL This yr I only trapped 1 mouse in the house. Our cat is old & lazy. The dog sleeps in the laundry room at night closed door. The other day we had a musckrat come out of our pond and eat som acorns here's a pic of it.

**monkeywrangler71** · 10-21-2010, 08:58 AM

This comes up here fairly regularly - cat bylaws proposed, passed, repealed, etc. Personally, I've got to agree with Durgan on this issue. I live in a major port city which is virtually swarming with rats*, the last thing we need is cat control.

*this message not approved by Nova Scotia Tourism Dept.

**HappyMama** · 10-21-2010, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by Durgan

Backyard kitchen compost attract rats. These silly rocket shaped monstrosities should be abolished.

Central composting by the city should be the method utilized.

I don't like mice, rats or whatever and use a compost barrel, another method, do the Japanese method as well as worm composting and have never had a problem with mice etc. With that said there is no way I would get compost from a city!! I use only organic methods and don't compost some of the silly things I see people compost that puts GMO, certain oils that are bad for the human body into their compost, as well as newspapers that have certain bad inks . No thanks no way. I work hard to have a productive organic garden , and don't buy those things in the store I don't want it in my compost because someone dumps it in theirs !!

As well as you have cities like San Fran that are being sued now because analyses of their "compost" they gave away to organic gardeners are filled with "Heavy Metals", and toxic materials. They have now stopped the program but how many gardens are ruined not to mention some are very sick now. No thanks ! They took heavy metals and some toxic material and heated to so many degrees with green organic material and they gave away as compost figuring that it would be ok. Well now some tests coming back for those with heavy metals in their gardens and bodies are showing otherwise.

For those of us who take care and have clean organic methods , don't attract mice , and don't want whoo whoo things in our compost, or the food we eat that wouldn't work. It is not that hard to have a clean contained method that makes compost quickly and clean. Just saying.

But yes I hate those who have mice and whatever attracted to their area as well.

**Durgan** · 10-21-2010, 10:19 AM

Brantford City compost is strictly vegetative compost from tree cuttings, and Christmas trees. I consider it to be high quality.

In the fifties, farmers were encouraged to put sludge from the sewage processing plant on their land, during the Winter when the land was firm, due to being frozen. Free fertilizer! The spin off was a horrible stench in the countryside, run off into the water table when the warm weather appeared, and heavy metals spread throughout the countryside.

Now, when a farmer sells his land, there is a mention of the fact that no sludge waste was placed on the land in the past.

Imagine all hose small batteries with the harmful metals spread throughout the countryside, when prudent composing methods are not practiced.

**frugalwarrior2** · 10-21-2010, 12:03 PM

As far as some cats not having skills goes,we learned thats wrong. We have a fluffy long hair who is a pristine creature w/ a phoofy tail and 6" whiskers. She would sit around staring at the walls and we truely thought she was brain damaged. Until we let her out.
OMGoodness!!! voles,moles,squirrels,rabbits,dragonflies,frog,toads no longer exist in our yard. I caught her going over the fence. Ya see we were out.lol She heard stuff in the next yards. It's instictual.

And if you feed the wild a bit,they will kill stuff and bring it when your not there. Just shovel it,it's worth it. Chipmunks will chew wires and your house can catch on fire.
I suspect the droppings were coon,opposum or the like. Cats are very private about such things.

**Russ** · 10-21-2010, 12:10 PM

Regardless of what they *can* do, I still feel the pet owner has a responsibility to the animal and it's offspring.
And for informational purposes...

A pair of breeding cats, which can have two or more litters per year, can exponentially produce 420,000 offspring over a seven-year period. And the overpopulation problem carries a hefty price tag. Statewide, more than $50 million (largely from taxes) is spent by animal control agencies and shelters for cat-related expenses.

Taken from Feral Cat Coalition

**littleplum** · 10-22-2010, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by Durgan

Most cats bury their poop. Muse about how many mice you might have if there were no cats around.

Even if EVERY cat buried their poop, I still wouldn't want cat poop in my yard. I grow food out there, and I don't need to be picking up toxoplasmosis and passing it on to my fetus.

**frugalwarrior2** · 10-22-2010, 05:46 PM

First off,an assumption is being made the cats are productive. all my cats are fixed and vaccinated. Colonies are managed. The feral colonies are NOT a clutter of cats that live in the forest. They are a limited group of cats that have been fixed and are monitered by cat groups. Often times they are in secret locations so happy idiots won't dump unwanted cats into the groups in an astoundingly misguided belief that cats are wild animals so they will be ok.
The natural group that had been there since before there was a neighborhood was thinned by myself and others from rescue groups.
When I did rescue,we often "hosted" feral rescue groups who used our surgery facilities. The location of the colony was not public info.

Little Plum-If you are pregnant think you may be pregnant you should wear gloves. Lead,bacteria,molds and may other goodies are in our soils as well. Oh and fertilizer is cow poop or chemical poison.