If you’re not a cat owner, but you know people who are, spread the word!
From the San Jose Mercury News, March 26, 2007:
In September, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law legislation to address the stalled California sea otter expansion.Among its provisions, the law prohibits the dumping of material into the ocean that’s harmful to sea otters and requires a label, as of this year, on cat litter sold in the state, encouraging cat owners to send the litter to the landfill instead of flushing it. Cat litter is one source of T. gondii, which survives sewage treatment and ends up in the ocean.
Otters pick up T. gondii by eating filter feeders, such as clams or mussels, which capture the parasite.
The bill, AB2485, increases the penalty for killing sea otters to $25,000. It also adds a contribution line to the state tax form, allowing taxpayers to donate money from their tax return to a sea otter fund.
The funding, said Jessup, may prove essential to the continued operation of the state’s otter recovery program. Federal funding declined by 50 percent last year, and may be eliminated by 2008, he said.
Squidoo has a lot of information on the toxicity of cat feces on wildlife – it’s written by an employee of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Truffula Tuft has good information about creating cat poop compost and litter disposal units that keep toxic cat poop out of the environment.
Yes, I realize this will inconvenience some people but last time I checked domestic cats aren’t an endangered species. Sea otters, OTOH are one of four endangered otter species -river, marine, sea, and giant. You have to figure if cat poop is toxic to one species of mammal it’s toxic to other mammal species. Do what’s right.
s.
Filed under: conservation, endangered species
I hope more people find out about this … if you do a quick web search about the “environmentally-friendly” way to dispose of cat litter, pretty much EVERYBODY recommends flushing! Yikes!
This is not true. Flushing cat poop has nothing to do with it. Environmentally it is better to flush. The problem is never as easy as you think. The law was done not to stop flushing, that was added, and they will regret it- people will let their cats outside instead).
The problem is that feral cats(who breed like crazy), outdoor cats and wild cats poop outside and cats are the only animal to shed Toxoplasmosis oocycsts (eggs). The eggs make it to the sea and they are 100% sure that it comes from storm drains and runoff from the above animals. The scientists made an assumption that it must also be from flushing cat waste. Well, flushable cat litter is not a big seller in the area, and surveys show that very few people flush anyway.
Additionally, Cal Fish and Game with the guidance of UC Davis (same scientists that helped craft the law) tested the outflow of the sewage pipes specifically for toxo and it was 100% clean–prior to the new law. The new law does not say you cannot flush cat waste it is perfectly legal.
Now the real problem. Toxo is natural and we will never get of it. The otters are not dying from it they are dying from weak immune systems that come from all of the junk going into the ocean from storm drains etc. Then when they are exposed to toxo, they cannot fight it like we can and eventually they get disoriented and get killed by boats, or predators. Clearly the toxo effects them but, 1) you will never get rid of it, and 2) the toxo is a symptom not the problem.
If more people kept cats indoors and we never had another feral cat, you would see a difference. Flushing or not flushing is not going to help. In fact, your blind passion for this will actually deflect from the real problem. People will run around freaking everyone out about flushing cat waste and the real concern should be keeping cats indoors, eradicating feral populations (not easy or as nice a bumper sticker as not flushing) and working to lobby to stop farmers from dumping pesticides.
Does anyone actually READ my posts before they fire off a missive? See the blockquote text? I DIDN’T WRITE THAT. So aim your misplaced fervor for the status quo elsewhere.
Sheesh.
s.
I don’t think anyone was trying to attack you, they are just discussing the article you posted. You started a discussion, which is great, so there is no need to be defensive. Everyone knows it was just posted, not written, by you. Keep sharing that is how people learn!
Indoor cats are not likely to have toxoplasmosis. Learned that from my doctor when we starting trying to have a baby.
An infected cat only sheds the oocytes for 2 – 4 weeks. Cats who live indoors and are not fed raw meat and who do not catch mice in the house are not likely to be exposed either. I think Sammy is right about feral cats being the much bigger problem.
I don’t flush the cat litter because my plumbing is close to 100 years old and I can’t afford any major repairs right now.