All the possibly possible diseases and parasites
aside, I hope there are more folks out there besides
myself who really find it distasteful to go work in
their flower bed and find smelly cat feces all up and
down it. We need to continually "lobby" and educate
those around us in as innocuous a way as possible (so
as to not have defensiveness rear its ugly head) (I
really otherwise like my neighbor that has 2 cats)
that cats are pretty and fun to own, but hard
decisions should be faced before getting one, such as
whether one can live with keeping the animal as an
indoor cat, or will put forth the money and energy to
build it a "cattery" area that allows it to spend some
time outside without devastating the neighborhood
wildlife and annoying the gardening neighbors. To me
that falls into the same category of RESPONSIBLE pet
ownership as not getting a dog if you aren't willing
to fence your yard (and not stick them into a concrete
run).

I've been a cat owner years ago, but don't keep cats
anymore because it is admittedly very difficult to
keep them in a certain area the way a dog can be
humanely kept (i.e., a fenced yard of comfortable size
with dirt to dig and lie in, etc.). After chasing my
neighbors' cats out of my yard for 11 years and ending
up sending their dropped "prizes" (shrew moles, birds,
moles, wood mice, etc.) to the Burke Museum as dead
specimens, I'm a bit out of patience for the cats in
my neighborhood, but even more for the owners who have
convinced themselves their darlings aren't wreaking
havoc in several different ways in the surrounding
area. I realize that the cats are just being cats and
didn't ask to be put into the situation they are in.
Maybe it's just because I enjoy birds and prefer
watching them moving about the yard rather than lying
dead in the driveway. The poop in my flowerbed is
just adding insult to injury! I'm afraid I find even
fish fertilizer to be more appealing.

Sorry, just had to get this off my chest. Appreciate
the warnings about the possible problems (besides pure
aesthetics) of dealing with the stuff buried in my
garden. I'll be sure to wear my "melt-down suit" when
disposing of it (as well as the clothespin on the
nose).

Danene Warnock
Bellevue, WA
northwestmom at yahoo.com

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