Using soil used for cat toilet

RosemaryB

We have just moved into a new house and want to start doing up the garden.  There is a small trough of soil (see picture) which was used by the previous tenant for Cat Grass for their cat and I think the cat also used as a toilet.  I was thinking of taking it apart and decanting the soil into big pots to start growing plants in but a friend said the soil could be toxic because of the cat faeces.
Would anyone know if the soil is usable?

pansyface

If the trough was used for growing cat grass I doubt that the cat would also have used it as a toilet. They are very meticulous animals. Maybe a neighbour’s cat used it as a toilet; they are also vindictive animals.😁

Anyway, feel free to spread the soil wherever you like and don’t worry about a thing.  Remember, this very morning, several birds have pooped on it already.

Not only that, our forbears used to eat vegetables that were fertilised with “night soil”.  I myself, as a child, partook of rhubarb that an old chap in our village grew.  Champion rhubarb grower he was.  And all down to night soil, he assured us.

Of course, it’s always wise to wash ones hands between gardening and eating.😊

BenCotto

I remember well the advice of my geography teacher c.1964 “Don’t eat lettuce in Belgium, boys, they fertilise it with night soil.”

I would not bother reusing the soil in pots. The disease risk I would deem to be very slight but cats’ urine might have made it quite acidic. Then there will be weed seeds and possibly limited fertility. I would use compost specific for the purpose in your pots. The retaining boards on that raised bed are terribly thin. It would not surprise me if they disintegrate on dismantling due to the seepage of damp into the wood.

Dovefromabove

My only addition to the information above is that if you are likely to become pregnant you should be aware of the dangers of toxoplasmosis to a foetus, and take appropriate precautions. 

https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/pregnancy-complications/infections-pregnancy/toxoplasmosis-pregnancy

AnniD

I agree, l would use fresh compost for the pots. However if you have other flower beds in the garden it's okay to transfer it there and dig it in (imo). It does look like it will disintegrate the minute you start dismantling it !