soil compromised by cat

I tried searching but couldn't find much...
Is it safe to plant any vegetable in soil that may have been compromised by either cat feces or urine?
I wanted to plant vegetables, mainly carrots and beets, in with my flowers but am unsure about this.
I tried growing them in containers last year but failed miserably.

My neighbor's cat loves my garden and I'm sure has done his business in it over the past couple of years. I just keep on going on. The feces will decompose over time. If I see any poop, I just lift it off the garden with a shovel and keep on gardening.

The danger with cat (and dog) feces is that it contains parasites (usually hookworm and roundworm) that can infect humans, and the eggs are remarkably long-lived. Toxoplasmosis is particularly a concern for pregnant women as it can adversely affect the unborn child, but generally doesn't do any damage to people with a fully developed immune system.

The plants are not in any way contaminated, just the soil. Thorough washing to remove all soil traces removes any eggs; washing your own hands well after working in the soil, too, especially under the fingernails prevents cross contamination. Gloves are recommended.

I would not be unduly concerned. Just remove any feces you find and try to prevent cats from using your garden as a litter box.

I had problems once with neighborhood cats using one of my flower beds as a litter box. I found that watering the soil in the evening so it was wet at night helped. Since I live in a dry climate, we don't have to worry much about mildew diseases here. But you probably need to try not to wet the leaves.

Here's what worked for me as a cat deterrent. Get the cheapest black pepper you can find and sprinkle it on the soil. Reapply after rain. It worked great for me to keep all the neighborhood stray cats out of my garden.

Then I got a dog. That even worked better!
Jo-Ann

This message was edited May 30, 2014 5:57 AM