A fecal find in the garden is an unappetizing thing, but it can be used to draw conclusions about animal visitors. A common leaving is cat feces, which is not always harmless to health.
Identifying features
The droppings of cats are To determine very clearly by a few characteristics. An indication that it is the excrement of the house tigers, is the Litter box or. the shape of the deposit. Cats choose this wisely, and usually dig a small litter box.
You can recognize the feces itself by the following characteristics:
- intense brown color
- up to 4 cm long
- 1 to 2 cm in diameter
- Surface smooth
- firm consistency
- flexible
As a rule, cats visit their toilet in an interval of 12 to 24 hours. However, the appearance of the feces corresponds to the characteristics only if the cat is healthy and has an average diet. Diarrhea may occur in sick animals.
Possibility of confusion
The droppings of cats have some characteristics that the droppings of wild animals also have. Especially the length and diameter are often very similar. Important when determining which animal it is, to exclude in advance species that do not or. do not feed exclusively on meat. In badgers or raccoons, food traces clearly show plant components. Thus, it is not as pliable as the cat feces.
Like confused the excrement of cats is also with that of the fox. In appearance they are actually similar at first glance. However, the fox defecates in an elevated position and not in a small hollow as the cat does.
risk of infection
It is quite reasonable to deal with droppings, especially when strange cats come into the garden. Cats can be hosts for the so-called Toxoplasmosis and the pathogens are transmitted via the animals’ feces. If you can clearly identify cat feces, you can react quickly and remove it.
Symptoms of toxoplasmosis:
- Fever
- swollen lymph nodes on the neck
- Fatigue
- headache
- Limb pain
The toxoplasmosis usually runs harmless. At Risk groups, such as pregnant women or people with a weak immune system it can lead to a severe course of the disease. Especially these groups should be able to recognize cat droppings by their appearance. If the characteristics do not match completely, you should still not take any risks and touch the excrement unprotected, for example.
Unfortunately, however, it sometimes happens during gardening that they are accidentally touched without protection. If this is the case, you should immediately use soap to clean up the Wash hands thoroughly. When targeted removal should always Wear gloves.
Dispose of cat feces
- because of infection danger also excrements of the own cat(s) in the domestic refuse to dispose of
- Use shovel
- do not use them for further gardening or. Clean thoroughly afterwards
- generously also remove area around excrement
- Put feces in bag
- securely seal
- finally dispose of in the residual waste
- do not throw on compost, pathogens are possibly. not destroyed
Frequently asked questions
Even after years, the pathogens of toxoplasmosis can still be infectious. It is therefore advisable to clean also beds with ornamental plants from cat excrements.
Transmission of infectious diseases via cat urine is unlikely, but not excluded.