Garden Soil Not Ruined with Cat Problems

Q. I have cats that use my raised beds instead of their litter box. I planned on using chicken wire to help keep them out in the spring. Is my soil is ruined because of their urine and excrement? Does the ammonia from the urine alter the pH?
A. No, it’s not ruined. Just rake out the feces and it will be fine. The urine is much less of a problem than the feces. If you organic garden at all it is similar to other animal manures.

            The only problem would be for pregnant women. A summary of this problem can be found on the CDD website. http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pregnant.htm .

            It is highly advisable pregnant women should not garden in this soil, handle freshly harvested vegetables or fruit coming from this spot without someone else thoroughly cleaning the produce before handling.

            I would give the garden spot a thorough soaking before planting to flush excess salts. As with anything else, you should always wash your hands after gardening or handling fresh produce from soils containing any kind of compost. That goes for everyone.

            The pH of our soil is very difficult to change for any length of time due to its high calcium carbonate (lime) levels. It just goes back up to wherever it was, usually around 8.2 or higher in unamended soil and about 7.6-7.8 for desert composted soils.