Built a mini "willow" (cottonwood) feeder for cats

I needed a way to get rid of cat guano. We don't have trash service, and it won't burn in a normal fire. I thought of Paul's willow bank/ willow candy/ willow feeder/ poop beast idea. I searched the forums for details, but I found a lot on how the outhouse(s) ("poopers") are built, but never saw where the willows and cottonwoods are planted. My state conservation department was sold out of willows, but I got ten cottonwood cuttings for $1.00 each. I thought they were too big for cuttings, but they started growing branches (and roots as I found out later) so today I started my attempted cottonwood feeder. I guess I'll see how it works out.

The storm rolled in and the rain started just as I put the soil back in place. I didn't pack it in. Hopefully the rain does, but I need to check tomorrow and fix it if it hasn't all settled yet.

So the idea is to feed cat poop to fast growing trees that will gobble it up from an enclosed space?
Then just keep cutting back woody growth to encourage more growth and consumption from the soil?

Exactly.

The soil is compacted enough that I think the air pockets are gone. They're well watered in and it's still drizzling. They're fed now. If cat flavored willow candy would gross you out, don't zoom in on this image...

Nine out of ten cuttings showing visible growth. Cats sent more candy today, plus I found some outdated pancake syrup and moldy applesauce. Fed to the beasts.

T, That is a simple-yet-genius idea!  I love it!

I have 2 cats and we do end up throwing out litter, but I like the idea of "recycling" the litter even more.  I might come up with my own version of this.

Again, genius.

Eric

I've grown a bazillion willows and poplars from cuttings (as well as russian olives) and I'm an avid composter of everything so I'd like to make some suggestions.

1) Trees from cuttings tend not to like to have much compost etc the first year, until their roots grow out into the soil and they get some leaves to use the nutrients in photosynthesis. I'm not familiar with cottonwoods though, only about 10 other species of willow and poplar.

2) They are much too crowded even if 30% grow. They'll fill up the tire and the hollow.

3) The tire around them will cause regret as the tree(s) get bigger. Hopefully they won't stay as teeny cuttings for long! If that tire is only rubber it'll be a nasty wrestling job with a large knife. If it's steel belted, not even that will work.

My suggestions would be:

1) Remove the tire before they get shoots, and instead dig out a hollow and pile a berm of earth around them, a ring about 2 or 3 feet in diameter.

2) Move half of them to another spot, but they're already leafing out so they might not like the move. Or I guess you could wait and see how many survive, and pull all that are in excess. But even if two grow there, they're much too close together and will fill the hollow within a couple years.

Another method to deal with kitty litter that I've heard of is to submerge a bottomless garbage can in the ground, optionally perforated on the sides. It can be surrounded by trees or perennial shrubs or anything; the roots will travel into it if they want to. If the can has a good lid, it will keep out dogs etc. Add other scraps, leaves or garden waste from time to time to balance out the compost, and this can be a place to throw other things things that you don't want in your main compost for whatever reason (for me that would be excess seed heads of flowers and self-seeding veggies). Water it occasionally if it seems dry and isn't composting: in my desert climate I'd have to water it but in your Pacific NW climate the surrounding ground moisture might be sufficient. It will compost down (if the litter is made of wood pellets or sawdust) and shrink, and shouldn't get full for years. If it does, and if you've cut off the bottom smoothly, you should be able to lift it, leaving the compost in place, and dig it in somewhere else.

Eric Hanson wrote:T, That is a simple-yet-genius idea!  I love it!

I have 2 cats and we do end up throwing out litter, but I like the idea of "recycling" the litter even more.  I might come up with my own version of this.

Again, genius.

Eric

Thank you, but most of the credit goes to Paul and the folks he studied under and the folks he works with. I took an idea of his and adapted it for my situation. I didn't do as much research as he did, nor as much planning, so I expect to need several iterations to optimize it.

TLDR: Thank you... shoulders of giants... blah blah blah...

Rebecca Norman wrote:1) Trees from cuttings tend not to like to have much compost etc the first year, until their roots grow out into the soil and they get some leaves to use the nutrients in photosynthesis.

I hope they make it, but I don't have anywhere where I need nine or ten trees that don't produce food or quality timber.

Rebecca Norman wrote:2) They are much too crowded even if 30% grow. They'll fill up the tire and the hollow.

I'm hoping to prune them hard. I've heard it's a fast growing, easy to break, huge tree. I was hoping to contain to around shoulder high, to keep the growth in a juvenile phase, and to protect my fences and buildings.

Rebecca Norman wrote:3) The tire around them will cause regret as the tree(s) get bigger. Hopefully they won't stay as teeny cuttings for long! If that tire is only rubber it'll be a nasty wrestling job with a large knife. If it's steel belted, not even that will work.

I'm having second thoughts about the tire, but worst come to worst, I have a sawzall.

Rebecca Norman wrote:Another method to deal with kitty litter that I've heard of is to submerge a bottomless garbage can in the ground, optionally perforated on the sides.

I've done similarly, but I put lots of carbon material to absorb three males worth of fertigation. Due to the terrible fill soil I put it into, and the excess carbon, it fills up. I meant to put the cat litter in there, but it only goes there a few times a year.

There are so many new cats at Wheaton Labs these days, that I think we ought to try out something like this.

Thanks for sharing your photos, and best of success to your project here...!

I was afraid to move the tire alone, but both my boys were home today. It's off now.

How did you train your cat to poop in the circle?

Jennifer Markestad wrote:How did you train your cat to poop in the circle?

In my limited experience, you don't train a cat to do anything. (Sometimes I think if they knew I wanted them to breathe, they'd stop.)

They use a litter box in the house. When I scoop it, I put what I scooped in the circle.

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:There are so many new cats at Wheaton Labs these days, that I think we ought to try out something like this.

This is a reduced quality version of the willow bank you guys have, except for dealing with feline candy. Lower quality because I don't seal it up for two years to sterilize like you guys do. (You ARE trying out something like this!)

Are the cats allowed indoors, or are they strictly outdoor? Do they use a litter box? Maybe you just need some containers to let it age in? Or, if Paul doesn't want material from the cats around the willow bank, maybe you could put out a few new trees in a new location. On the property where everything is bedrock, maybe clay litter like we use wouldn't be out of place. There are compostable options you can buy. Or you guys seem to have plenty of sawdust. I suspect those options would require more frequent scooping, but you'd probably build a lot of good soil.

All but two of the cuttings died over winter. One of those may have died more recently, but I'm not counting it out yet, I think lack of rain made it go dormant. One or two is sufficient for the project, so no big deal. Time to save what's there though, since I suspect dead beasts consume no poop.

My son gave me a gift of an orbit three port digital hose timer. I'm not currently gardening the same as I used to, and I regretted my gift going to waste. So I installed it and programmed it. Now port one sends water to the leaky pond for an hour every morning at 3:00 am. That should save my cat tails and my one remaining cypress tree. (Planted on the bank.) Port two runs for five minutes, every three days at 4:10 am, to the cottonwood bank. I ran out of easy to scrounge hose about five feet from the trunks of the cottonwoods. I don't know it the roots extend that far yet, though I suspect they do. To be sure, after I watched it water once to see what happened, I dug a shallow ditch on the downhill side, so the water would have to fill it before running off. At least the trapped water has to soak in right there. Spread it, slow it, sink it. So, I guess it's a swale? The dirt I took out is now on the downhill side, so maybe it's a berm? I'll probably work on it some more, I estimate it fills in around two minutes, then overflows at the end on the right. (The main flow before digging was about where the left part of the curve is now.) I think enough permaculture finally got into my brain for it to come back out as a solution... Will wonders never cease?