Cat poop and potatoes (and other root crops)

I’m doing in-ground potatoes for the first time this year. My plot is about 5’x7’ and I’m planning to put in about 70 russet eye chunks. I do wonder if I’m growing in the right spot. I think the soil and light is fine, but I wonder about the safety of growing a root crop where the neighbors’ cat likes to relieve herself (the fun of front yard suburban gardening). Can anyone advise on the risks of toxoplasmosis and potatoes?
I also have a question about selection and variety that I’m hoping y’all can clarify.
Is there a substantial difference between plant health and final yield between growing from a seed catalogue’s selection and growing from sprouted grocery store spuds?

Melody Goretti wrote:I’m doing in-ground potatoes for the first time this year. My plot is about 5’x7’ and I’m planning to put in about 70 russet eye chunks. I do wonder if I’m growing in the right spot. I think the soil and light is fine, but I wonder about the safety of growing a root crop where the neighbors’ cat likes to relieve herself (the fun of front yard suburban gardening). Can anyone advise on the risks of toxoplasmosis and potatoes?
I also have a question about selection and variety that I’m hoping y’all can clarify.
Is there a substantial difference between plant health and final yield between growing from a seed catalogue’s selection and growing from sprouted grocery store spuds?

I had to look it up as I wasn't familiar with the term. I just sensed that cat poop isn't something we want on our potatoes:
https://www.fda.gov/food/people-risk-foodborne-illness/toxoplasma-food-safety-moms-be
So yes, cats pooping in your potato patch can be a problem. The real problem is that the cat is loose and comes pooping. Did you have some catnip in that area before?
I assume that you have talked to your neighbor and can't get them to keep their cat to themselves. I see that with some pet owners: they love their pet so much that they can't imagine that you might not like having it around YOUR property. They kill birds around the bird feeder too. But I know that cats have a good sense of smell. Since there are some odors that are really unpleasant to them, you will need to find from this list the ones that will not harm your potatoes:
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/discover-10-smells-that-cats-absolutely-hate/
My favorite is chili powder. I suspect that wasabi sauce smeared on a few sticks would also do the trick. Vinegar too: Potatoes do like their soil on the acid side, so that might also help the crop.
Or, you can try several of them at once. I know cat lovers will have me for this, but the solution beyond that is lead poisoning, but you have to be a good shot. Good luck to you and your potatoes.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take catnip to attract a cat to a garden, to use it as a litter box.  It's the loose soil they are attracted to, because cats want to dig a hole, and then bury their scat, and gardens are perfect for that.  A tight fence (and possibly a strand or two of electric wire) will keep cats and a whole host of other nuisances out of the garden.  I've had the disgusting experience more than once of working in the garden soil with bare hands and encountering fresh cat poop (usually from our own cat); it's a serious problem.

It's very difficult to keep cats home.  They are superb jumpers, and can fit through very small holes, and it's nearly impossible to train them to stay inside their own yard if you live where houses are close together.  Shooting (at anything) is usually frowned upon in suburban and urban areas; an alternative would be a livetrap, and take the cat to the local humane society.  I don't have stray cats to worry about -- we have a barn cat who is extremely territorial and drives all other cats away.  Plus we have a huge livestock guardian dog, and a little Rat Terrier, and my brother next door has a little Schipperke.  So between our own cat and the three dogs, wandering cats give us a wide berth.  Our own cat is likely to be a problem -- I need to replace one fence panel, as it's got holes big enough for him to go through.  If I find he's going over the fence and using the garden as his personal potty, I'll add a strand of electric fencing (I already have a charger).

Cats are a problem for many gardeners,i have fences around any loose soil or compost to keep them at bay.The live trap is the best solution,you could be a good neighbor and let the owners know you have caught a cat in your raccoon trap.If it returns you can tell them he is at the humane society if they want him back.The humane society wont do anything to the owners over a cat so it will be up to you to take it there  every time you catch it.It may not kill you because most potatoes will be washed then cooked.I have cursed many cats while im working in the garden,nasty critters.

Check around at local farm stores for seed potatoes.We have a few that buy them in bulk from seed potato suppliers,they should be able to tell you about each variety,they may not be experts but can help.

Thanks, y’all. This cat is actually the sweetest cat I’ve met in years and we’re on great terms with these particular neighbors. Since the neighbors on the other side of the house are fiends, (that neighbor has already called the cops with false charges to harass us. I wish I was joking) I’m ready to make sacrifices to keep the cat owners friends. The cat is only an issue when I want to use the front yard for food. She’s not interested in our backyard, because there be dogs, but I’m running out of room there. She’s just very, very comfy in the front. I’ll try the scent deterrents before moving on to anything more drastic.
Suburban homesteading is hard. I’d really rather not be where I am, but alas acreage in my area is easily over $900,000. I don’t think we’ll ever get there.
Glad for a group like this, if only to live through vicariously. Looking forward to seeing everyone’s potatoes as the season moves on.

Melody Goretti wrote:Thanks, y’all. This cat is actually the sweetest cat I’ve met in years and we’re on great terms with these particular neighbors. Since the neighbors on the other side of the house are fiends, (that neighbor has already called the cops with false charges to harass us. I wish I was joking) I’m ready to make sacrifices to keep the cat owners friends. The cat is only an issue when I want to use the front yard for food. She’s not interested in our backyard, because there be dogs, but I’m running out of room there. She’s just very, very comfy in the front. I’ll try the scent deterrents before moving on to anything more drastic.
Suburban homesteading is hard. I’d really rather not be where I am, but alas acreage in my area is easily over $900,000. I don’t think we’ll ever get there.
Glad for a group like this, if only to live through vicariously. Looking forward to seeing everyone’s potatoes as the season moves on.

Glad you are getting along well with the cat neighbor, Melody. Neighbor problems are the worst.
I'm not sure where you are but be strong: there is a good place for you somewhere. I hope you find it. Take care.

I'll never understand the animosity toward cats that some people have - they're wonderful critters that serve a highly important function when it comes to spud stealing rodents, especially in suburban areas. The poop can definitely be a problem, of course. You'd do best to simply not plant root crops like potatoes in the cat's litter box - she's drawn to that area for reasons and asking her what the reason are, or requesting she use another place for her business, will just not work well. Cats are often quite stubborn and determined about what they're going to do, so deterrents and the like are not often that successful.

One thing I've noticed is that, though cats love bark mulch and other "litter like" mulches, a thick hay mulch doesn't scratch up well and they wont use that if there's better things available. Of course, that's just what I've noticed myself over time with cats I've owned, and each cat will be different.

As for the second question about plant health / yield of "certified seed potato" vs store bought, I haven't noticed any significant differences myself. Our yields always suck and our potatoes are always attacked ferociously by beetles. Biggest differences I've seen are in soil types - our heavy wet clay grows tiny, creamy, healthy spuds, but our driest, most topsoil like site grows the biggest spuds with the most disease issues.

We had never had a cat until last year.

We don't own a cat because the cat owns us.

My first thought on this subject was that I would not want to dig up potatoes that had been planted where a cat poops.

Then the thought of handling the potatoes while I wash them is not a pleasant thought either.

If it were happening at my house, my daughters would be catching it and making it our pet. That may not be the right answer though

Personally, I would be setting up an electric fence about a foot high. For education and training purposes. Go poop somewhere else.

i don't grow potatoes (bugs) but have similar cat issues from neighbors' and ferals who love to poop in my asparagus box. the freshly disturbed soil definitely attracts them, but once the dirt dries out and isn't soft and fluffy (or is covered) they seem to go elsewhere. i've tried that business with sticking a bunch of disposable forks in the dirt to bother them and they just knocked them out of their way on the way to the pooper. as mentioned, hay mulch is good (out of sight, out of mind), or if you can just put a bit of chicken wire or hardware cloth over that part, the problem is solved. I've also put the wire down on teh ground, it stops them from that nice soft digging, but they'll poop on it once before they figure that out.

We're cat lovers, but hate their toilet habits. It's not pleasant to find cat poo in garden beds, especially when weeding or digging root crops with bare hands!

We've found a thick mulch of hay, straw, or leaves works. If we can make it hard enough for the cats to get to the soil, they'll look elsewhere to dig their latrine. We've also used lots of small sticks and twigs set upright and at angles to cover the soil, hazel or fruit tree prunings, for example, but it takes a lot of sticks to stop them pushing the sticks out the way. A better deterrent - you need to be careful of your hands with this one - is dried out blackberry and rose prunings.

As you're on good terms with the cat and its humans, setting up a sand or sawdust tray or leaving an area unmulched as an alternative toilet for it in the garden will give the other deterrents a chance to work best. Cats usually go for whatever is easiest. Put the approved toilet area under ornamentals or fruit trees, well away from low-level edible plants, and it should be okay.

Tristan, heavy wet clay isn't an easy soil for potatoes. That may well be why your potatoes, store bought of seed are not doing well.
This coming year, I have a bunch of half barrels, plastic, and of course, my soil is very sandy. To tell you the truth, the native soil is mostly sand. The first year, there was maybe an inch or so of very sandy 'dirt'.
I have been adding leaves most falls and now the garden looks pretty good. I have almost a foot of good dirt. Still sandy, but a lot more organic matter.
The reason for using half barrels is that
a/ I'm not growing commercially and there are only the two of us, so we don't need that many barrels.
b/ I'm 75 and not having to dig for Yukon gold or other great potatoes is nice. I'll just tip the barrels. In that loose soil, it will be easy: no need for a damaging fork.
c/ critters like mice or voles are stumped by the barrels; they can't climb them [smooth surface] they can't jump in [too high, plus they expose themselves to predators]
I know I will still have to fight the beetles but... we can't get everything.

Jane Mulberry wrote:As you're on good terms with the cat and its humans, setting up a sand or sawdust tray or leaving an area unmulched as an alternative toilet for it in the garden will give the other deterrents a chance to work best.

Love that idea :)

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:Tristan, heavy wet clay isn't an easy soil for potatoes. That may well be why your potatoes, store bought of seed are not doing well.
This coming year, I have a bunch of half barrels, plastic, and of course, my soil is very sandy. To tell you the truth, the native soil is mostly sand. The first year, there was maybe an inch or so of very sandy 'dirt'.
I have been adding leaves most falls and now the garden looks pretty good. I have almost a foot of good dirt. Still sandy, but a lot more organic matter.
The reason for using half barrels is that
a/ I'm not growing commercially and there are only the two of us, so we don't need that many barrels.
b/ I'm 75 and not having to dig for Yukon gold or other great potatoes is nice. I'll just tip the barrels. In that loose soil, it will be easy: no need for a damaging fork.
c/ critters like mice or voles are stumped by the barrels; they can't climb them [smooth surface] they can't jump in [too high, plus they expose themselves to predators]
I know I will still have to fight the beetles but... we can't get everything.

My issue is a mental one - I want to grow everything directly in the ground. There's a weird thing with pots and other containers for me....I feel like now I have to baby them. Babying anything is my mental roadblock (just ask all those poor dead fruit and nut trees I mistakenly put in pure clay subsoil - doh!)

The clay soil is certainly improving over time with addition of organic matter and root exudates from extreme polycultures, and so are our potatoes...still only get about 3 to 5 lbs to every 1 planted, sometimes less, but they taste so good, it's worth the effort :D

A consideration if you decide to go the hot wire route is that if it is in your front yard you might want to hang a sign indicating that there is a shock factor.

People SHOULDN'T be walking in your front yard, but properly marking a potential hazard will eliminate the possible headache of someone getting a surprise by accidently touching the wire.

Few things to try on top of the suggestion of strong smells.
I have a cat, and at least 3 other cats come into our garden. Sometimes these things work, sometimes they don't.

1. First thing is to have a sacrificial area. You are basically giving them a litter tray outside. It will be a bed or area, with very loose sandy soil, which cats prefer pooing in. Let whatever pioneer plant species are able to tolerate it grow in it. Occasionally use a shovel to remove the poo. If you have the space you can have a dedicated animal poo compost bin which can be spread on ornamentals or tree crops,  otherwise, it just goes in the bin.  

2. Grow densely. Cats like to poo in bare soil, plant densely and they will be less likely to use it.

3. There will be times, where plants are sitll growing and the soil is less covered, so when this is happening, stick a whole bunch of sticks and twigs upright in the beds you don't want them pooing in. Cats like to be comfortable and a fairly lazy and will tend to avoid using this as their toilet.

Since this thread was started in January, I hope Melody will come back and let us know what solution she decided on.

I don’t care about cats much, although I accept that many love them. Get a dog.

Anyway, what I noticed in the first post was Melody saying she’s going to squeeze 70 seed
potatoes into a wee plot of 35 ft2.

That’s a recipe for nothing bigger than marbles.

Taters need space if you want them to size up.

Might I suggest the "decoy" child's sandbox?

You will not get toxoplasmosis from eating the potatoes, but possibly from any contact with the soil outside, whether in your garden or elsewhere, even if cats are only there occasionally. The pathogen can stay infectious in the soil for a long time. You can get it from other sources too, but I don't know the details. In many places most people have been exposed to it, and may actually be infected without knowing. It is usually not considered a problem (which is good, because it seems extremely difficult to avoid), UNLESS a pregnant woman is infected without any previous exposure - in that case it can be dangerous for the unborn child. Here in Norway I believe pregnant women are routinely tested to see if they have been exposed - if they have not they have to be extra careful about hand and food hygiene, and ideally avoid contact with cats.

So - unless anyone in the household is pregnant, and has previously lived unusually separate from any cats and any contact with soil, toxoplasma is not a big problem. And if it were a problem it would not just be keeping cats out of the potato bed that was an issue.

On the other hand, cat poop in your vegetable beds is of course unappetising, other parasites/infections could be a problem too, and the cat may damage young plants while digging. However, as other people here have already suggested, if the cats have better places to go, you might not have a problem. I usually cover the beds with dead branches or similar material, or even nets or fleece, until the soil has settled and the plants have grown a bit. The cats don't seem interested after that.

Anyway, if you somehow managed to get your next door cat to stay in their house or garden, or managed to get rid of or control any local cats that you know of, you still would not be guaranteed to avoid contact with toxoplasma, in your potato beds, or in any soil in your garden, or anywhere else. Getting one or a few cats locked up, or relocated, or killed, won't really make a difference in that regard.