# Flushing cat poo down the toilet?



## Marshel (Dec 22, 2010)

I have seen many threads about bagging poop and even been given bags to put it in. Is there a problem with just flushing it? I have a septic system.
With the addition of the new kitties the safe room is the bathroom and the litter tray is beside the toilet. I have been scooping and flushing. My pass cats have been indoor/outdoor and preferred to their business outside. I changed litter completely about every other week. My new ones are indoor only and give the tray a work out.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

The poop and obviously the pee, would have litter stuck to it. The litter could over time, or immediately in the case of pees, clog your toilet. It's happened to people I know. In general I don't think clay should be flushed into the water. Ick.

A simple solution is a few grocery store bags doubled up, and then you just twist the bag shut and keep it in an out of the way location by the litter box.

I wouldn't change litter at all -- I never have. I scoop daily and that's all that's needed. If you find your can't stand the smell or something (I've never noticed a smell), go for it, but it's not a requirement at all.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Really bad idea, I'm not even allowed to flush "flushable" litter where I live.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

REALLY bad idea with a septic system. Clay will drop to the bottom and collect over time, not decompose. Unless you use a flushable litter (and with a septic system I would not do that either) you are asking for problems.


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## CJinCA (Dec 5, 2011)

I don't know much about septic systems, so I'll defer to the previous posters that its not a good idea....

Our water eventually ends up in the Bay, after going thru the sewage treatment plant. The sewage treatment does not kill the toxoplasma parasite that many cats carry, and can harm wildlife, including sea otters. 

We use the litter locker system, available on Amazon, and scoop the poops into the 'locker'. I saw something similar, but different brand (Litter Genie?), at Target. Once a month we change the bag in the litter locker. It looks better than having a bag sit there, and helps contain the smell.


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## AutumnRose74 (Oct 10, 2013)

CJinCA said:


> We use the litter locker system, available on Amazon, and scoop the poops into the 'locker'. I saw something similar, but different brand (Litter Genie?), at Target. Once a month we change the bag in the litter locker. It looks better than having a bag sit there, and helps contain the smell.


That's something I would like to get.


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## Lobita (Sep 14, 2013)

I will admit my hubby and I were really newbie-ish about cat litter... we thought it was supposed to be flushed and kept having to unclog the toilet all the time. :/ After this past massive clog taking all day to fix, we resolved to start using a trash can.
I looked at the Litter Genie, but it seemed really wasteful and overpriced, so we're just using a step-opening trash can with scented bags and some litter deodorizer stuff from here on out. Hopefully won't be too stinky over time.


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

Don't do it. I've cleaned enough stuff out of drain pipes and clay litter that turns to cement would be a tough one to bore thru to open up slow draining pipes that it has to travel thru to get to the septic tank. But if you are ok with removing the toilet and running an electric drain auger down the 4" pipe...well then do it.


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## cassblonde (Nov 26, 2013)

Marshel said:


> Is there a problem with just flushing it? I have a septic system.


Litters that are corn or wheat based and solid waste from pellet type litters(like Feline Pine and Yesterday's News) are normally safe to flush and safe for septic systems but you'll want to check with the actual litter maker just to be safe. Flushing clay is never a good idea.

I have read that flushing any cat waste is a no no for people near the ocean because of the risk of cat-to-otter illness but this wouldn't be an issue for you as you're on a septic system.


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## wallycat (Nov 10, 2012)

Just went to a "septic seminar" and even if you could figure out a way to collect this without clay, animal flora just does not mix well with how septic systems are designed.


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## AnakinSushi (Nov 25, 2013)

People... scoop and drop into a garbage bag and out with trash tonight. How difficult is that?


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## Yuki'sMum (Dec 3, 2012)

I've bought cheap sandwich bags or a roll of kitchen garbage bags (you know, the ones that are so flimsy and cheap you can't put much in them) from the dollar store. Then you can scoop, tie them shut and toss them in the garbage with no stink after  


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## TinyPaws (Jun 23, 2013)

I have done it on the odd occasion - I used wood based litter. I tend to just chuck it in a carrier bag in the dustbin outside though. Probably not a good idea to use the toilet as others have pointed out!!


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## HooKooDooKu (Jan 8, 2013)

We use the Litter Genie, combined with Tidy Cats litter. Even with the worst smelling poops (like the times when one of the cats decided to no cover it for some reason and you can smell it the next morning when you step into the room), once we cover it with a little of the kitty liter and deposit it in the Genie, the smells seem to disappear. 
Given that you can get the refills for less than $10 at Target, and one refill lasts about 7 to 10 weeks per cat, I think it's more than worth the cost of the refills... extremely convenient.


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## HooKooDooKu (Jan 8, 2013)

On the subject of septic tanks... here's a simpleton explanation (technically might not be correct, but good enough for a basic understanding).

Everything that goes down the toilet empties into the septic tank. Chemicals have been placed in the tank so that it acts something like a compost heap. Liquids eventually flow out of the tank and into the leach field where they are absorbed by the ground (hence why there are all sorts of building codes related to the location of septic tanks and leach fields relative to wells and water sources). Things that can't break down into liquids sink to the bottom of the septic tank. A properly sized tank will require that these solids get pumped out on the order of once every 5 years.

The clay in kitty litter is one of those things that will NOT break down and will simply sink to the bottom of the septic tank quickly filling it requiring it to be pumped out much sooner... and perhaps at a much greater cost (being heavy clay).


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## Kytkattin (Oct 18, 2013)

To expand on the toxoplasma parasite; for indoor only cats, especially those that have been kept indoors their entire life, the risk of infecting otters through flushing is pretty much non-existent. It is more of an issued for indoor/outdoor cats that still have a litterbox. Even then, they only shed it for a short amount of time. So while it is a big deal for fragile otter populations, consider simply having your indoor only cat tested for the parasite if you still want to flush and you are on the sewer system instead of septic. Personally I bag, but before, when I did flush, I read a lot about it before deciding to do so since I literally lived in Monterey at the time which is where many of the remaining sea otters live.


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## Sundancekat (Jul 27, 2013)

My dad is a plumber, and has had many rant sessions about people flushing things down toilets that simply cannot be flushed. Advice from a plumber's daughter? Even things which say they are 'flushable' are not. Tampons, for example. The best practice to save yourself or your landlord lots and lots of cash on plumbers and septic pumps is to flush human waste and toilet paper products.


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