Fresh sawdust is a nitrogen robber. After it has decomposed it could be use as a garden fertilzer/ condition. I would look for something else. Cat litter is something I wouldn't use. It may contain parasites ect. that may prove harmful to human health.

Hola Monty,

When I first started to garden, I sought out commercial wood working businesses so I could get the saw dust. They loved it since I cleaned up their shops so well. I used the sawdust in conjunction with grass clippings to make compost.

In regard to the use of cat poop, I say, " What does nature do with it?". When a cat makes a deposit into the soil bank instead of a litter box, any potential pathogens are still there. I think people worry too much about things over which there is no control. We have cats and they make deposits in the yard. I just practice good hygiene after playing in the dirt.

We use the clay type litter in the yard also, but we have decomposed granite as a base "soil". There is an old saw that goes, " Add clay to sand, money in hand. Add sand to clay, throw money away". The idea is that the fine particle size of clay will go much farther to ameliorate a sandy soil than the large amount of sand that it would require to improve a clay soil. So, if you have a sand base I say incorporate the litter into the soil, or at least don't worry about the small amount that goes into the soil with the cat manure.

Terran

Monty,

I agree with Terran.Organic Gardening Mag years ago had a formula for using dry sawdust 1:1 in volume with fresh grass clippings. Mix, water and turn every three days. Compost will be ready in two weeks! I've done it. You'll have a hot compost pile, so keep it covered.

Doctordon

The cat poop spread on the outside perimeter of the garden can deter rabbits and other critters.

The question "what does nature do with cat-poop"
First: how much land would a natural (wild) cat need to keep house?
Second: have you ever turned over cat-poop and seen any insects munching it away? As in the case: "cow-dung versus dung-beetle"

To ignore that concentrated meat-eating animals' poop makes bad sence is to ignore all nature's rules of space and inhabitants within.Just because we domesticated animals does not mean we could ignore their natural habitat and how they themselves keep their hunting/foodground clean.
Example:Let a cat roam and see how far it travels within 15 minutes.
Thumbs down for cat manure:-(
Get a few chickens and let them scratch, they are natural fertilizing/egglaying/meatproviding/insect-distroyers, saves a lot of plowing up your yard.

If you have sandy soil, kitty litter (without the poop) would be a good ammendment. Kitty litter is calcined clay and a very sandy soil would benefit from it. I would go by the recommendations above re kitty poop. Don't use it on vegetables.

Jim

1. obviously no one that's preggers could scoop around your garden.
2. nitrogen + carbon = compost. Maybe you could compost the wood with the poop. Of course, number one still applies. And while I've never composted meat eaters poo, i've heard from several sources that it is an "advanced composting method".
3. This is more of a question than observation, but can't the terpenes and other chemicals in pine be detrimental to garden veggies?