snowy

Our little cul-de-sac is like the neighborhood playground for feral cats, it seems, as well as all of the neighbor cats. I probably see 10 or so cats--different ones--run around our place every day.

At any rate, last week we discovered a dead cat in our side yard. The stench is everywhere and it's absolutely sickening. It's beginning to come around to the front door and it makes me want to vomit any time I get a whiff of it. We're wondering what we should do with the carcass; I personally don't want anyone to touch it or handle it even to throw it away in case it has a disease. Is this something animal control could or would deal with? Or perhaps it would be better if we just threw some dirt on it and left it for a while?

Any and all tips are appreciated, as this really has to be dealt with.

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MexicanOnABike

BBQ? fur coat? ha! j/k
hmm. i would get a shovel and a BIG garbage bag and some gloves. get someone to shovel the cat in the bag while you hold it open with your gloves on. then tie it nice and tight and put it in the garbage.

where i live, this wouldnt be a problem because at night, racoons, lynx, coyotes, bears or foxs will usualy eat any leftovers.

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Elphaba

Snowy, I would recommend using a shovel and moving it into a plastic bag and seal the bag. Spray the ground for creepy crawleys like maggots and the like. (Eww).

Call a local vet for advice about what to do with the carcass, and if no help there call animal control. If you still end up without answers, send the sealed bag to the land fill. It really cannot do any harm there, but it may do some harm in your side yard.

Opps: Pretty much what has already been said above.

Psycho Dad

Where I live the animal control officer will come get dead critters.

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Seaver

Just get a couple garbage bags, dig a hole about 4ft deep. Put cat inside said bags (using the shovel), tie closed. Bury cat.

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monkeysugar

If you have an animal control officer, they will probably dispose of it for you or at least direct you to someone who will.

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Ch'i

You could sell it on eBay.

Carno

Throw it in someone else's yard.

You've had this dead cat in your yard for a week and you've done nothing about it yet? Grody.

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Gatorade Frost

You should get yourself one of these

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Lindy

This may seem silly, but instead of posting on tfp and asking people hundreds of miles away about this, why don't you call animal control in Corvallis and ASK THEM?
Lindy

Gilda

I would put on some rubber gloves, put the critter in a plastic garbage bag, and toss it in the garbage cart. And when I say I'd do that, I mean I'd complain to Grace or Sissy, and she'd take care of it. I'm far too delicate to have to deal with such matters.

Gilda

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feelgood

I second this idea

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spindles

Personally, I would've checked to see if there was a collar/phone number on it (my cats both have our contact number on them). If so, I'd call the owner to see if they want it. If not, I'd just bury it.

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eribrav

Well if you started with 10 this means only 9 more to go!

BadNick

You must have well fed ...or no... raccoons, possums, fox in your area. Around here that thing would have been eaten before it got so ripe.

Lady Sage

Thats what I would do but not quite so deep then bleach the crap out of the patch where it was laying and replant the grass next year.

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snowy

Same goes.

We'll have to find a shovel. I don't think we have one.

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Lady Sage

A garden rake would work as well or so would an old broom. Just open the bag and sweep it in then toss the old broom.

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pornclerk

I wouldn't dispose of it myself. That thing is filled with disease. I would call the humane society or animal control because they are trained to deal with situations like this.

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*Nikki*

The simplest thing to do would be to see if it is wearing a collar, if not dig a hole and toss it in there. There is no need to pick it up other then with a shovel to place it in the hole.

james t kirk

How bout bury the cat.

kutulu

Why would you bury it? Just do as said above and toss it in a bag and then in the trash. You don't need a shovel (although it would be nice). If you must, just turn the bag inside out and put it in there.

meembo

Bury it

what an interesting thread -- what (once-living) creatures have you buried?

I've buried cats, dogs, birds, mice, rats, hamsters, skunks, snakes, sheep, chickens, raccoons, and a person or two at funerals

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MexicanOnABike

burying the cat might be a problem if a dog or another big animal gets a smell of the remains, they would dig it up and then you'd just have more problems. plus, you dont want to have a suprise finding bones the next time you plant some flowers or someting! haha

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thingstodo

Step one: dig hole
Step teo: insert dead cat
Step three: say a few words about the departed
Step four: cover hole
Step five: place concrete, bricks or rocks over mound
Step six: wash shovel

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Gatorade Frost

I agree that burying it is probably a bad idea.

Tossing the cat would probably be your best option if you can't get the city to come and do it for you.

Having a dead cat buried in your yard will cause problems in the future since it will probably be dug up.

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I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Emo Philips

maleficent

1. call the landlord - they might not appreciate having their lawn dug up
2. call animal control- six days ago...

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snowy

Yeah, unfortunately animal control in our city consists of one policeman who is overwhelmed with other stuff. Suffice it to say, our small cat problem is very low on his list of priorities.

As for the landlord...she lives in another city and the maintenance of the backyard is up to us, not her. Given that the cat is within the parameters of the fence, according to the terms of the lease we are free to dig a hole...in fact, there's already a preexisting hole that was there when we moved in.

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ShaniFaye

I dont quite understand this? growing up all our dead pets from hamsters to cats to our st bernard were buried in our yard

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viejo gringo

I think the EBAY idea is the best....otherwise they just take to much BBQ sause to do any good......

Toaster126

This advice would have been much easier to follow when you first discovered the cat. It sort of reminds me of Big Daddy, where Adam Sandler has the kid in his apartment and he spills milk and Adam's character "cleans" it by putting newspaper over it.

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Gatorade Frost

I'm just basing this on what my family's former vet told us. Maybe you've had different experiences, I haven't ever had a pet buried in my yard. I'm just going with what the good doc told us when our beagle died.

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I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Emo Philips

magictoy

Call these people.

analog

Ingredients for dealing with dead cat:

1 small bundle combustibles (sticks, anything that will burn)
1 can lighter fluid, gasoline. etc.
1 box of matches
1 dead cat

Arrange combustibles into a pile, preferably on a non-flammable surface and away from flammable things (like your house). Apply lighter fluid. Garnish with dead cat. Apply more lighter fluid. Light match, toss at pile from a safe distance. Enjoy.

Serves all within eyeshot.

(humor aside, cremation is an acceptable and respectful way to rid yourself of a body)

Psycho Dad

As long as another varmint doesn't dig it up and you get it deap enough, you'll never know where it was. I'm not saying burying critters in the flower bed is a good thing, just that it likely isn't going to start a new round of the plague.

BTW, does snowey still have this carcass rotting on the lawn?

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*Nikki*

Same here. We bury everything in my family!! Hell right now I have a dead rat and dead hamster buried in the garden.

Ashes to ashes....

Supple Cow

Wow. People do this?

What do you think happens to the bleach? Do you just dump oil from your car and other chemicals all willy-nilly into your yard, too? I sure hope you don't live near any people who get their water from wells.

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kutulu

Oh, it's been three days. Please tell us that you've disposed of the cat by now.

CMH

It's kind of pathetic that you have to go onto TFP to solve this problem.

surferlove007

We had similar instances in our sideyard, for some reason armadillos decided to go there and die. Anyone who has smelled a dead armadillo would know it smells so bad, you just want to rip off your notrils and never get them back. Best advice would be to take a shovel,mask and gloves and throw it in a plastic bag and double bag it and take it to the dump...or call animal services.