Dead Cat Found in my Garden Shed

portach king

Hi Guys,

Over the last few months a stray cat has made a home for himself in my garden shed. He would get through a hole in the door and made a nice nest for himself there over the winter months. I never encouraged this (other than leave him warm water during the "big freeze"), but at the same time I never blocked his entry either, and considering the winter he had I figured he could have done with a break.
However today I opened the door to the shed and found him lying there, back facing me, head down in some old sheets. I've covered him in a blanket for now, but I'm wondering what the next course of action should be. I'm afraid to touch him or move him, as along with being a stray, I don't know how long he's been there, it could be as much as a week. Who should I call?
All help is appreciated.

crotalus667

there is no one to call you are going to have to deal with it yourself. Put on a pair of gloves and either bit it or burry it

portach king

crotalus667 wrote: »

there is no one to call you are going to have to deal with it yourself. Put on a pair of gloves and either bit it or burry it

I'm not sure what "bit it" means, but burying is not an option, I live in semi-detached house in Dublin with a tiny back garden.

MacGyver

i think he means bin it

crotalus667

MacGyver wrote: »

i think he means bin it

yep:D sooner rather than later

IvySlayer

Bury him, the smell will only get worse and attract other animals. That or bring him to the vets, some do carcass removals.

Mrs Garth Brooks

I'm not sure but what about ringing a shelter, they might be able to help you get rid of him. They might have a freezer to put the body in.

DigiGal

If you have a car you could drive up to the mountains and leave it there, usually it will be eaten by a fox or something...Dont leave it in a black bag though, that would just be illegal dumping

convert

I'm not sure but what about ringing a shelter, they might be able to help you get rid of him. They might have a freezer to put the body in.

Why would shelters take the body of a dead animal and leave it in a freezer? What would they do with it? And do they not need a special licence to take dead animals, like the sort a knackery or kennels need?

Your best bet would be to bury the cat in the garden, even if it's small. You could put it in a flower bed or in a corner of the garden. It doesn't need to be buried very deeply (just enough to have a few inches of soil above it so that other animals can't dig it up), and it will deal with the smell of decomposition, etc.

Don't put him in the bin. Even if you wrap him in a plastic bag or sheet, decomposition will still take place, and your bin (and garden) will stink, as well as having maggots in it. The smell takes ages to go away, even if you wash out the bin with really strong disinfectant and detergent. The smell will also attract rats and other rodents and vermin, which is definitely something you don't want around your house, especially if you have children.

Also, I doubt that he's dead too long as you didn't smell him before you found him.

morganafay

Vets will cremate bodies, but you have to pay for it, probably about €20 for a cat.

I would bin it, wrap it in several black bags (wear gloves just in case, though there's probably nothing you will catch). It couldn't smell too much in less than a week would it?

lorebringer

morganafay wrote: »

Vets will cremate bodies, but you have to pay for it, probably about €20 for a cat.

This! If you ring up the local vet and tell them the situation they should take it and dispose of it (for a fee!). I would definately double bag it in bin bags or something similar - it will start to smell pretty nasty and you don't want that hanging around. Also, dump the sheets he was on (double bag them) as there could be a lot of infection on them (the cat being a stray) and disinfect the general area with a bleach solution. And use gloves that can be thrown out or disinfected afterwards (both for handling the cat and anything else it has been in contact with).

portach king

Hi everyone,

Firstly thank you to everyone for all of the advise. Much as been of great help. I've never dealt with sort of situation before, and your posts have been informative and insightful.
I rang the local vets office this morning, who did offer a burial/cremation service, however the cost of which was €45 and they did not offer collection. As I don't have a car, I unfortunately couldn't go for this option.
Next, on the recommendation of the vet, I rang the local council however they don't collect bodies of stray animals that have died on private property. They recommended that I talk to the DSPCA.
After chatting with the the DSPCA I was told that the best option would be to bury the animal. Bag him in paper bags and cover him in lime, apparently this will speed to decomposition process. I was told not to bin him, not because it's illegal, but for the same reasons Convert made above. I'm going to bury him when I get home this evening.
Again thanks for all your help, this forum has once again, been a great resource for informative and friendly advise.