Weed Killers in Apartment Communal Areas

I have just, this minute, made my voice heard at the apartment complex where I live in respect of garden weedkillers being put down without a thought for cat companions.

I was sitting at my desk and noticed – and smelled – a chemical being sprayed on the lawn. I asked Michelle to go out and ask if it was “pet safe”. I asked her because I wanted to ensure there was peace in the community. When it comes to protecting my cat, I tend to be too direct and use plain language that some people find hard to digest. They see me as a crazy cat man.

Weed Killer and Cats
Weed Killer and Cats. Photo by navets

As nothing happened I went out myself and asked. The gardening contractor working for a hired company, who was spraying chemicals on the lawn in lines, said that it was not safe for cats and that it would kill a cat. I asked when would it be safe. He said in about one hour. But can I trust him? The sun is shining. Doesn’t the chemical have to be washed into the ground by rain to guarantee safety? I do not know.

Then the head gardener turned up, who happens to be one of the flat owners, and I made my feelings known. What are my feelings about this?

Well, committees or managing companies who are in charge of managing the maintenance of condos and blocks of flats or apartments should factor in companion animals when instructing contractors (businesses) to maintain gardens. The often don’t.

It is not good enough to say in relation to cat safety that, “nothing has happened for years”. Or, “I don’t know of any cat that has been hurt by weedkiller”. This is not good enough because often people won’t know if cats are being poisoned by weedkiller. No one is keeping records and frankly not many people care.

The cat is particularly vulnerable to garden chemicals because she licks the chemical off her paws and belly. Cats also eat grass they brush against plants. This adds significantly to the concentration and amount of chemical ingested.

A committee who run a complex of apartments should ensure that all chemicals used in the communal garden are cat and dog safe – and child safe too.

If they don’t do that they are open to being sued for compensation for the loss of a companion animal. In my case, if my cat was killed or hurt by weedkiller on communal gardens, I would never forgive myself and someone would pay a heavy price. It would be big negative in my life.

People living in apartments should make sure that people in charge of garden maintenance are thinking of cats when they put down obnoxious chemicals on the lawn to make it look better. I hate chemicals. People do this to make a lawn look attractive. What is more important: an attractive lawn or a poisoned and dying cat? Well, for most people, the lawn is more important.

There must be some “pet safe” weed killers. If there aren’t and if people insist on putting the stuff on lawns be very careful on behalf of your cat.

Earlier post on the subject: Lawn Treatments. And Toxic to Cats.

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34 thoughts on “Weed Killers in Apartment Communal Areas”

  1. Ruth thank you for the perfect example – this is exactly what I am talking about. There is a portion of the population that feels it needs to tear away all the nature and make it just another bit of culture in a sense. I would be very sad to see trees on my street being cut down and the land cleared. I have always been very sad when a tree I know that is or has for a long time been in my environment – gets cut down in half an hour after taking so many years to grow there. I disagree very much with this kind of thinking and aesthetic and it is just sad and mean and ugly. I’m sorry your parents had to witness that. I really understand native peoples when they say the white man is ‘hurting them’ when he goes and destroys the land so carelessly and cruelly. It is just the same as abuse only to plants and animals that live there. I hope people starting changing soon and we hear less and less of this kind of example.

    Ruth your example is really perfectly depicting what my initial ,oan is about – exactly that. The destructive nature of preferred human aesthetics – so cruel and mean and selfish to tear up a place that has been like that for years. Who do they think they are just coming in and re-landscaping the whole place. In my world there would be legal limits to this kind of behaviour but that would make my world kind of fascist I guess.

  2. I think the damage is much more long term if ingested in small amounts. On an occasional basis I believe it would lead directly to cancer if not something more immediate and pressing.

  3. yes it is – sounds nice – I’m sure I’d follow Monty around for a while until he told me he’d had enough of the curious stranger 🙂

  4. They do have to try and control nature and that leads to the death of wild animals. It is a human weakness and a failure which may lead to the destruction of the planet unless humankin grows up.

  5. I know exactly what you are ranting, I mean talking about, Marc. I love your lawn rant and fantasies of lawn vandalism, by the way. My parents had city people move in across the ravine from them and the first thing they did was cut down almost all the trees and plant grass down into the ravine. If it was on his property it all had to look like a manicured yard. It is like people are afraid of the disorder in nature. They have to control it all. Every blade of grass.

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