On Sat, 25 Oct 2003 14:55:41 -0500, "Hank" wrote:

Thanks Liz, these are the kind of comments I'm looking for.

"Liz" wrote in message
. com...
Hank, I don't know much about this but there are a few things that
occurred to me. First, do you know if your cat carries toxoplasma
gondii? Letting stools sit there will put you and your family at risk.
Second, after a while, the smell from fermenting poop might become
unbearable because of mercaptans (gases containing sulfur released
during fermentation). Third, decomposition generates methane, an
odorless highly flammable gas. If there's no ventilation down there
and this gas builds up, eventually you will blow up your house with
something as "harmless" as switching on a light. I don't know how much
poop would need to be fermenting to generate enough gas to blow up
your house, but it's something I'd be concerned with.

I am making a guess that your "smeller" isn't in perfect working
order. MLB