# Cathole

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathole
> Source revision: 1329877632
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{short description|Pit for human feces}}
{{other uses|Cat hole (disambiguation)}}
thumb|right|Image of a cathole

A '''cathole''' or '''cat hole''' or sometimes '''pighole'''<ref>{{cite book | last=Meyer | first=Kathleen | title=How to Shit in the Woods: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art | year=2011 | publisher=Ten Speed Press | edition=3rd | isbn = 978-1-58008-363-8| page=13 | quote=our small one-sit hole (also termed a cat hole) }}</ref> is a pit for [human feces](/source/human_feces).  Catholes are frequently used for the purpose of disposing of [bowel movements](/source/bowel_movements) or waste water (such as the water from cleaning the kitchen dishes) by [hiker](/source/hiker)s and others engaging in [outdoor recreation](/source/outdoor_recreation).

They can also be used to dispose of menstruum from a [menstrual cup](/source/menstrual_cup).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maiers |first1=Bobbi |last2=April 15 |first2=Alicia MacLeay |title=Human Waste Disposal in the Backcountry: How to pee and poop in the woods - Trailspace |url=https://www.trailspace.com/articles/backcountry-waste-disposal.html |website=www.trailspace.com |access-date=1 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

According to the [Leave No Trace](/source/Leave_No_Trace) Center for Outdoor Ethics, catholes should be dug at least {{convert|200|ft|m|-1}} from water sources, walking trails or campsites. Additionally, the same cathole should not be used twice. Catholes should be between {{convert|6|and|8|in|cm}} deep and disguised after use to prevent access by animals, some of which are [coprophagous](/source/Coprophagia).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-02-18|title=When Nature Calls: How to Dig a Cathole|url=https://lnt.org/when-nature-calls-how-to-dig-a-cathole/|access-date=2021-04-03|website=Leave No Trace|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Catholes: Proper Disposal of Human Waste|url=https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/troop-resources/leave-no-trace/teaching-leave-no-trace/053c-dispose/|access-date=2021-04-03|website=Boy Scouts of America|language=en-US}}</ref> The digging of catholes is forbidden in some regions of high elevation where the climate can hinder the decomposition of waste.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How to Dig a Cathole - Trail to Summit|url=http://www.trailtosummit.com/how-to-dig-a-cathole/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007235101/http://www.trailtosummit.com/how-to-dig-a-cathole/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 7, 2015|access-date=2021-04-03|website=www.trailtosummit.com}}</ref>

==See also==
*[Pit toilet](/source/Pit_toilet)
*[Trowel](/source/Trowel)
*[Hudo (scouting)](/source/Hudo_(scouting))

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/wilderness-sanitation.htm Sanitation] - instructions from [Olympic National Park](/source/Olympic_National_Park).

{{Toilets |state=expanded}}

Category:Toilets
Category:Hiking
Category:Defecation

{{Outdoor-recreation-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cathole](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathole) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathole?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.