News & Info: Got Rats? Get a Cat!

Got Rats? Get a Cat!

There are literally millions of rats running rampant along the streets and tenements of New York City. Recently, two New York City newspapers, The Daily news and NY Post, reported an increase in the rat population of the City. Reportedly, the rats are so brazen that they can be seen on the streets during the day scourging for food. The problem is getting so acute that City officials are suggesting that the public and homeowners take all precaution in preventing the rodents from finding easy access to food or entering premises. A list of suggestions published and distributed by the City include: cover or fill all cracks and holes leading into an apartment with steel wool; tightly cover and seal garbage receptacles; avoid leaving easily obtainable food around, such as sugar, snacks, etc. on counters and in drawers; get a cat. Cats are natural hunters and are better, at catching rats and mice, than traps. One family reported that the rats became trap wise. After failed attempts with different types of inducements to catch the rats, the family adopted a cat, Butch. After several days, Butch killed four huge rats. The family reported that their rat problems seemed to be resolved thanks to Butch, the new family cat.

Since the cat story was reported, more families and apartment dwellers are looking toward new feline friends to help rid their homes of the rats. Rats can be a nuisance plus carry diseases and viruses such as the Hantavirus, carried via rat droppings. Babies are at risk for rat bites, and rats destroy millions of dollars of food products. Owning a cat is the one big advantage that people have in ridding their homes of rats and other rodents. A friend of mine in a southern state was complaining about the numerous field mice around his house. Each morning he would discover in his kitchen drawers, mice droppings, torn packages of cereal and sugar. He was reluctant to follow repeated advice to get a cat. Finally, unable to tolerate the noises the mice made at night, he contacted a cat adoption agency and adopted a cat. In two days of having the new cat in his house, my friend was amazed to find three headless mice corpses in his kitchen. Cats are a good friend to have to help us deal with the overabundance of nuisance pests from urban sprawl, and good companions to have around.

News & Info: Got Rats? Get a Cat!