Rodent Extermination

[CountryGoalie]

I was wandering around our county's animal shelter site, and found the following program:

Feral Cats

Wouldn't it be nice if other areas started offering these kinds of programs?

[Explorer]

They are also excellent at killing wild ground nesting birds.

[BaronsMom]

First let me say, I am a cat owner. Domestic cats belong indoors. They are not efficient hunters of mice - but are efficient at killing beneficial wildlife like groundnesting birds and shrews (your shrews do a better job killing mice - that is, unless the cats get them first).

If you want to eliminate mice, exclude them (tough in a barn), trap them, or get a terrier.

If you want to "save the cats", then spread the word to spay and neuter all cats. Stray cats suited to living with humans as a family pet should be adopted spayed/neutered and kept in the home.

The facts:

*There are an estimated 60-100 million stray/feral cats in the United States.

*Domestic cats are not a native species and are considered an invasive species - a threat to native wildlife (house mice are not native).

*Cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, shrews and chipmunks, each year.

*Cats kill common species such as Cardinal, Blue Jay, and House Wren, as well as rare and endangered species such as Piping Plover, Florida Scrub-Jay, and California Least Tern.

*A study of stray cats in the city of Baltimore, Maryland showed that the cats did not prey on rats over 6 ounces. In fact, cats were seen eating side by side with rats at garbage dumps.

*There are other studies that show Black or Norway Rats are a very small part of a cat's diet.

*House Mice (an exotic pest species), can live in small spaces, such as walls or attics, where cats don't follow so cats do not do a good job of eliminating these rodents either.

*Food that is left out for cats in barns attract and support rodent populations.

If you have a cat - keep it inside.

[bgak47]

I totally aggree that feral cats are not the killers of rodents that some people think they are. Keep your domestic cats indoors, & spay or nueter them. Feral cats cannot really be adopted. The best that you can do is feed them.

[james dilley]

I object to the part of the report that says cats do NOT kill mice and rats,MY cats who are INTACT and will stay that way ,Catch and kill rats and mice in the yard every day. We are in A area of orange groves and produce feilds. and the nieghbors dump in the old irrigation ditch behind the house.Thats where the rodents come from. My cats keep them under control.We see A occasional mouse/rat that the cats bring home to us.To show they are doing there job. Domestic cats NEED exersise they get it by being outdoors.I have been around cats all my life. But am A dog person My cats are great the RODENTS were 100X worse before I moved here with my cats.I have 5 Adualt cats and 4 kittens right now. You must have mental midgets for cats where you live .

[CountryGoalie]

I fully support the spaying and neutering of cats - and our two outdoor cats are excellent rodent-killers. They leave us presents all the time.

My support of this program comes because these cats are feral - they are not used to human contact, and would not make very good house cats. However, the shelter has taken the time to catch them, and get them spayed or neutered - now, they are offering them to farms, where they can be outside in what is, to them, a natural habitat, and they get food, water, etc in return for killing rodents.

[BaronsMom]

Originally Posted by james dilley

I object to the part of the report that says cats do NOT kill mice and rats,MY cats who are INTACT and will stay that way ,Catch and kill rats and mice in the yard every day. We are in A area of orange groves and produce feilds. and the nieghbors dump in the old irrigation ditch behind the house.Thats where the rodents come from. My cats keep them under control.We see A occasional mouse/rat that the cats bring home to us.To show they are doing there job. Domestic cats NEED exersise they get it by being outdoors.I have been around cats all my life. But am A dog person My cats are great the RODENTS were 100X worse before I moved here with my cats.I have 5 Adualt cats and 4 kittens right now. You must have mental midgets for cats where you live .

My objection is to a program by at a humane society/rescue organization to disperse feral cats as though they were beneficial to the area....they are not.

As for the study, it was a national research study. Cats will kill mice. But they won't get the house mice living between the walls. Glad you have yours trained.

We grew up with "barn cats" -they brought us everything under the sun - except mice and rats....tiny bird feet most belong to wrens (the stuff they didn't eat), lots of shrews, baby rabbits, small snakes and even a couple of small weasles. Only our Manchester Terrier killed a significant number of mice and rats.

Free-roaming cats get hit by cars, contract diseases and parasites. The coyotes around here enjoy cat snacks. And nothing like a cat caught in a farm truck engine to creep you out for a lifetime.

Cats also transmit diseases like rabies, toxoplasmosis, and cat scratch fever. In the U.S., cats are the top carrier of rabies in domestic animals.

If I felt the need (which I don't) to have an outdoor cat, it would be spayed/neutered and have its shots.

Domestic cats do not have to be outdoors for exercise - a common misconception. A domestic cat who lives indoors will live much longer than a feral cat and get plenty of exercise and attention indoors.

If cats would only listen to their owners and stay where they belong, and only kill mice..but they don't - they can't help it. Not their fault people are irresponsible and don't take the time/money to prevent unlimited litters of kittens.

Feral cats that end up on my property are humanely collected and taken to the shelter.

[Quint]

Any of these whackjob rescue organizations who catch feral cats and then turn them loose again should be charged with introducing a feral pest and be fined or jailed. The same should happen to those people who go out and feed the things.

I love cats. I have a couple of my own that I think the world of but they stay inside the buildings they are tasked to protect. Any ferals or strays on my property get shot immediately. An incredibly destructive pest that should be shot on sight.

[Laura]

Our local Humane Society now adopts out feral cats. They are spayed or neutered and vaccinated. It is a very successful endeavor and I am glad they are doing it.

I had outside cats before and I got rid of them when we got a Jack Russell. One winter without the cats outside and our property, house and even our vehicles was overrun with rats and mice. The rat dog couldn't keep up. We have cats again and it didn't take long for the rodents to be gone. I run a farm, not a wildlife sanctuary.

[BaronsMom]

Cats can't get to the places where house mice and rats can hide. Mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime, rats a quarter. My cat can get through small spaces, but not that small.

Mice and rats can run around your building, vehicle and NEVER go into an area where a cat can catch them. They can live, breed and make a mess just fine between walls and inside vehicles.

I don't know too many people who store vehicles with windows open so cats can crawl inside.

Cats can sometimes give people a false sense of security - while rodents are still busy doing their dirty deeds. Still better to do some work around the structure and find other methods to get rid of the rodents....

[Laura]

Cat's don't need to squeeze through a hole the size of a dime, they use patience and have a longer attention span that a rat dog. Besides, the outside cats get the rodents BEFORE they get in the house and vehicles.

I have a litter box in my van for the nights the cats get locked in.

[BaronsMom]

You are braver than I am to put a cat litter box in a vehicle! too funny (and no thanks!)