Dog o' Day
Fansided

1,000 Feral Cats Released in Chicago to Combat Rats

By Clare Browning

A cat plays with a mouse on a farmyard in Sehnde near Hanover, central Germany on December 20, 2014. The minute-long cat-and-mouse game was fatal for the little animal. AFP PHOTO / DPA / JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE +++ GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE/DPA/AFP via Getty Images)
A cat plays with a mouse on a farmyard in Sehnde near Hanover, central Germany on December 20, 2014. The minute-long cat-and-mouse game was fatal for the little animal. AFP PHOTO / DPA / JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE +++ GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE/DPA/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Since 2012, the Tree House Humane Society has been helping combat Chicago’s long standing title of rat capital of the US with their program “Cats at Work” which has now released 1,000 feral cats since the programs inception.

Chicago was once again named the “Rattiest City” for the sixth year in a row by Orkin’s Rattiest Cities List. While the city of Chicago has implemented short-term solutions such as: poison, gassing, and traps. These solutions can prove dangerous to other animals and humans that are around in the same environment.

Since cats are natural predators of rats they prove a more reliable exterminator than some other options. The Cats at Work program aims to sustainably combat the rat problem with long-term solutions rather than quick fix alternatives that prove unhelpful and non-environmentally friendly in the long run.

Cats at Work was created with multiple benefactors in mind. Rather than just placing random feral cats around, the program places cats that have been sterilized and vaccinated, in colonies around the city with registered caretakers who provide the cats with access to food, water, and shelter. These caretakers can be local business owners or homeowners who volunteer with the humane society to join the program.

The Cats at Work program, created by the Tree House Humane Society, has released 1,000 feral cats since 2012 back into Chicago communities to help combat the rat infestation problem.

The feral cats that are utilized in this program are ones that would not thrive or be adopted out of the typical shelter situation into a house cat environment. These cats are still very well cared for though thanks to their caretakers. These caretakers are screened and given lots of from the team at the Tree House Humane Society, especially during the acclimation phase of the cat colonies.

While cats are natural hunters and will catch and kill rats, often just the presence of cats is the main deterrent to drive away the rats. Each new colony of feral cats placed helps move the rats out of that area.

Next. How the Dalmatian Became Synonymous with Firehouses. dark

This program has garnered a lot of interest recently, especially with local media coverage but if you or someone you know is interested in becoming a caretaker you can volunteer at the Tree House Humane Society’s website.

Home/Cats