Can Cats Help With Rats?
WouterIn Brooklyn, New York, researchers studied a rat colony for five months. Initially, they aimed to study the interaction between rats and pheromones, but their findings soon turned out to be more interesting than they expected. Over the course of the study, the local cats killed two rats, ambushed one rat, and trapped one.
Cats have been known to kill rats, mice, and birds, but they aren’t as problematic or destructive as rats. In Brooklyn, a group of researchers installed infrared cameras and monitored the rats. The research team was able to identify three cats that tried to kill three rats, but only two were successful. Even though cats may have a natural affinity for rats, they are not very effective in controlling their population.
One group that has partnered with an urban cat rescue group to help feral cats has a programme that places teams of two to three cats outside homes and businesses. This programme is called Cats at Work and has placed more than a thousand cats. However, there is a waitlist. If you live in Chicago, you can adopt a cat to help with your rat problem.
Rats are large and ferocious. New York’s infamous brown rats weigh approximately 330 grams – ten times the weight of an average mouse! In order to keep a cat from attacking rats, it must be taught to hunt them. Moreover, cats are territorial and often mark their territory with urine. This can cause issues if you have multiple cats.
