A Chicago animal shelter has released over 1,000 feral cats into the streets in an attempt to combat the city’s rat problem.
Chicago topped pest control company Orkin’s 2020 Top 50 Rattiest Cities List for the sixth time last year.
The Community Cats Program Manager at Tree House Human Society, Sarah Liss, told Fox News that the organization had noticed the cats making a positive difference on Chicago streets even before the Cats at Work program.
She said that the rat population was “significantly decreasing and even going away for a lot of folks who [were] taking care of [the] cats. That is when Tree House “put two-and-two together.”
Cats at Work began in 2012 to help combat the issue using an “environmentally friendly” control method and help the cats.
The feral cats – which have been rescued, neutered and vaccinated – are placed two or three at a time into residential or commercial settings under the care of a registered caretaker.
The cats then get used to their environment in confinement for three weeks before their release.
According to the Tree House website, the feral cats in Cats at Work colonies would not be able to thrive in a shelter or home environment. They also needed to be relocated for various reasons.
“Feral cats can’t come inside and live the life of an indoor cat. They tend to be either extremely destructive because they’re trying to escape the indoor environment or they hide constantly. They just don’t do well indoors,” Liss said. “So, when a feral cat has to be removed from the environment that they’re used to living in, there really aren’t any positive options for that. It’s either that they get moved to a new place or – unfortunately – they would need to be euthanized because there isn’t an indoor option for them.”
She also said that trying to force the feral cats to live inside would be “extremely inhumane.”
“Having this second chance to get moved to a new location, having a caregiver that cares about them and wants to take care of them for the rest of their lives – it’s essentially a second chance at life for these cats,” Liss said.
As mandated by Cook County’s 2007 Managed Care of Feral Cats Ordinance, cats in the program are managed for the rest of their lives with support from Tree House.
Their presence on the streets alone repels rats, but cats have also been known to hunt and catch rats as well.
Tree House says other methods to catch the rodents, such as poison and traps, are short-term solutions and mostly ineffective because there is a continuous food supply for the rodents and burrows are quickly repopulated.
Poison and baiting tactics – that Liss said the city still uses – are also dangerous to more than just rats, especially when used around homes and businesses.
To fight rodent infestations, community members can request the assistance of colonies for a fee of $600 to $800. However, there is currently a “long waitlist.”
According to Liss, the money gives the cats crate rentals, heating pads, litter boxes and heated water bowls.
New York City has also turned to feral cats to fight its rat problem, with the 2016 introduction of the Feral Cat Initiative.
Hi my friend! I want to say that this article is awesome, nice written and come with almost all vital infos. I would like to see more posts like this .|
excellent publish, very informative. I ponder why the other specialists of this sector don’t notice this. You should proceed your writing. I’m sure, you’ve a great readers’ base already!|
It’s actually a nice and helpful piece of info. I’m glad that you just shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.|
These are in fact wonderful ideas in about blogging. You have touched some pleasant factors here. Any way keep up wrinting.|
Do you have a spam issue on this site; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; we have developed some nice practices and we are looking to exchange solutions with other folks, be sure to shoot me an e-mail if interested.|
certainly like your website however you have to take a look at the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I to find it very bothersome to tell the reality on the other hand I will surely come back again.|
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all people you actually realize what you’re speaking about! Bookmarked. Please also visit my web site =). We could have a hyperlink alternate contract between us|
My brother suggested I might like this blog. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!|
fantastic post, very informative. I wonder why the opposite specialists of this sector don’t understand this. You must proceed your writing. I am confident, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!|
hey there and thank you for your info – I have definitely picked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise some technical issues using this site, as I experienced to reload the website lots of times previous to I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web host is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and can damage your quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for a lot more of your respective intriguing content. Ensure that you update this again soon.|
I need to to thank you for this good read!! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve got you bookmarked to check out new things you post…|
I love it when individuals come together and share views. Great website, stick with it!|
I know this web page gives quality dependent content and other stuff, is there any other website which provides these data in quality?|
}
}
Awesome! Its genuinely amazing piece of writing, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this post.|
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You clearly know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?|
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s very hard to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness and appearance. I must say you’ve done a amazing job with this. In addition, the blog loads super quick for me on Chrome. Superb Blog!|
Thank you for every other informative blog. Where else may just I get that kind of info written in such a perfect means? I’ve a undertaking that I’m just now working on, and I have been at the glance out for such information.|
This piece of writing gives clear idea designed for the new viewers of blogging, that genuinely how to do blogging and site-building.|
I love it when people come together and share views. Great website, keep it up!|
Hello everybody, here every person is sharing these kinds of knowledge, therefore it’s pleasant to read this weblog, and I used to pay a visit this weblog everyday.|
Hi there! I understand this is somewhat off-topic however I needed to ask. Does running a well-established website like yours require a lot of work? I am brand new to running a blog but I do write in my diary daily. I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my experience and feelings online. Please let me know if you have any kind of suggestions or tips for new aspiring blog owners. Thankyou!|
excellent publish, very informative. I ponder why the other experts of this sector do not realize this. You should continue your writing. I’m confident, you have a huge readers’ base already!|
Howdy superb blog! Does running a blog similar to this require a massive amount work? I’ve absolutely no knowledge of programming but I had been hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyways, should you have any recommendations or techniques for new blog owners please share. I understand this is off subject nevertheless I just wanted to ask. Kudos!|
I’d like to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog. I’m hoping to check out the same high-grade blog posts by you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own, personal site now ;)|
I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your site. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Fantastic work!|
If some one needs expert view concerning running a blog then i advise him/her to pay a visit this weblog, Keep up the pleasant work.|
If some one needs to be updated with latest technologies then he must be pay a visit this web site and be up to date daily.|
you are in reality a excellent webmaster. The web site loading pace is amazing. It sort of feels that you’re doing any distinctive trick. Also, The contents are masterwork. you’ve performed a magnificent activity in this topic!|
Hello, Neat post. There is an issue with your web site in web explorer, could test this? IE nonetheless is the marketplace leader and a large element of people will omit your wonderful writing due to this problem.|
Great information. Lucky me I recently found your site by chance (stumbleupon). I have saved as a favorite for later!|
Quality posts is the crucial to interest the visitors to pay a visit the web site, that’s what this web site is providing.|