I have rats should i get a cat

Back in the rat-infested alley with Miso the cat, neighbor Marc Poe points out his rat trap, which a rat has dragged across the alley. The rat, injured but alive, turns to watch us from the chain-link fence in which it has become entangled, the trap still clamped to its tail. But cats may not be getting their due respect, says John Bradshaw, a cat and dog behavior expert at the University of Bristol and author of the book Cat Sense.

Feral cats are a different beast from pet cats, Bradshaw says. You Might Be Surprised. Recipients of Blue Collar Cats seem happy with the results. Dogs, in comparison, can be trained to hunt more efficiently, working as a team to flush out rats and kill them as quickly as they can catch them. In New York City, a rat-hunting club for owners of terriers and other dogs bred as ratters has become famous. Eight go out on any one hunt. Some dogs specialize in diving into bags of trash to flush rats out, he explains, while others chase them down.

The dogs learn to grab a rat by its neck, shake it, toss it, and move on. As for concerns about rat welfare, which have been raised by People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals, Reynolds is unapologetic. Rats depend on people for food, and ultimately the outcome of the rat wars will depend on limiting their access to garbage. It may be possible, however, to keep a lot of them from ever being born.

The D. New York City is trying it out, too. Birth control would be easier to deploy in a large area than predators, certainly, and more humane than traps and poisons. If it works, it just might put some cats and dogs out of a job. All rights reserved. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city.

They were even bred to have short, thick tails so their owners could easily pull them out of a deep burrow if they got stuck. In addition to terriers, dachshunds and German pinschers are also well known for being great ratters. However, the same words of caution about cats apply to dogs. Snakes are excellent rodent hunters and, indeed, many pet snakes enjoy frozen mice for dinner. However, setting a snake loose in your home in an attempt to catch rodents could be problematic, both for the snake and for your family.

Plus, the pet could be injured by a mouse or rat that decides to fight back. These slinky, cuddly pets are also ruthless rodent killers, thanks to their quick speed and ability to fit into tiny spaces. However, just like the critters above, they can easily be injured in a rodent chase. They should be fed pre-killed mice or rats for their own safety. For example, in certain Indian and Polynesian cultures, rat meat is a part of traditional cuisine.

As a result, you get to enjoy a solution to your rodent problem—all without endangering the family pet. Every year, rats and mice enter 20 million U. They reproduce rapidly, and can cost thousands of dollars in damages and extermination costs. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue.

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