Moon's Graden

I have somewhat of a *** situation I could use some help with.

There are 5 stray cats(that I know of)  in my neighborhood who I feed and
provide medical attention to.    I have been putting out food twice a day
for the last several months and have noticed rats and mice at night for the
past few weeks.  I'm not only worried about the health issue to my family
and neighbors, but also the cats I'm putting the food out for.  I'm afraid
to put the average rat poison out for fear the cats may eat it and become
sick or die.

The cats have killed 11 of the rodents and left them as a "present" for me
on my doorstep as well as on the porch.  (which I thought was very neat and
an expression of gratitude by the cats)

If anyone knows of a rodent killer that is safe for cats PLEASE e mail me as
soon as possible with the name and/or how to purchase it.  Any other ideas
or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Sue Reuter

stray cats:

<<snipped for space>>

Eww, that is kind of a *** situation and I don't really have much advice
since I, thankfully, haven't encountered it. I do know they make tiny little
humane traps for rodents so I guess that would be a safe solution.  The cats
wouldn't even fit in them. You could release them somewhere far, far away. I
guess--and I know that since it's not happening to me I don't really know how I
would feel if it were--I think it's kinda mean to poison rodents anyway
especially if they're outside so the traps would be a "nicer" solution.

Also--and maybe this is really a dumb question--do rats and mice climb easily?
Maybe there is some sort of platform you could put the cat food on so that the
cats could jump up to eat but the rodents couldn't get up there. I mean, if you
had some kind of table with metal or plastic legs on it, how could they get a
grip to climb up there?

Oh, and I'm vaguely remembering some sort of high-pitched  noise emitter that
is specifically made to get rid of rodents. I can't recall where I've seen it
but they don't want to be anywhere around it apparently. I think I read that it
doesn't affect cats and dogs.
I can't think of any poison that wouldn't be potentially harmful to cats, too,
if they ate it or ate a rodent who ate it. I think that would be too risky but,
I agree, I think rats and mice can harbor all sorts of diseases that you don't
really want close to your house.

Keep us posted and good luck.

Candace

Sue-

The safest thing I can think of is glue traps. Put a little peanut butter in
the center of it, shape it into a cylinder or triangle shape, and place it
out of the way in a hidden spot that they're known to frequent. As soon as
you catch one, remove it and replace with a fresh one. You don't want the
victim to warn his buddies, or they'll be wise to the glue trap, & won't
fall for it. Check the traps. If you see claw prints, that means they're
walking straight through without stopping. If they don't stop & pause on the
trap, they won't get stuck, but if they stop for a second or two, they're
caught. If you see claw prints, change your bait. If the trap shows no signs
of activity in a couple of days, change the location.

--
Raymond A. Madison, Sr
(Black Saber)
Philadelphia Pa USA


http://www.moonsgarden.com/

ACK!  NO GLUE TRAPS!!!!  Glue traps have to be the MOST inhumane way of
removing your rodent problem.  Often the trapped rat/mouse will try to chew
themselves loose <shudder>.  Please consider another solution.
Toby
Help contol pet overpopulation.
Please spay and neuter your pets.

I can only think of a couple of things not yet mentioned:  1)  a Jack
Russell Terrier aka Rat Terrier(??) and 2)a cat with some Bobcat ***.
Most domestic cats will not catch rats although some will.   Also, why are
they so bad in your area, is there a dempsy dumpster close by or a livestock
barn with grain?  You might attack the problem from where it stems.

easily?

Oh yes.  Very, very well.  Putting the food on a table is no answer...  I
would buy a couple of humane traps (look in your Yellow Pages under "pest
control" or go to a good hardware store).  These catch the beasties alive,
and you can do what you like to them afterwards.

    AndyG
    http://www.hollyking.freeserve.co.uk