Chloe Leal - Homeless Cats Recruited to Fight Rising Tide of Rats

Homeless Cats Recruited to Fight Rising Tide of Rats - National Geographic

https://apple.news/ArIKiu91bQuGFgk6el6up4g

Largely urban, densely populated areas like Washington D.C. and New York City are investigating ways to control their huge rat problems. They have begun by recruiting feral cats and terriers to prowl the streets at night and maybe reawaken these same purposes which were sought after centuries ago, as rodents have always depended on human garbage for food and we have always hated it. This movement is much of a lifesaving program for these stray cats, as those recruited are neutered and vaccinated and released back into the streets to hopefully return a favor or so. New technologies also to control rodent populations have taken the experimental forms of suffocating dry-ice pellets, rat-resistant trash bags, and a sweet liquid that is actually a contraceptive which is effective in stunting ability to repopulate in both male and female rats. 

I just think that there has been so much though and interesting solutions to better and make more humane the controlling of rodent populations within areas that they are unwanted. These alternatives make for a quicker death for the rats, and without the worries of leaving dangerous (and usually ineffective) rat traps or other things of the sort which may accidentally end up killing pets. The groups which organize these solutions look very unified and really have a great sense of community and truly love and care for the animals which they have trained for this special task. I think overall this is an interesting and not easy to disagree with addition to our communities and added purpose to our widely domesticated animals. It was very informative and I am very interested in seeing how successful cats are in this experiment. This relates to how Europeans unintentionally but surely brought diseases to the Americas and newly found Hispañola rolling into the sixteenth century.