Chicago just found a new way in combating their growing rodents problem.
It has been the City’s problem way back 1970s where the City of Chicago was forced to reward $1 for every rodent they killed. That’s not a problem if you are unemployed, right? Easy money I guess.
But of course, Pandemic came and rodents have been more aggressive than ever after strict lockdowns have forced restaurants to close and food for these rodents have been hard, which has caused more stress and aggressiveness to these mammals.
$1 was too expensive for the high numbers of these rodents so recently, the City of Chicago has released 1,000 feral felines in order to combat the city’s mounting rat problem.
The Midwestern city was mocked as the rodent capital of the United States for the sixth year in a row.
It was reported that these cats were released in the city’s many alleyways and sidewalks, much to the residents’ chagrin.
Animal shelter, The Tree House Humane Society has helped in releasing these cats in the city’s streets and they made sure to neuter every feral cat before allowing the feline to patrol the city streets in search of rats.
The Shelter said Cats are placed two or three at a time into residential or commercial settings in order to provide environmentally friendly rodent control. Property and business owners provide food, water, shelter, and wellness to the cats who work for them. In most cases, our Cats at Work become beloved members of the family or team, and some even have their own Instagram pages.”
Sarah Liss also said, “We’ve had a lot of our clients tell us that before they had cats, they would step outside their house, and rats would actually run across their feet.”
“The feral cats won’t just attack the rats and feed on them. The cats “are actually deterring them with their pheromones, That’s enough to keep the rats away.” Liss added.
United States’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention has warned and given advisory about how these rodents become aggressive in behavior.
“Community-wide closures have led to a decrease in food available to rodents, especially in dense commercial areas. Some jurisdictions have reported an increase in rodent activity as rodents search for new sources of food. Environmental health and rodent control programs may see an increase in service requests related to rodents and reports of unusual or aggressive rodent behavior.”
Cats are the real exterminator.
Watch it here: WGN News/Youtube
Source: American Web Media