Cats vs rats…

Has New York City found  the solution  to its huge rat population?   The  NYC Feral Cat Initiative traps wild cat colonies which have become a nuisance or been threatened by construction,  then vaccinates them.   The goal is to return them to their home territory,  but some end up in areas overrun by rats,  where they prove uniquely useful.

The Humane Society of New York and the ASPCA spays or neuters them free of charge,  and the locations they inhabit feed them and keep an eye out for them.   Since the feral feline population is estimated to be half a million,  it’s a way to care for the cats while helping to control the rodents.

Anywhere you have people,  you have garbage,  and you will have rats and mice.   Too many New Yorkers just toss things on the ground,  and sadly some of the immigrant population come from cultures where that is simply normal behavior because municipal garbage collection is unknown.

Aussies losing it…

Not so long ago,  residents of Brisbane wouldn’t have tolerated feral cats the size of dogs for a week,  let alone a year.   But guns are bad,  you know,  and over-sized cats who attack are just part of the price you must pay for a civilized society.  You can’t shot them,  just capture them.