protectionist
Diamond Member
- Oct 20, 2013
- 61,608
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There's a wide gap in the way people see stray cats in their neighborhood. Some people hate them and try to get rid of them. Others feed them, make shelter boxes for them with soft towels inside, and even take them to veterinarians.
Lots of people though, from both sides of this spectrum don't realize how valuable stray cats are to them. Few factors in their residence (and businesses) areas do more to reduce the spread of disease and vermin, than these cats. By killing huge numbers of bugs, snakes, and other harmful animals, cats engage in a 24/7 constant pest control service to us, free of charge, that no professional pest control company could ever match, and they do it without any poisonous chemicals.
The biggest and most productive part of this is the containment (repellent) of rats and mice. These nuisances can smell a cat from 100 yards away (length of a football field), and when they do, they will not go there. In the apartment complexes I've lived in, I have never seen a single rat or mouse. But there's always lots of stray cats around. And THAT'S WHY there are no rats. Better to have cats than rats.
The next time you see a bunch of stray cats congregating around outside (typically near trash bins), put some dry cat food out on a paper plate or two for them, along with a small bowl of water. In my complex, we not only feed our little pals, we take them to veterianarians to be spayed and neutered also, so they don't overpopulate. It's good to have some of them around, but not too many.
In a few cases, the homeless cats are not all feral ones (born outside wild). Some are former housecats which were abandoned by callous owners who just dumped them out, and these cats will come right to you and let you pet them. If you can, you might take one or two of them in and make them your pet (take them to vet first). I did that and it's one of the best things I ever did.
Also, whenever feeding them take some precautions to put their food where they won't get run over by cars, since some drivers are careless, and cats are distracted when they're eating.
Lots of people though, from both sides of this spectrum don't realize how valuable stray cats are to them. Few factors in their residence (and businesses) areas do more to reduce the spread of disease and vermin, than these cats. By killing huge numbers of bugs, snakes, and other harmful animals, cats engage in a 24/7 constant pest control service to us, free of charge, that no professional pest control company could ever match, and they do it without any poisonous chemicals.
The biggest and most productive part of this is the containment (repellent) of rats and mice. These nuisances can smell a cat from 100 yards away (length of a football field), and when they do, they will not go there. In the apartment complexes I've lived in, I have never seen a single rat or mouse. But there's always lots of stray cats around. And THAT'S WHY there are no rats. Better to have cats than rats.
The next time you see a bunch of stray cats congregating around outside (typically near trash bins), put some dry cat food out on a paper plate or two for them, along with a small bowl of water. In my complex, we not only feed our little pals, we take them to veterianarians to be spayed and neutered also, so they don't overpopulate. It's good to have some of them around, but not too many.
In a few cases, the homeless cats are not all feral ones (born outside wild). Some are former housecats which were abandoned by callous owners who just dumped them out, and these cats will come right to you and let you pet them. If you can, you might take one or two of them in and make them your pet (take them to vet first). I did that and it's one of the best things I ever did.
Also, whenever feeding them take some precautions to put their food where they won't get run over by cars, since some drivers are careless, and cats are distracted when they're eating.
