protectionist
Verified User
Some us (like me) have cats at home. We love our cats. They give us love, affection, and are great pest controllers, keeping our homes free of mice, rats, large bugs. and (here in Florida) of lizards and snakes. What we sometimes forget is that the outside, homeless cats are our friends too. They also provide us with a 24/7 pest control service, and all free of poisonous chemicals, better than any humans could do.
The stray cats of our neighborhoods, like all cats, are relentless hunters. Other than when they're asleep, they never stop hunting prey. As such, when they're around, you can be sure mice and rats won't be. A rat can smell a cat from 100 yards away, and when they do, they won't go there. That's why I've never seen a rat in my apartment complex. We have quite a few stray cats here.
I go out at night and feed the little buddies. I also bring them clean, cold water on these hot Florida nights. This keeps them around, and helping us out. I once lived in an apartment complex where they didn't like cats. They called the Animal Control guys who put out traps for 3 days, and took all the cats away. Within a week, rats started showing up at the dumpsters. The second week, you could see them running down the streets, walking on the lower limbs of trees, and even in the swimming pool. In the 3rd week, they were getting into people's apartments, lured by cooking smells. Needless to say, 3 weeks after they disposed of the cats, they couldn't wait to get them back. They went down to the Humane Society, and adopted 20 cats, and set them free on the property.
In no time, the rats disappeared, as did the carpets of lizards (Cuban anoles), and Palmetto bugs. Order was restored. The residents of that place learned a valuable lesson. Be kind to your neighborhood stray cats. Feed them some cat food (not human scraps) and clean water, and they will repay you nicely.
Also, don't worry about cats walking or sitting on your car. Yes they do that, but they pull in their claws when they do, and only their soft foot pads touch the car. At worst, you might get a few cat footprints, but they tend to be soft dust, that blows away when you drive.
The stray cats of our neighborhoods, like all cats, are relentless hunters. Other than when they're asleep, they never stop hunting prey. As such, when they're around, you can be sure mice and rats won't be. A rat can smell a cat from 100 yards away, and when they do, they won't go there. That's why I've never seen a rat in my apartment complex. We have quite a few stray cats here.
I go out at night and feed the little buddies. I also bring them clean, cold water on these hot Florida nights. This keeps them around, and helping us out. I once lived in an apartment complex where they didn't like cats. They called the Animal Control guys who put out traps for 3 days, and took all the cats away. Within a week, rats started showing up at the dumpsters. The second week, you could see them running down the streets, walking on the lower limbs of trees, and even in the swimming pool. In the 3rd week, they were getting into people's apartments, lured by cooking smells. Needless to say, 3 weeks after they disposed of the cats, they couldn't wait to get them back. They went down to the Humane Society, and adopted 20 cats, and set them free on the property.
In no time, the rats disappeared, as did the carpets of lizards (Cuban anoles), and Palmetto bugs. Order was restored. The residents of that place learned a valuable lesson. Be kind to your neighborhood stray cats. Feed them some cat food (not human scraps) and clean water, and they will repay you nicely.
Also, don't worry about cats walking or sitting on your car. Yes they do that, but they pull in their claws when they do, and only their soft foot pads touch the car. At worst, you might get a few cat footprints, but they tend to be soft dust, that blows away when you drive.
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LOL
