Meet the cats fighting Chicago's rat problem

The Tree House Humane Society has placed over 1,000 feral cats onto Chicago streets since 2012. WGN Photojournalist Kevin Doellman has the story.

[miawallace]

Title : “Meet the cats fighting Chicago’s rat problem.”
News: Interviews dog walker.

[lenitypious]

These cats have done a better job than the city council in the past six months

[Poptartsicles]

This is a big reason why cats were domesticated in the first place thousands of years ago. They kept our grains safe when we first started farming, helping us prevent famine and disease. Pretty cool to see them playing that same role again.

[Mphx]

My wife and I have 2 cats, we once lived in a house near an open field, one day it rained and flooded, apparently the field spiders found their way inside through a small gap in the screen door. We woke up in the morning to find hundreds of dead spiders all over the hardwood. They actually stayed up all night killing spiders. They got lots of treats that day.

[Corkfish]

I took in a feral cat and she rewarded me by catching mice before they they had a chance to get in my house. I loved that cat.

[agreeable-youth]

When a bunch of cats is doing more for your city than the government

[Cha-y]

My 90 year old Mom always told the story of growing up in a cold water tenament house in the 1930s they had a pet cat that people would ask to borrow for a few days to get rid of mice and rats.
The cat named Toots had some reputation as the best exterminator in the neighborhood.

[Gangstabob]

At my house we had a rat and mouse problem since our house was right next to the jungle. I got tired of setting up traps and calling the exterminator, both of which did nothing to solve the problem. Then the dad finally caved in and agreed to get a cat. Never heard a rat squeaking in between walls or in our kitchen again. Plus its welcome to have a new addition to the family,

[bakarangerpinku]

The only time we ever had a rodent problem is when we were not allowed to own a cat because our landlord in Iowa did not allow it. Thank you very much Brad.

[millasuini]

I used to have cats when I lived with my parents. No rats. But since my brother made a huge fuss of me having cats, I moved out and now my parents' place has a lot of rats

[oguzb.]

In Istanbul with a population of more than 15 million, there is no rat problem because of stray cats which people and also the state feed, take care, vaccinate, neutrelize, the cats do their job very well and they are also so adorable. We never call our cats ferals, we love them so much.

[ambermaccraig]

I am inspired. It is good to see people that understand and appreciate a cat's value. I am a cat rescuer, been doing it now for 15 years, and I have always loved these awesome gifts of nature. It is so marvelous to hear that there are not only people but entire towns that are starting to understand that having a cat around isn't a bad thing but a great one. the TNR program is one of the best groups to ever be put into place for these outdoor felines. It's horrible to trap them, throw them in a shelter and put them down bc they had the misfortune of being unwanted and underappreciated. I love each and every one of mine and I haven't seen a rat or mouse in yrs. I have them indoors and outdoors and my house is pest free. I don't like the thought of anything being killed, it is a heartless thing, but it is nature's way, so why not have nature work for your own benefit. If that is what it takes for people to realize that cats are invaluable, then I'll take it. The ancients knew it and so should we. Anything in order to bring awareness to folks and get them to stop killing, torturing and abandoning cats/kittens. Thank you, Tree House Humane Society in collaboration w the fine people in Chicago!! Love and admiration from High Point, NC USA.

[AideGDiaz]

We started to have issues with mice. Before getting pest control which was charging us more than $2, 000, we noticed a feral cat always close by. Realized it was living under our house and little by little no more mice. Ive been feeding it everyday. If im late, itll sit in my backyard. Saved us thousands

Edit:
We had named it Jasmine thinking it was a Girl, lol. Turns out it's a boy. But he already responds to Jasmine so why bother changing it. He finally let me pet him today, just for a few seconds. My dog and Jasmine have met and there hasn't been any issues with them.

Update: He is still with us! He has grown so much. He's a beautiful cat! Kiddos wanted to leave his name as Jasmine. He's still catching mice! He has left about 3 mice dead/half eaten on our porch lol

[ribbitribbit]

I don’t know why but the fact that he says that the cats hunt for sport is so hilarious. Now imagining them keeping score and making bets

[MagneticPowder]

“They aren’t eating them, they are hunting them for sport” cats are the cutest little psychos in existence

Edit: I don’t why this comment drew cat haters but it did 🙄

[NevaG]

I'm in Wisconsin and had a mice issue last winter but noticed a huge family of feral cats in an area next to my house. Surprise, surprise, no mice this winter and it saved me money on buying them cat food 🤣🤷🏾‍♀️. Thanks for the awesome and cute story.

[pashapasovski]

My grandmother never had a rat problem, she had lots of cats running around her garden!

[bethford]

"These guys prowl all night long, They are cats at work, and cats that are a part of our love when he said that.

[r.watson]

I have lived in the same house for 30 years. We never had a rat issue until 2020 when they showed up in a herd. I set traps and killed 14 and they still kept coming. Chewing holes in my ceiling and leaving poop droppings everywhere. I went to the Shelter and purchased me a cat and within 3 days the rat issue was gone. It feels good to have my house back and I owe it all to a cat.

[ThePaulv]

I adopted a very sick gnarly 'ole tom. I had him desexed and gave him a little holiday at the vet for awhile until he got a bit better. In the next year I nursed him back to health. He was a very sick cat yet still but managed to live another 7 full years.

Here's the thing, he was a rat's worst nightmare. He would absolutely torture them for fun until they screamed - if you've ever heard a rat scream you'll know what I'm talking about, then with it screaming he would walk around with it holding it by the neck.
I can tell you it emboldened other cats, perhaps showing them 'this is what you do with rats.'
Rat problem stopped very soon. How he learnt this behavior only god knows. Over the years he did this many times.
I could tell he liked it - he felt like an alpha cat even though his alpha day were long gone. He would prance around swiping other cats and dogs for a few days afterwards.