An Appreciation Post for Feral Cats

An appreciation post for feral cats...

How many of you know about the Floods of 1937 that drowned Cincinnati for a whole month? I remember learning about the flood through pictures that used to be on the walls of the old IGA as a child. Northside, Camp Washington, & Cumminsville were affected drastically by the floods due to proximity to their Mill Creek. It led to the Mill Creek being invaded in concrete and other levies & dams being built to control water levels in the future. A little talked about after effect of the flood was an influx of rats, mice, and rodents. To help combat the infestation, people started bringing in cats to the neighborhoods. 

Feral cats can minimize rodent problems and are a “green” alternative to pest control. Feral cats keep rodent populations in check and discourage new rodents from moving into the area. While some people feel that cats (feral or domestic) attract rodents because of uneaten cat food, the opposite is true. An established, vaccinated, and sterilized colony of feral cats will deter other stray and feral cats from moving into the area. This actually decreases the chances that people will encounter an unvaccinated cat, and will virtually eliminate problem behaviors like fighting, yowling, spraying and roaming.

Did you know that the City of Cincinnati consistently has ranked in the top 25 for most rat infested cities? As developers continue to build more apartments and situations were people live closer together and create more waste, the rodent population will increase. So appreciate your local feral cats, they're helping keep Mickey & Minnie out of your cupboards

 https://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/digital/collection/p16998coll11