Did you know:

California is now the first state to ban highly toxic rat poisons that have been responsible for a number of wildlife poisonings.  “Rodenticides are deadly for California’s mountain lions and other precious wildlife across the state,” Governor Gavin Newsom said.

The underregulated use of these toxic chemicals allowed them to work their way through the food chain. When the poison is ingested by a rat, that rat may be alive for several more days during which time it is likely to be hunted by predators. Owls and coyotes that prey on these rats now have the poisons in their systems. When these sick animals are eaten by even larger predators like the endangered bobcat, they can be lethally toxic. 

This is a strong first step towards protecting wildlife that sets a clear path for other states to follow.

• Apart from being a threat to endangered wildlife, rat poisons are a lethal threat to young children and pets as well.

• Between 2004 and 2008, U.S. poison control centers received 10,000 to 14,000 calls each year for people who had ingested rat poisons.

• An EPA study of children under 6 found nearly 70,000 children that were exposed to rat poisons, with 20,000 being sent to emergency centers.

• There is still a need for rodent control because rats are vectors for diseases ranging from salmonella to bubonic and pneumonic plague.

• All lethal rat traps cause suffering and require carcass disposal, exposing the trap handler to possible viruses.

• Lethal methods are also temporary solutions at best because, without deterrents, rat populations will always return.

There is a better solution.

In 2001, Voice for the Animals Foundation partnered with The Los Angeles Flower Market to resolve a rat infestation that had been going on for nearly a hundred years. That new approach meant adopting an old-world solution: Cats.

By bringing in a handful of feral cats and making The Flower Market their new home, the rat population has been cleared for the last 20 years. Rodents have an instinctual, evolutionary fear of cats and feline scents keep them far, far away. 

This solution is humane for the rats because it relies on deterrents, not exterminants. It offers unadoptable cats a place to call home and it gives workers and homeowners a green alternative to living with poisons.

The success of that operation in The Flower Market lead to the creation of the Working Cats Program. It has since been implemented by the Crossroads School campus, the Los Angeles Police Department Wilshire and Foothill divisions, and in private homes. To date, the WC Program has been adopted by over 85 organizations across the country, giving people a clean and natural alternative to toxins and traps. 

Check out our Working Cats website to view for yourself how the program is saving lives, both cats and rodents, and is the only viable solution to rodent control.