Some of the best mousers and ratters (a certain Maine Coon comes to mind) have met untimely deaths due to consuming poisoned rodents. Are the rats so big that a good feral kitty can’t take them out?
Out in the country, I can attest to cats keeping varmints cleared out.
That's the problem, not enough kitties to get the rats. They control urban birds, too.
“Are the rats so big that a good feral kitty can’t take them out?”
Rats here are BIG.
Cats avoid them and focus on birds.
What the hell-doesn’t animal friendly Peta-worshiping Cali have any cats in their animal shelters that could be fed by city workers so they would stay around and kill rats? Or what about a rodent specific poison so the cats and other predators would not be harmed-the exterminators in the nearest big town advertise one.
The kitties in this rural area keep the rat/mouse population well in check-everyone has a cat or 3 that are either strictly indoor or indoor/outdoor pets, and there are a few feral cats around that get fed for their work as well. My spoiled indoor cats don’t let a living rodent get past the door to the outdoor storeroom-or a lizard or bug for that matter...
I don’t comprehend why Cali makes every problem they have into a major disaster in no time at all-you would think living with earthquakes would have taught them to deal with small stuff...
Better question - how big a feral kitty population are you willing to put up with in order to try to get rid of the rats?