LAPD Puts Street Cats to Work
The LAPD has gotten rat-wise and decided to allow feral cats to roam several police stations to hunt down mice. This almost almost reminds me of that old Hanna Barbara show Top Cat… except here the cops are working with the street urchins.
Not a bad idea… that is until the cats start having kittens! Check out the whole story below.
Los Angeles police have begun using feral cats to rid some stations of rats and mice.
The untamed felines, which make poor pets, quickly won over officers at the Wilshire Station, reports CBS station KCBS-TV.
"Once we got the cats, problem solved," Cmdr. Kirk Albanese told the Los Angeles Times. "I was almost an immediate believer."
The Working Cats program of Voice for the Animals, a local advocacy and rescue group, has placed feral cats in various police stations with great success.
Six of the nocturnal hunters were put on rat duty in the Southeast Station’s parking lot, and another group will be housed at the Central Station in early 2008.
The cats don’t do much killing. Rather, they simply leave their scent. Once rodents get a whiff, they clear out.
"It’s the smell of the cat and the cat urine," said Jane Garrison, a member of Voice for the Animals’ board, who selected the half dozen feral cats for the Southeast Station.
It takes about a month for the cats to get acclimated to their new home, she said, adding that feral cats are known for having an almost insatiable desire to return to what they consider their home hunting grounds.
"We are willing to put cats in any safe area — businesses, hotels, industrial parks, even residences — and we will do that for free," she said.
Soon the wild cats may get a chance to work at police headquarters, where rats and mice have been spotted in the parking lot and in ground-floor corridors.
source Tags: dumb news, alley cats, lapd, feral cats, rat infestation
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POSTED IN: Dumb Animals, Dumb Pictures, Just Weird
5 opinions for LAPD Puts Street Cats to Work
Jason
Dec 31, 2007 at 10:40 pm
What a great (dumb) story this is! I posted about this as well after seeing an LA Times story linked from another blog.
Happy New Year to Simply Dumb from your friends at MW Daily!
Edna A.
Jan 1, 2008 at 12:48 pm
“Not a bad idea… that is until the cats start having kittens!”
Well, then, you definitely have not read the whole story. What you have posted is not the whole story. And, you have also definitely not even looked up this local advocacy and rescue group’s website.
The Voice for the Animals recued these feral cats who were sentenced to die at shelters. They SPAYED and NEUTERED and VACCINATED and MICROCHIPPED these feral cats and selected only the most feral to work in the program. Any feral cats who later became friendly will be immediately removed from the program and will be placed for adoption. So, in other words, this Working Cats program is monitored.
So, what is dumb about that???? What is dumb is to perpetuate ignorance, indifference, and apathy!
Ariel
Jan 1, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Thank you for the informative post. This information WAS NOT in the news story from which I drew my information. Please keep your unnecessary anger in check.
Edna A.
Jan 1, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Ariel, I would like to apologize for dropping such an abrasive comment when I should have just provided you information lacking from your news.
The reason I reacted that way is because I prejudged your intention. Having to put this news to your “Simply Dumb: All the News that’s Embarrasing to Print” did make me jumped into conclusion because I don’t really see this program for working feral cats as dumb. I thought this program is great because it will help reinforce community’s compassion towards feral cats.
Anyway, this is my first time to visit your blog…by accident, actually. And, not knowing your history, it was very wrong of me to form a conclusion just based on one sentence. Sorry, Ariel, and Happy New Year.
Ariel
Jan 1, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Not a problem at all. :-) Do come by often! Best wishes and happy new year.
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