Feral cats can provide purr-fect pest control service, says Caithness charity branch
The Caithness branch of a national feline welfare charity says it can offer the purr-fect solution to anyone in need of an environmentally friendly pest control service, with many feral cats in need of a new home.
Colonies of feral cats often find themselves homeless, usually as a result of development. But their useful predatory skills, coupled with Cats Protection rehoming services, can secure them a better future, according to Deirdre Campbell, the charity's Caithness branch coordinator.
She said: “We have had some very positive feedback in terms of reduced rodent problems from the many farms, stables and warehouses that have adopted a feral or two from us.”
A pair of feral cats can provide a highly efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pest control, according to the charity.
It says anywhere where there is room to roam and rodents to catch – from garden centres to golf clubs, from smallholdings to stables – will provide working cats with a suitable environment in which to live and work.
Owners must be prepared to provide their feline employees with food, water, shelter and veterinary care when needed – none of which will affect their desire to catch prey.
Cats Protection promotes neutering as the only effective way to control the number of both domestic and feral cats and helps around 20,000 ferals a year through its trap, neuter and return or relocation (TNR) work.
While feral kittens aged up to eight weeks can be successfully "socialised" and rehomed in a normal home environment, this is not usually possible with adult ferals. Once they have been neutered, volunteers return them to their colony, where a sustainable one exists, or find them a new home in a suitable environment where they can thrive and work hard doing what they like best.
Anyone who would be interested in providing a home for a feral can contact Cats Protection’s Caithness branch on 0345 371 4217 or email enquiries@caithness.cats.org.uk