There’s a new sheriff in Washington D.C. alleys: adopted feral cats. But as rodent-killing machines, New York’s terriers are even better. Complaints about rats are on the rise in Washington, D.C., and the city is looking for new ways to keep populations down. This rat is hunting for a meal in trash cans in the the district's Park View neighborhood. WASHINGTON D.C.The killer is caged, his prey just beyond reach. Soon he’ll prowl the streets, but for now he’s hiding under a fluffy fleece bed, only his small pink nose and white paws poking out.
His name is Miso, and he’s a cat with his work cut out for him. Miso’s new home is an alley in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington D.C., and it’s teeming with rats. More than 50 trash and recycling bins line the alley behind a stretch of row houses, and almost every plastic bin has a fist-sized hole where a rat has chewed through. At dusk, dozens of rats scurry across the alley, diving into the holes to collect their dinner.
That’s what Miso is here to help with. He’s a feral cat, born on the streets and brought here not as a pet, but to do a job. He’ll spend about three weeks in the covered cage being fed and sheltered as an incentive to stick around once he’s released from the cage—when, if he follows the human plan, he’ll start catching rats.
Feral cats are just one kind of animal that some cities are embracing for their rat-killing prowess. In New York City, a group of rat-hunting terrier, dachshund, and mutt owners patrol the streets. Chicago has even given urban coyotes an uneasy embrace. For the most part, these animals aren’t part of official city programs, but unofficially, most cities are game for whatever kills rats. The question is how much help they can offer.
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