Recently, several F4F members have mentioned rodent troubles.  We had rodent troubles too, until we installed an advanced anti-rodent system, the:

Mouse
Elimination
Optimizing
Weaon

A.K.A., M.E.O.W.

We had rodents out the wazoo, and then we installed the M.E.O.W.  We haven't seen a rodent since (except the slower ones which she was crunching; not pretty, but better the M.E.O.W. eating the rodents than the rodents eating the figs and fig trees).

So get a M.E.O.W. anti-rodent system and say good-bye to annoying rodents!  ;-)

I have seen 4 ferel cats the past year but they don't last due to C.O.Y.O.T.E.S. I have 2 indoor kitties but would never let them out. Now if there were ever any indoor rodent problems, there soon wouldn't be. :-)

Hi Svanessa.  Our children really did name our cat "Meow" but the rest was just to make the children laugh when they saw their cat here on the F4F Forum.

Meow is a "Rescue Cat."  We don't know where she came from or what happened to her, only that it wasn't good.  She was skin and bones and scarred to death when she arrived, but after several days of salmon and tuna, and recoving from a leg injury, she quickly become the happiest cat in the world.

We were having some rodent issues, but she fixed that right away.  She sleeps in the garage at night (for safety) but roams the garden and orchard all day chasing off any rodents and birds that get in the fruit trees.  She has been terrific.

She arrived in August, and when I covered the figs with straw for Winter, I was concerned about rodent damage, but there was absolutey none.  Meow spent all Winter patrolling the fig beds, and she continues her "Rat Patrol" every day.

Best wishes to all.

John

I have a family of 8-10 feral cats behind my house.

Not doing a damn bit of good.

Hi Jason.

Either you have lazy cats; or the rodents are reproducing faster than they are!

Meow really has made a difference here.

Hope you are well my friend.

Best wishes.

John

Do you feed them Jason? If they are not comfortable with people they are not going to be hanging around too close. My cats actually defend the deck from squirrels cause that is their turf. They wait by the door when the squirrels are digging up my shallots(who knew) and then chase them off when I let them out.
I know a cat that had to have a feeding tube put in for a month because a rabbit kicked her in the throat when she was killing it! A full size rabbit. Cats probably can't catch and kill squirrels too easily because squirrels are really agile, but I don't think they would tolerate them in their space either.

Meow is really cute John, good that you worked out a deal together. Cats are fierce little hunters, especially the ones from the street. They can hear a mouse rustling in straw from the other side of the yard.

I don't feed them.  They seem to go after chipmunks, but not the squirrels.  Sad part is, the chipmunks do very little damage, and the squirrels obliterate everything.

Hi John,
My two cats are also rescue, from a shelter. One is a definite hunter...as birds fly by the windows he will chase them from window to window and even room to room. The other is quite the prima dona and couldn't be bothered to hunt...
Sue

Hi Svanessa.  They really are different in personality.  My brother back in Maine has a cat that would only "guard" his fig tree during the winter when the fig is inside, and only if the fig happened to be sitting next to him when he is sleeping by the fire.

Our cat Meow chased a snake out of our garage just today.  Needless to say, she was very brave and a big hero for this.

I hope people will consider bringing a rescue cat or dog into their family, as these pets are so very happy to have a home and family to love them, and they do a lot for the family too.

Best wishes.

John

our pup is a 12-year old rescue - my wife saved her off the streets near downtown Atlanta when she was just a puppy.  She's been a part of the family ever since I met my wife almost 8 years ago.  she doesn't go after squirrels, though.

my fig trees haven't been attacked since my parents arrived in town, but i think it's because of their rescue dog, a shiba inu mix, and the shiba inu (for those who don't know) is a japanese hunting dog, she lives up to her name.

i loathe when she leaves tomorrow.

Time to start driving around the streets of downtown Atlanta with dogfood in the car looking for a terrier mix :) Those little guys would earn their chow for sure.

Jason,

You need to get yourself a terrier.  A good-sized Yorkie would work.  Get a couple of them.  My Yorkies would go crazy wanting to get the squirrels that would come into our yard.  Occasionally, I would put one of the larger ones over the fence of the dog yard and she would take off after the squirrel like a shot.

The squirrels would come within a couple of feet from the fence of the dogyard and taunt the dogs.  I should have just let the whole bunch go and the squirrel would have been history, but I didn't have any plants they were destroying.  Babette would go after the squirrels until she got too old and sick to run after them.

My friend's yorkie loved to kill rats and squirrels.

noss

Not a fan of Terriers or Spaniels, unfortunately (call me a weirdo, my wife loves spaniels).  I do like the smaller Japanese hunting dogs like Shiba inu and the Shikoku inu, and most of the dogs people run away from (Dobermans, Shepherds, etc.)

I would never get a non-rescue dog, though, so selecting breeds without going to a specialty rescue org can be tough :)

Just check the puppy or dogs temperment at the shelter, I think you want a dog with an independent personality. From what I gathered you should see which one chases a rag the most, and does not want to be cradled like a baby, but is also not aggressive. Getting a look at the mom would really help too.

I've always liked whippets and lurchers myself, they need lot's of space to run though. There are lot's of them up for adoption because of dog racing.

i used to volunteer at AHS and fulton county animal services....it's crazy that people buy dogs and cats when they are being euthanized daily for lack of space. i got one of my dogs from fulton county, very overcrowded facility. she is a great dog and loves to chase anything that's small and furry out of the yard....

What's a lurcher?

noss

Noss,