How to Use Cats for Pest Control

Co-authored by Lauren Baker, DVM, PhD

Last Updated: October 25, 2022 References

Cats can be a great long-term solution for pest control. Unlike professional exterminators, they do not leave dangerous poisons around your home or place of work. If you need to get rats, mice or other pests under control, there are many ways to employ working cats. Working cat programs will provide veterinary care to stray cats and then introduce them to areas where there is a serious pest problem.^{[1]
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Research source} For smaller scale pest problems, you might want to purchase or adopt a breed with good hunting ability.

Things You Should Know

If you want to use a cat for pest control but you don't have one, check with your local animal shelter or humane society to ask about a working cat program, where you use stray cats to discourage rats and mice from living in an area.
You can also adopt an indoor/outdoor cat, or even a mother cat with kittens—just keep in mind that some breeds are better hunters than others.
Whether you're renting cats or you have your own, be sure to give them food, a comfortable shelter, and veterinary care.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Working Cat Programs

1
Find a working cats program. Phone your local animal shelter or humane society to find out whether there is a working cat program in your neighborhood. Working cat programs will use a group of feral or stray cats to hunt pests, such as rats and mice. If you get a group of stray cats to live in the place you want to tackle the pest problem, the pests will smell the cats and find another place to live.^{[2]
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- If you live in Chicago, you should look into the program run by Tree House Humane Society.^{[3]
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- If you live in New York City, you should look into the New York City Feral Cat Initiative.^{[4]
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- If you live in Texas, call Barn Cats Incorporated.^{[5]
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2
Get stray cats from a working cat program. Ask the working cats program for a group of feral cats to be deployed in your backyard, barn or place of business. Ask how the organization addresses veterinary and animal care. Then, find out the price for a deployment of stray cats.^{[6]
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- Working cat programs will typically give the stray cats a vaccination and neuter them.^{[7]
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- Working cat programs may help take care of the feral cats that they deploy in your area.
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3
Check local bylaws if you are using cats for pest control at work. If you are getting stray cats to patrol your business, it is important to see whether you are violating any local bylaws, such as food safety laws.^{[8]
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- In the United States, cats are covered under local rather than state laws.^{[9]
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- If you are a business owner in New York City, health and state law prevents the use of animals in places where food and beverages are sold.
- In New York City, fines for keeping cats for pest control range from $300 to $2,000.
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Make the feral cats stay. Since the feral cats live outside or in an enclosed work space, you will need to take measures to ensure they stay. For instance, get the cats used to eating, playing and sleeping in the area. Make sure they have a good shelter to protect themselves from the rain and other types of inclement weather.^{[10]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Your Own Cats

1
Get a good hunting breed. Some cat breeds are better at hunting pests than others. Although the personality and upbringing of the cat should also be taken into consideration, try to buy or adopt a cat breed that is good at hunting. Some of the best breeds for pest control include:
- American shorthair
- Main coon
- Siberian
- Siamese
- Chartreux
- Burmese
- Manx
- Turkish angora
- Japanese bobtail
- Persian
2
Keep a stray cat and her kittens for a long term solution. Kittens learn pest control from their mothers. By keeping a cat and her kittens, you can train the next generation of mousers and rat catchers.
- Once the kittens are old enough, you should spay and neuter the entire litter, including the mother. If you do not do this, you may end up having more cats than you bargained for. Either call a Trap-Neuter-Release program or take the cats to a local vet.
3
Adopt indoor/outdoor cats. Give your local animal shelter a ring. Ask them if they have any stray or feral cats available for adoption. Typically, these organizations have too many cats to handle. By adopting an indoor/outdoor cat, you can control pests in your home and in outdoor areas surrounding your home, such as chicken coops.
4
Care for your mousers. Give your indoor/outdoor cats a comfortable place to sleep, as well as food and veterinary care. The cats will reward you by patrolling your house and warding off pesky rodents.

Warnings

Working cats can catch diseases from the pests they hunt and pass them on to other animals or humans in your family. Make sure the cats are vaccinated and that you deworm them regularly.

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Outdoor cats also hunt birds and other wildlife.

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Outdoor cats encounter more health risks than domestic cats.

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Some cities do not allow working cats in places of business, such as bodegas or places that sell food.^{[11]
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