Town to expand programme that ‘deputises’ feral cats to control rat population

Mickey as well as four other feral cats have been "deputised" as rat catchers by the Niles Police Department in Niles, Illinois, the United States. Photo: TNS

Police in Niles, Illinois – a suburb of Chicago – expressed satisfaction with a pilot programme begun in August to “deputise” five feral cats to control the rat population, a police official told Pioneer Press. Now, the department says it is looking to extend the programme.

The cats have lived around the 7800 block of Nordica Avenue for about three years under the care of a resident. The Niles police department recruited the cats because they are a natural deterrent to rats, according to Niles Police.