THIS IS CHICAGO'S VERY OWN WGN NEWS. WELL, FOR THE 6TH STRAIGHT YEAR IN A ROW OR CAN HAS NAMED CHICAGO. THE RATTY IS YES. THAT'S THE TERM THEY USED RATTIEST CITY IN AMERICA. NOW, ONE LOCAL GROUP IS TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM BY SENDING ANOTHER FURRY FRIEND OUT TO PATROL THE CITY'S STREETS. PHOTO JOURNALIST KEVIN DOLEMAN HAS THAT STORY. WE'RE IN WESTLAKE VIEW ON THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ALMOST 23 YEARS. SHE JUST GOT A NEW LEAF AND I GOT INTO THE DOG WALKING BUSINESS. 13 YEARS AGO. MY CLIENTS, I HAVE A TON OF GOLD AND DOODLES. WHO'S BE JOHN POODLES, THE NEIGHBORHOOD FULL OF VERNA DOODLE SHIFA DOODLES PIT BULLS LABS. THE SLIDES. YOU NAME IT. THERE'S EVERY DOG IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS THE STROLLER BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WE HAVE A STROLLER AND SOME SPECIAL UNDER THE PORCH. I GUYS YOU GUYS MISS NECK. THEY GET WHAT SNACK TWICE A DAY. I WOULDN'T SAY THESE CATS ARE SLIM I KNOW THEY DO LIVE OUTSIDE AND OUTSIDE IS THEIR SHELTERS FOR THESE 2 CATS AND EVEN THIS PAST WHEN I WAS LIKE 4 FEET OF SNOW OUT HERE. HE'S GOT LOVE THEY EITHER HAD HOUSES. STAY AROUND 72 DEGREES THERE AT THE HEATED WATER BOWL. THEY STARTED TO SORT OF ROOM AREA AND WE A REDUCTION, ANY SORT OF RAT ACTIVITY. GO FOR A WALK. IT'S A MISCONCEPTION THAT THESE CATS ARE OUT THERE EATING THAT ACTUALLY GOING ON EATING THEM. IF ANYTHING'S GOING OUT AND SOMETHING THEM FOR SPORT. THE SCENT OF THEM WILL KEEP THE RATS AWAY FROM THIS WHOLE CITY BLOCK. THEY DON'T GENERALLY EAT A LOT OF RATS. THEY WILL KILL SOME RATS USUALLY IN THE BEGINNING WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVE AT A NEW LOCATION. BUT TYPICALLY THEY'RE ACTUALLY JUST DETERRING THEM WITH THEIR PHEROMONES. THAT'S ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY KEEP THE RATS AWAY SO OH, THIS IS A DANGEROUS PLACE FOR ME TO LEAD. THERE'S NO REASON FOR ME TO BE HERE AND THEY ACTUALLY MOVE OUT TO OTHER AREAS. HERE BECAUSE WE. HAVE A LOT OF RESTAURANTS AROUND THE CORNER. THERE ARE RATS IN THE ALLEY. YOU CAN SEE THEM SOMETIMES RUNNING ACROSS THE STREET WHENEVER THIS NEW CONSTRUCTION DAY. LOVE TO COME UP AND SO IT'S A PRETTY PROBLEM IN OUR AREA. A LOT OF OUR CLIENTS THEY HAD CATS, THEY WOULD STEP WOULD ACTUALLY RUN ACROSS OUT OF THEIR HOME. I WOULDN'T GO OUTSIDE AFTER DARK. IT WAS TERRIBLE. THEY WERE THERE ARE HOLES ALL OVER. FILL THEM UP. WE PUT POISON IN WE THEM BEFORE WORK. AND THE NEXT DAY THE HOLES WOULD BE BACK. THIS IS THE COVER TO OUR NEW GAS GRILL. ALL THE REST THEY FOUND SOME NICE MATERIAL FOR THEIR NESTING APPARENTLY. AND GETTING CONTINUES. NEAR WASHINGTON INJURY. NOW SOMETIMES CALL THEM AND THEY DON'T COME. I ALWAYS HAVE THAT THEY'RE SOMEWHERE OUT THERE AT WORK FURTHER AWAY FROM HOME LIKE TO RESPOND. MY WHISTLE ALMOST LIKE A DOG. THE BIGGEST SCARE IS IT'S USUALLY THAT THEY'RE OUT AND THEY WHICH IS SAD THING TO THINK ABOUT. THE IMPORTANT THING KEEP IN MIND IS THAT THESE KIDS ARE ALL VERY SAVVY IN REGARDS TO LIVING OUTSIDE. THEY'VE ALWAYS LIVED OUTSIDE THEIR ENTIRE LIFE. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE KEEPING THEM OUTSIDE BECAUSE THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY'RE THE 100 MONTH. WELL, THERE THERE. LOOK, LOOK. LOOK YOUR DIDN'T DRINK IN WASHINGTON IN PARTICULAR CAME OUTSIDE OF THE CITY. WE RESCUED HIM FROM THAT ANIMAL CONTROL PROGRAM. THE TREE HOUSE GOT THEM NEUTERED AND GOOD TO GO OUTSIDE WITH HAVE BEEN MICROCHIPPED AND REPLACE THEM WITH ROBIN. THEY'VE BEEN DOING WONDERFULLY EVER SINCE. WE HAVEN'T SEEN RAT DROPPINGS IN OUR BACK PATIO HERE. OR IN OUR ALLEY WAY SINCE WE ADOPT A CAT SNAKE SO PACKED INTO HIMSELF TO DRY AREA. THE RAT PROBLEM IS A HUGE PROBLEM IN CHICAGO. WE HAVE WRAPS THE SUBURBS HAVE SKUNKS THESE GUYS PROUD ALL NIGHT LONG. THEY ARE CATS AT WORK AND CATS THAT ARE PART FAMILY. TAHMAN BRADLEY: TREE. HOUSE HUMANE SOCIETY HAS PLACED OVER 1000 FERAL CATS ON TO CHICAGO STREET SINCE 2012 HEAD TO OUR WEB SITE. WGN TV, DOT COM WHERE WE HAVE A LINK TO APPLY
But there are no cats in America!
Life imitates The Simpsons
Wouldn't terriers be a better idea? Those little guys have it in their genes to hunt rats.