I don't know why some people have to wage a flamewar over this topic. You
are correct Candace, I don't have Roof Rats but from what I have read here
is where the problem areas are: East Phoenix, parts of Scottsdale, Tempe,
Mesa, and now Glendale after a cat was discovered to have caught one. Yes,
the County has stated that exterminators will not do any good to kill the
rats. Laying down traps is not effective since it only accounted for
capturing 1% of them. Also poisoned traps do more harm than good because a
cat, dog or other animal would be at risk if they eat a poisoned rat. Also,
residents cleaning up their yards and picking the fruit from both the ground
and their trees also helps. However, after reading the news in the last few
of days stated that the Roof Rats because of the cleanups have been chased
into other areas and seem to be getting a lift on the back of landscaping
trucks.

Using natural predators might very well be a viable solution to keep the
rats in check. In fact I read that one area of downtown Los Angeles was
infested with rats and they flourished since that city removed feral cats
from the area. Once they brought back the cats the rat population was
reduced and kept in check at least. Beverly Hills was also an example where
Roof Rats made their home because the residents there removed a feral cat
population due to fears that they would attack the local wildlife there (in
the hills). As a result the rat population got larger. The same thing
happened in 1655 when the Mayor of London, England was convinced that cats &
dogs carried bubonic plague so he had them exterminated. The rat population
grew and got worse because he killed off the very predators that was keeping
the rat population in check. It was the rats that carried the disease. The
Roof Rats here in Arizona that were successfully trapped, have been tested
for this and other diseases including hanta which were negative.

Here in the Phoenix area, there are organizations which do spay/neuter and
release of feral cats. A few have actually looked for humans who would
provide land for them so feeding stations can be built. Perhaps the cities
effected by the rat problem would consider this and ask for humans to care
for the ferals so they don't get out of hand? These same rescue groups such
as Citizen's For Scottsdale Strays have stated that the feral cats would
make excellent pest/rodent control and are looking for land to house them.
They are one of the groups here who do spay/neuter and release of feral
cats. The only problem with the feral cat relocation is possibly the "vacuum
effect" where if one colony is re-located another takes its place which may
or may not be good. But a stable colony of ferals might be a solution for
rodent control. But as stated before a human would be needed to watch over
the colony and care for it. Protection of the colony would also be needed
because there are humans who would do harm to a cat. That is why the county
and the city officials need to drive home the point that if you harm a cat
then you will pay dearly for it.

If the city and county decide to use feral cats or other predators then
signs in the area where the colony is would need to be posted and
information regarding the plan would need to be provided to residents. The
local media certainly would be a good avenue to use besides the door to door
methods. It is apparent that if the officials don't come up with a plan then
we could be overrun by Roof Rats which are nasty pests. They chew through
wires, make their nests in buildings (as long as they have a small hole or
can chew through building material), and reproduce like crazy if not kept in
check. In a lot of neighborhoods where the rats make their homes there are
plenty of citrus trees for them to feed off of so simply trying to kill off
the entire Roof Rat population has proved almost impossible which means
keeping them in check may be the only option which means the use of
predatory animals.