Anonymous wrote:Are there any large cities that don’t have a lot of rats?

I used to live in Moscow. Huge city, many times the size of DC (15 million people), and no wide spread issues with rats. Pretty sure I never actually saw one there. My theory is that it’s too cold for much of the year.

Mild winters also contribute to having more rats and our last winter was fairly mild. Construction can REALLY exacerbate the problem. The house across the alley from ours is being renovated for the first time since it was built in the early 1900s, the prior owner was a hoarder, and the rat uptick since their interior demo started is off the rails.

Also, rats need water as well as food. We had a small outdoor fountain some years ago and our exterminator concluded that the fountain had become the local rat watering hole after they finished dining on the alley trash. Visions of the movie "Willard" danced in my head and I could not dump the water out fast enough.

Anonymous wrote:Not too long ago, we were having dinner in the patio of a well-known coffee shop in Dupont Circle when 5-6 rats came out of the bushes & started jumping and twirling as if they were dancing Swan Lake.

I see DC alleys & streets filled with rats. I see rat poo everywhere. I see them blazingly crossing streets in plain sight.

How can we pressure DC officials to do something about this? Educating ppl to be careful with their trash isn’t enough.

What about increasing the frequency of trash collection in the city? Is there anything that can be done to address this issue, which has gotten worse during the pandemic?

They are much, much worse in Arlington. Especially North Arlington.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need more cats.

I agree with you, but the crazy bird people would have a fit.

Try birds of prey - hawks, falcons, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need more cats.

I agree with you, but the crazy bird people would have a fit.

I live in a neighborhood with a lot of outdoor cats and I can assure you this is not true. The rat-attracting/sustaining factor from people feeding cats outside far, far outweighs any predator affect. The houses with the outdoor cats are the ones with the most rats.

dang

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need more cats.

I agree with you, but the crazy bird people would have a fit.

I live in a neighborhood with a lot of outdoor cats and I can assure you this is not true. The rat-attracting/sustaining factor from people feeding cats outside far, far outweighs any predator affect. The houses with the outdoor cats are the ones with the most rats.

In case anyone says “oh but we only feed the cat inside,” someone is feeding your cat outside. Probably an old person supporting a colony of cats.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need more cats.

I agree with you, but the crazy bird people would have a fit.

I live in a neighborhood with a lot of outdoor cats and I can assure you this is not true. The rat-attracting/sustaining factor from people feeding cats outside far, far outweighs any predator affect. The houses with the outdoor cats are the ones with the most rats.

Anonymous wrote:We need more cats.

I agree with you, but the crazy bird people would have a fit.

Anonymous wrote:Are there any large cities that don’t have a lot of rats?

I live in Downtown Miami. Bigger than DC in every way. I think I've seen 3 rats in my 5 years down here. DC is on another level. They are EVERYWHERE, huge, bold, and the increase each year is noticeable

We need more cats.

It’s kind of the time of year for them too I think. I don’t have any actual evidence but I feel like hot August nights are when you see them the most. Idk if they’re mating or fighting or what but they like forget to hide.

I'm no fan of rats or roaches, but DC has it better than a lot of other major cities.

Are there any large cities that don’t have a lot of rats?

A lot of this is construction related. And litter. We need public trash cans with lids. Fine offending businesses. Larger abatement team.

Not too long ago, we were having dinner in the patio of a well-known coffee shop in Dupont Circle when 5-6 rats came out of the bushes & started jumping and twirling as if they were dancing Swan Lake.

I see DC alleys & streets filled with rats. I see rat poo everywhere. I see them blazingly crossing streets in plain sight.

How can we pressure DC officials to do something about this? Educating ppl to be careful with their trash isn’t enough.

What about increasing the frequency of trash collection in the city? Is there anything that can be done to address this issue, which has gotten worse during the pandemic?