Published 10:45 a.m. PDT Monday, September 9, 2002 VENTURA, Calif. (AP) - The city eliminated the feral cats that plagued the beachfront Ventura Promenade a few years ago. So now the problem is rodents.

Fearing rats and squirrels could pose a health hazard to the thousands of people who visit the beachfront, the city is considering a squirrel-feeding ban.

Councilman Neal Andrews has proposed an ordinance and the City Council is scheduled to discuss it this week.

Parks Manager Mike Montoya said feeding the squirrels creates an unnatural environment that artificially increases the rodent population.

City parks officials have discussed ways to reduce the vermin, but many common removal methods are not feasible because of the financial or environmental costs.

Trapping rodents is expensive and difficult, and using poison could also kill secondary predators, such as certain types of birds, Montoya said.

-- Anonymous, September 10, 2002

Answers

In some cities, stray cats are neutered/spayed and returned to their territories. These stupid yuppies keep forgetting that cats have been kept for centuries for rodent control.

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2002

sounds like they need a bit of theatrics, like maybe a little outdoor concert?

I'm thinking of a one man show sort of thing. maybe someone playing a pipe?

Support The Arts!

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2002

I help the Hungarian a bit with her feral colonies maintenance. On rare occasions there's a trapped kitty who gives off an aura of "maybe you can tame me, huh?" and that happened last month when she trapped. She finally caught this champagne-colored cat that she's seen for about four years now and something made her keep him back. We both have these enormous play cages and she put him in one of hers in the kitchen and be damned if he wasn't showing signs of taming up within a WEEK. Very fast for a supposedly feral animal.

So she took him to the vet, got him bathed, shot, neutered, etc., and he turned out to be WHITE! LOL! So much for his name (Bolly, if you remember, for Bollinger champagne). He's at the point now where he curls up next to her and purrs like mad, putty in her hands. Amazing!

This particular colony is behind a large Kroger and the manager understands that these cats keep the rodent population within bounds. Technically, it's illegal (dont tell Animal Control, for God's sake, but it IS on railroad property so maybe there's a technicality there). Anyway, there's also a Chinese restaurant next to Kroger and we believe the kitties supplement their Friskies with Kung Pao chicken and the like. They DO seem to get hungry every half- hour, lol!

I built them a shelter for their food with shingles on the roof an' all, just big enough for a cat or small racoon to get in. Keeps the food dry, anyway.

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2002