Even if you live in the city or their outlying suburbs, if you think your pet is safe from predators and outdoor threats, think again. The term “wildlife” often stirs up images of deep, dark forests filled with predators hiding behind every bush and tree.

Although Ireland isn’t really famous for wild animals, does anyone remember the song by The Irish Rovers (from way back when) called The Unicorn Song? The lyrics describe the demise of the fabled unicorn when it was tragically left behind and missed their place on board Noah’s ark.

The chorus rings out several times about the inhabitants of the biblical ark being “some cats and rats and elephants” and the songwriter begs Noah to not forget the beautiful unicorn. Tragically, the song and chorus end with, “but sure as you’re born, you’re never gonna see no unicorn.”

But remove the cats and elephants from the song along with this equation and you’re still left with rats. Other outdoor critters commonly seen on the Emerald Isle that can be a danger to our pets include badgers, bats, mice and other rodents. You might be thinking, really? Tiny little rodents are endangering our pets? How does this happen since they’re the prey and our pets are the hunters or predators in this situation?

Perils From Prey

Many of us have cats (or even dogs like rat terriers) for the specific purpose of protecting our homes and property from the many different types of damage these rodents often cause. While we protect our animals from diseases these rodents often spread (like rabies with vaccinations), one of the many perils our beloved pets face is from catching and consuming this type of prey because they’ve been poisoned.

Many wildlife removal experts don’t use poisons for a number of different reasons including the fact that some of these ingredients:

●      Aren’t very effective and are a short-term solution to a long-term problem

●      Are really bad for the environment, and most importantly,

●      Endanger children, pets and other unsuspecting animals who may consume them

It goes a little further when you consider other predators from above like owls and hawks are helping to keep the rodent population in check. But, they are falling victim to these poisoned rodents and unfortunately, the same is true for our pets.

Tolerance And Tenacity

When our pets come into contact with these little wildlife warriors, the smaller species will put up a life-and-death struggle, regardless of their size.  Our animals are vulnerable from becoming injured from bites and scratches, which can quickly become infected. But another dangerous scenario is happening with these feisty little rodents when it comes to their tolerance levels.

In other words, given the long-term use of poisons to rid homes, farms and businesses of these pests, many of them are building up a tolerance to some of the ingredients found in these ingredients commonly being used. Therefore, while these poison-drenches little critters are still scurrying about, laced with enough chemicals to kill a much larger animal.

While solutions to this problem are sketchy at best, we can refrain from using these poisons ourselves and keep an eye on our pets. Even though they may not enjoy this type of interference, this about taking away the victims of your pet’s prey and don’t let them consume the fruits of their laborious hunting.