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John Hollenhorst ReportingHere's something I'll bet you didn't know. In Salt Lake County it's against the law to feed your dog or cat outside. The reason? Rats!
Chances are, you've filled up a dog bowl and left it on the back step for Butch or Fluffy. County health inspectors rarely enforce the law against feeding outside, but they say it's one of the main reasons rats live where we live.
Everybody loves to feed ducks and geese, but when you do, keep an eye out for a food thief. There he is. Why, that dirty rat!
Diane Keay, S.L. Valley Health: "You do not find rats where you do not find people."
County health inspectors are gearing up for a typical rat season. That means hundreds of complaints about rats living cheek-by-jowl with you and me.
Brian Reid, Health Inspector: "If there's a big rat population in your neighborhood, there could be diseases, things like that."
Rats just naturally gravitate to places where humans put out food for other animals. At a pigeon coop, health inspectors photographed numerous rats living comfortably amongst the pigeons, surviving nicely on pigeon feed.
Brian Reid: "If we can eliminate the food sources, the rats will move on."
They did just that at a Kinko's store. There used to be a rat problem there because of an outdoor deck overlooking the creek. Everything changed when Kinko's stopped providing duck food for patrons to toss.
Diane Keay: "And have subsequently closed that deck. And there are no ducks here, and there are no rats either. At least, we haven't had any complaints."
If you must feed ducks and geese, a family ritual that health officials don't really recommend, give them just enough for a quick meal. If you dump leftovers, rats will steal a meal.
Diane Keay: "At least take the excess with you, come back another day."
The same goes for Butch's dinner. Feed him outside if you must, but make sure he eats it all right away. Don't leave food out all day or you could get rats AND a visit from the health inspector.
