is it ok to have a cat outside to help with mice and rats, considering cats are bird killers (but rats are invasive too..)?

@bonifartius You don't get a cat for killing rats, you get a ratter like a terrier.

@SpaceElf @bonifartius Depends on the cat. My cat (rip) used to eff some rodents up

@Robert_Edwardly @bonifartius The reason you don't get a cat for killing rats is that a terrier will just zip off like a rocket barkng and freaking out if it sees a bird, and are loud enough generally that they don't tend to kill birds.

They're also willing to dig up a rat's burrow and shred the little fucker.

Cats will rat but if you give them an opportunity to fuck up everything else as well, they probably will. Bells on the collar work, but not well enough.

Owls are also a good option, they're not overly hard to encourage to nest on your property but that requires a healthy owl population. I've got a few nesting on my land (I've built plenty of boxes etc for them,) but I doubt someone in more urban areas would.

@SpaceElf @bonifartius My buddy wasn't stealthy enough to get birds lol