The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Having Pets And Pests Under The Same Roof

The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Having Pets And Pests Under The Same Roof

25 December 2017
 Categories: , Blog


Having pets, like cats and dogs, in the house is great. Having pests in the house is not. However, having both pets and pests in the house has a mixed bag of benefits and drawbacks. As far as pest control goes, you may find these trade-offs worth it.

Cats Will Chase and Kill Anything

Cats are natural enemies of all rodents. If you have an issue with any member of the rodent family, your cat is likely to take care of it. Cats are especially quick, and move just as quickly as their prey.

Of course, cats will chase and attempt to kill just about anything small and moving, including spiders, roaches, and even ants. Unfortunately, cats cannot kill an entire infestation of roaches, and after some time your cat will get bored trying to chase and kill them. 

Most Rodent Pests Attempt to Steer Clear of Homes with Cats

Unlike what you see in cartoons, most rodent pests attempt to steer clear of homes with cats. They can smell the cats in the house and stay out of sight, even if they do enter the house. Your neighbor might have several mice in his or her house and not have a cat there. You have a cat, but none of the mice seem to be migrating to your home. The smell of a cat is enough rodent deterrent.

Dogs Will Not Chase Bugs unless They Are Really Bored, but They Will Chase and Kill Rodents

Dogs are not nearly as effective at chasing and killing bugs or rodents, but when given the chance, a dog will kill and chase a rodent. Most dogs are content to just flop on the floor and let bug pests crawl all over them. Most wild dogs are willing to chase and kill rats, as rats have always been a threat to dogs. That can happen with domestic dogs as well. Having both a dog and a cat in the house deters a lot of pests from even coming inside the house. Those pests that do make it inside the house often encounter one or both pets that will pursue the pests until they pests are killed or escape.

Pest Control Sprays and Poisoned Bait

The major drawbacks to having pests and pets in the house are the aforementioned out-of-control pest infestation, and the fact that you cannot use poisoned bait or pest control sprays around your animals. On the one hand, your pets help with the pest problem. On the other hand the usual poisons used by professional pest control technicians cannot be used with your pets in the house.

There is also the other problem of your pets consuming the poisoned bait, or eating poisoned pests. You will have to figure out how bad the infestation is, and where to put your pets until the infestation is under control if you are going to use these methods of pest control. Ask the pest control expert for other options.