As nuisance wildlife professionals, it is our job to safely trap and remove wildlife that are damaging your property or nesting in your home. Catseye’s goal is to humanely remove the animals in such a way that ensures their survival in the wild once released. There are also state laws that we need to follow, as well as our own company policies and moral standards.

We were recently called to trap and remove some sort of wildlife that was nesting in a chimney. Upon further inspection, we noted that a mother raccoon and her almost juvenile babies had indeed moved into the space. When the trapper arrived it was a struggle to get to the animals. The location of the raccoons was too remote for the trapper to successfully catch the mom and babies at the same time. If we caught the mom, the babies would perish in the chimney as they were not mature enough to return to the wild and forage for food. We could not suction out the babies as they were too small to withstand the force and would not survive.

Based on this information, Catseye decided to walk away from the trapping job. However, we continued to monitor the chimney each week to see if and when the raccoons were able to leave on their own. Ultimately, the mom and her young left the chimney without aid and we placed a chimney cap over the opening to ensure that no other wildlife could venture in.

Have you ever experienced wildlife living in your home? Tell us about it!

Catseye Pest Control provides safe and humane trapping and release for all wildlife that begins to make your home its own. Our goal is never to kill the wildlife, but remove them safely and bring them back to their natural habitat, miles away from residential properties. There is one story in particular that we’d like to share with you, displaying Catseye’s professionalism and sympathy for the animals.

A new customer called us after hearing noises in the attic crawl space of their home. As with all new clients, we sent out one of our state certified inspectors to assess the situation. During the inspection it was clear that a mother raccoon and her young pups, approximately a week old, had moved into the customer’s home. The babies’ eyes weren’t fully open and they were still nursing. The inspector discussed the course of action with our wildlife trapper and the customer. Before service could begin there were a few important points to make.

1. Because the babies were so young, they wouldn’t be able to survive if we trapped and removed them separately from their mom.
2. The mom would abandon her babies if we trapped and released her into the woods separately from her babies.
3. The mom would abandon her babies if we handled them too much during the trapping process.

The decision was made to trap and remove the mom and babies at the same time. We also found a New York State rehabilitation center carrying a Rabies Vector Species license that would take the animals. The facility offered protection for the raccoons while allowing them to experience the outdoors. This way, the mom could continue to nurse her young and teach them how to forage for food. The raccoon family now had a great chance of succeeding in the wild and the customer could go back to living without any wildlife nesting in their crawl space. This proved to be a win-win situation.

How many times have you heard that? You don’t understand, it can’t be that bad, “it was only one”. It may not sound like much to you but in the pest management industry it’s the first clue that something else is going on. It starts out innocent enough, you ask your client a few questions; where is the problem, when did you see it last, (and the big one) how many? It’s at this point that they respond with “it was only one”. If they inform you that they have seen it running in the kitchen during different times of the day, you can rest assured that it’s not only one. This truism comes to mind, “they are never single, they are all married and have plenty of children”.

Take rodents for example. They reproduce quickly. The House Mouse may have up to 5 litters per year with as many as 5-10 young per litter. The Norway Rat may average 4-6 litters with 6-12 young per litter. You can see that if the environmental conditions are right, instant population explosion will occur as well as the health risk associated with it.

Interestingly, by creating an environment that is unwelcoming it will assist in the management of the population by natural means. The stress caused by increased competition for food and territory will result in mortality to many within the colony. This therefore reinforces the importance of applying the key elements of our rodent program.

1. Eviction by performing approximately 5 days of consecutive trapping.

2. Cleanup, sanitize and disinfect those areas contaminated by rodent activity.

3. Seal the entry points by using the CAT-GUARD EXCLUSION SYSTEM.

To assure their elimination regular monitoring is performed, making it the most extensive rodent program in the industry.

This fact remains true: the most effective program is the one that prevents the problem from developing. By taking a proactive approach rather than a reactive one, you’ll be assured that those married with children will not be visiting your home or business. So you can see when it comes to pest issues, it’s never “only one”.

They enjoy our company, food, drink, homes and businesses. For centuries their existence has been largely dependent on our hospitality (sort of). Their population is closely related to the human population. Keep in mind that people have to eat and there lies the paradox. We generate tons of food related trash (someone’s trash is another’s treasure) and that is the case with rodents, like mice and rats. Understanding our connection (commensal relationship) to them will assist us in answering the question “why me”?

Industry renowned rodentologist Dr. Bobby Corrigan has studied the current issues related to the increase of rodent populations in various metropolitan areas, providing us with hands on insight in addressing the matter. His years of studying their behavior and biology as well as his knowledge of the advances in rodent management have made him the go-to guru on rodents. So when he speaks, we need to listen intently. The following facts stress the need to do so.

• Rodents reproduce quickly
• The House Mouse may have up to 5 litters per year with as many as 5-10 young per litter
• The Norway Rat may average 4-6 litters with 6-12 young per litter

You can see that if the environmental conditions are right, instant population explosion will occur as well as the health risks associated with it.

The key to any rodent management program consists of pest identification, sanitation, harborage elimination and pest proofing. The success of the program will largely depend on whether each of the key elements mentioned are addressed.

Interestingly, creating an environment that is unwelcoming will assist in the management of the population by natural means. The stress caused by increased competition for food and territory will result in mortality to many within the colony. This therefore reinforces the importance of applying the key elements of our rodent program.

• Eviction by performing approximately 5 days of consecutive trapping
• Cleanup as well as sanitize and disinfect areas contaminated by rodent activity
• Seal the entry points using the CAT-GUARD EXCLUSION SYSTEM

To ensure their elimination, regular monitoring is performed, making it the most extensive rodent program in the industry.

This fact remains true: the most effective program is the one that prevents the problem from developing. By taking a proactive approach rather than a reactive one you will be able to answer the question “why me?” with, not me.

As autumn’s foliage begins to produce its beautiful landscapes many have already started harvest time. This is a time of excitement and hard work, the time to reap for those that have planted during spring and summer. They gather with family and friends to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

However, for those of us that are in the pest management industry it is a completely different kind of harvest time. Just as many prepare for the cooler temperatures by cleaning out the fireplace and making sure that they will have plenty of firewood on hand (for those cozy nights along with the hot coco), we are not alone in doing so. Our furry friends are also preparing their migration indoors. From squirrels and raccoons to rats and mice, they are eager to find just the right warm location to overwinter. Keep in mind for example that rodents reproduce quickly. The House Mouse may have up to 5 litters per year with as many as 5-10 young per litter. The Norway Rat may average 4-6 litters with 6-12 young per litter. You can see that if the environmental conditions are right instant population explosion.

At Catseye Pest Control we have developed an effective program to discourage this migration when identified in time. It begins with a thorough inspection of your home/business to ascertain the potential access points as well as any visible signs of rodent activity. It’s a three step elimination process:

1) Eviction by performing our version of harvest time (approximately 5 days of consecutive trapping).

2) Cleanup sanitize and disinfect those areas contaminated by rodent activity.

3) Seal the entry points by using the CAT-GUARD EXCLUSION SYSTEM. To assure their elimination regular monitoring is performed, making it the most extensive rodent program in the industry.

Yes, indeed it is harvest time!.