Seniors. Have you heard about a rather?

I shall be over with me cats, Sir Grumpy. I shall come to the aid of our allies. Might be they need to pay ruffians so much per head to kill the blighter, please people I love animals, but Rats carry horrid disease and something needs to be done . We could see another black death. Yes cats. The river rats in the U.S. get so large they can kill cats too.

I blame the idiots who think because a person is rich they should not have to pay their fair share. Where did all the money go? It went to them that is why they are rich. In the USA there is a predjudice against the poor by many poeple & until we get to the root of that we will continue to have problems get worst.

Cutting wastes is great but when cutting out money spend on something that is going to cost more if it isn't addressed things could get to a point of no return.

We have people in the USA with plenty of disposable income who should be boycotted if the will not pitch in & help solve a problem such as the one your mentioned. That is what the community action should be about. There are answers to these problems but people have to stop being passive because they are poor & find a way to get things done without the need of money.

Is there a group started in connection with this cause? Yahoo groups has places you can go to start a group about this. I don't know how to start one but someone does.

My son moved to Capitol Hill several months ago & grew a garden in buckets on his roof time. I spoke to one of his neighbors & she said that the rats would eat everyhing. I don't know how to tell the difference in money but he is paying a LOT of money to live in the area he lives in so this is no way an impoverished area or a business area.

We have to ask ourselfves: What do I need to change about myself in order to solve this problem?

If we wait for others it might be too late.

Sorry to hear about your rat problem. That is one funding that should never be cut. We don't want another "black plague." I had lived in a house in Corvallis, Oregon that was infested with rats. I was glad to get out of there. I had heard the original tenants had moved out and filled the trash bins. The city didn't empty the bins for months and that was how the rats appeared. Here in Phoenix we have what is called "Roof Rats." They love our orange and grapefruit trees and so jump from tree to tree traveling across our city. We had a couple come into our home, but we got rid of them real quick.

I think it's actually worse than you described. Here's a recent report:

Councils cutting back on bin collections have led to a rise in UK rat infestation, claims a new survey. Two thirds of pest control operators have seen the numbers of vermin call-outs jump sharply in the last year - with up to 200 rats found in a single property, in one case.

Home insurer LV claims the combined damage to UK property has now hit £500m in the last year alone.

Under attack

Grim street hygiene has exacerbated the problem following the withdrawal of weekly bin collections for many, plus the introduction of food recycling. "This, along with the reduction and removal of free pest control services by cash-strapped councils has fuelled a pest pandemic in British homes," says LV.

But it's not just bin collections. Terry Clark, operations manager for London-based Express Exterminations told AOL Money that another big issue is the drainage systems of many UK towns. "It's an issue we see almost daily. Most of the drains are old and clay-lined. A big problem is the rodding eyes, a cap positioned above the U-bend that spills out from the soil pipe."

SAS vermin

"These rodding eyes," he goes on, "are pushed out by the rats themselves in search of food and a harbourage point - a place where they can nest. When the drains flood, you can pull out the rodding eye by mistake."

"The rats can do anything. They can climb upside down backwards. They're the SAS of all animals." Say you had a rat problem he says, "and your garden was unkept. We wouldn't ask you to clean it up because if a rat comes into a confined area and something has changed, they get suspicious. They're creatures of habit."

Clark says his company discourages the use of vermin poison "because the smell is horrendous. You need to keep the rats alive to track down their entry points."

recently the frankenstorm a few weeks ago got rid of the rats from New York's subway system, the water was high and the subway system flooded, still I believe. But I believe garbage removal is a necessity. Somebody needs to get after someone in authority before there's a huge problem.

Where is that Pied Piper when you need him? Once again we must all begin to look out for ourselves in community if the government can not do the job. Time to be friend cats. Take better care of putting out trash. Educate people to not litter the streets & alleyways with trash & bulk & food junk. History has recorded that old progress tango of two steps forward & one back.

I think with the Sandy Superstorm aftermath - there will be resulting problems & concerns to be dealt with in the US as well since our government deficits are very deep.

Maybe it'll be like Little House on the Prairie, when cats were so valuable that Pa paid fifty cents for a kitten that barely had his eyes open. I've tried every poison or trap known to man, and finally had to come back to cats.

I just read that there are more rats than people in New York City.

More people should get ferrets for pets.

I had one once. Lovely little animal. And no rats around - guaranteed!

The damn creatures are winning everywhere in every country.

The Genie is out of the bottle and throwing his pixie dust over them all I swear.

One managed to claw his way into my bathroom when the floor drains syphoned and I swear it was the size of a smallish cat!

They scare me far more than the mutards rioting here or the threat of Iran's nuclear ambitions ( and that is saying something).

Ever heard of cats? We can send some over for you, and by the way, if you find any rats, take them to Buckingham Palace, if they live off of the taxpayers' money, they can take care of some of them.