Cat urine as rodent deterrent on crop fields. Original photo by Tijakool Yiyuan

The location: Tanzania. Summary: Researchers in Tanzania have decided that cat’s urine is potentially a much better rodent deterrent for farmers than the chemical that is currently used in Tanzania namely, zinc phosphate. Zinc phosphate is harmful to the environment and to all animals including animals which are not the target animals such as chickens. The chemical can kill them. It is less precise and less environmentally friendly than cat’s urine.

Research scientists in Tanzania conducted tests to find out how effective cat’s urine is in deterring rodents. The urine of both female and male domestic cats was placed in two different rooms. It was discovered that the urine of female cats was more effective in deterring rodents.

Therefore, on using the urine of female cats in one room in which there was food and water for rodents while simply putting food and water for rodents in another room without urine, they discovered through photographs of these rooms taken in sequence that the urine was 93% effective in preventing rodents entering the area. It may actually be a higher figure than that because during the few times that rodents were present in the room where there was cat’s urine, they were near the door trying to escape.

It is pleasant to know that a substance which people in the West find annoying to deal with after it is deposited in cat litter, has found a useful role thousands of miles away in Tanzania, Africa. I have no idea if similar tests have been conducted in the West and if so whether there is an intention to employ cat pee in crop fields and other areas where rodents are unwanted.

The research was carried out at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). Funding came from COSTECH. The scientist was Prof. Mulungu.

Original photo.