A new study from Lincoln Park Zoo 's Urban Wildlife Institute has found that outdoor cats are not effective rat hunters, contrary to popular belief. Research conducted as part of the Chicago Rat Project shows that only 7% of free-roaming cats tested in the city had any exposure to rat poison, according to findings from Lincoln Park Zoo. This low percentage suggests that cats simply do not eat many rats, even in a city known for its rodent problems. The study was led by Maureen Murray, who serves as assistant director of One Health at the institute, and aimed to understand the health risks facing urban predators.

When researchers compared the cats to other local predators, like owls, they found significantly less rat poison in the feline subjects. Lincoln Park Zoo published these findin

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