St. Catharines - Not so Ratty After All

We don't know why, but for some reason, we thought St. Catharines was one of the rattiest cities in Ontario.

Perhaps it stemmed back from an old 2016 article we read about a former GM property on Ontario Street in St. Catharines that was infested with rats ... and then later, our own experience with them outside an old townhouse we used to live in.

So needless to say, we were quite surprised when Orkin came out with their Top 25 'Rattiest' Cities in Ontario and discovered St. Catharines barely made the list. Yay for St. Catharines!

Image: Orkin

According to their website, Orkin ranked the cities by the number of rodents (rat & mice) treatments the company performed from August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2021. The ranking included both residential and commercial treatments.

Source(s): Orkin

VIDEO: A Squirrel... but what Happened to its Tail??

We've heard of squirrels without tails, we've just never seen one up close... and looking like this...

What happened to its tail, we wondered. He recently 'lost' it.
Poor thing, but it seems it didn't hinder him whatsoever! Just a hint of hair left. It was like it was pulled clean off the bone/cartilage...

Benjamin the Hedgehog (St. Catharines) | NIAGARA'S PETS

Benjamin is a fascinating little creature to watch. He’s about 10 months old and his food of choice is cat food!

I’ve never seen a hedgehog up close and at one point, I was more interested in just watching him instead of taking pictures of him. He never really stood still long enough for me to get some really good shots but somehow I managed to capture a few…

Owner, 17-year-old, Courtney has had him for almost a year and said he is very shy. Shy indeed. He was always tucking himself in whenever I got close with my camera. Eventually, I realized the best way to truly capture the habit of this little fella was by video taping him!

Thanks for sharing your hedgehog with us Courtney! Check out Benjamin in action in the second video!...

Molly the Ragdoll Cat (St. Catharines) | NIAGARA'S PETS

Molly is a beautiful and unique cat. She is six years old. Owner, Tracy, has had her since she was 9-10 weeks old...

Molly is a blue-pointed RAGDOLL** breed. These types of Ragdoll breeds have color darkening at the extremities such as their nose, ears, tail, and paws as can be seen with Molly. 

Developed by American breeder Ann Baker, these breeds are also best known for their docile and affectionate nature. “But not this one”, said Tracy with a quirky smile. “She will take your hand off if you’re not careful!” Well, maybe so, but on this day she was picture perfect for me! 

**The name Ragdoll is derived from the tendency of individuals from the original breeding stock to go limp and relaxed when picked up.