For years, the sound of a gunshot meant one thing on Mare Island: Another homeless cat was shot by an exterminator hired to keep cats away from sensitive wildlife. The approach was controversial, not only because residents found it brutal and inhumane, but also because it was costly and ineffective. Today, the gun is silenced on the small island in Vallejo, Calif., thanks to a new effort to humanely control the cats while protecting the population of endangered California clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mice that live there.

**For the full article, pick up the June 2007 issue of CAT FANCY.**

Did you like this excerpt? Subscribe now to read more like it.