Liu Jianguo works at Liaoning Dingxiang Rice Industry Co., Ltd., where the granary stores organic rice. Since chemical rodenticides can affect the quality of the rice, the company has researched physical and biological methods for rodent control. These methods include maintaining grasslands to raise snakes, protecting owls and hedgehogs, and breeding many domestic cats. The results have been remarkable, especially the use of domestic cats for rodent control, which has proven particularly effective.
A new challenge: Moving to a larger granary
Two years ago, Dingxiang Rice Industry moved its granary to a new location adjacent to vast farmlands. The new granary covers several times the area of the original site. Increasing the number of cats could lead to them wandering everywhere, potentially disrupting production. The granary manager, Guan Shili, was inspired: “Can we train cats to be as obedient as dogs?” This challenging task fell to Liu Jianguo, the fleet captain who loves them.
Training cats from a young age
Cats are known for their strong independence and are not easily manipulated. They are naturally alert and can become frightened by bright lights and large crowds. Training adults in a granary with many people, vehicles, and noisy machinery is extremely difficult. Therefore, Liu Jianguo started training them from a young age. He used mouse-filled toy simulations to help the kittens recognize their “prey” early on. Liu Jianguo acted as their training officer and caretaker, handling everything from feeding and bathing to playing with them.
When there were kittens without a mother to nurse them, he patiently fed them with a dropper. Like a nanny, he provided round-the-clock care when the cats were sick. As a result, Liu Jianguo developed a deep bond with the cats, who could often be seen affectionately surrounding him at the factory. He spent his days with them, playing with them and even preparing special lunches for them. Over time, the new kittens grew increasingly dependent on Liu Jianguo and became more obedient, even running to him at the sound of his whistle.
Specialized training for different roles
Liu Jianguo trained the cats based on their characteristics, dividing them into different “units.” Under his guidance, they eventually trained to take on specific roles as patrol, stealth, and reconnaissance cats. This large “cat guard” team, consisting of 85 cats of various sizes, each performed their duties diligently, striking fear into the hearts of rodents.
These granary guardian cats are all agile. A stealth cat hiding in the grass can suddenly leap and catch a sparrow mid-flight. The reconnaissance cats are even faster, able to sprint up a tree over three meters high instantly. A patrol cat spotted a mouse that sneaked into the granary with a grain delivery truck from 20 meters away. The patrol cat accelerated suddenly and attacked the mouse with lightning speed, leaving the mouse no chance to escape. Liu Jianguo proudly said, “I’ve never seen a single mouse in our granary!”
Expanding the cat guard team
The cat guard team added new members, bringing the total to 100 cats. Dingxiang Company specially designed a cat house for them. Liu Jianguo happily said: “In two months, my brave guards will be able to move into their new home!”
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