Start with two modern-day dilemmas, add some creativity and throw in a little nostalgia. You've got the Arizona Humane Society's Working Cats Program.

Dilemma No. 1: Feral cats are an urban problem. The strategy of trapping, spaying or neutering and returning them to their old haunts only addresses part of it. The animals are still vulnerable, homeless and often regarded as a nuisance.

Dilemma No. 2: In more rural settings, people with barns, warehouses and ranches often face problems with rodents or other pests. Using toxic poisons has environmentally unhealthy consequences.

Apply creativity and you get an alternative pet-adoption campaign that began in May and has put 85 formerly feral cats on patrol in places where people agree to give them food, water and a place to sleep in exchange for catching mice.

These are not cuddly cats. They are street-smart hunters who aren't used to people or indoor living. They are unlikely to ever be adopted as pets.

After arriving at the Humane Society, cats are paired, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and delivered within a 100-mile radius of metro Phoenix. They go to work right away on the rodent population.

You could call it the Return of the Barn Cat. Or Mouser, the Sequel. That's the nostalgia.

The thought of cats working for their keep may not thrill Garfield. But there's a historical precedent and real potential in an idea that takes two problems and comes up with an elegant solution.

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