What Responsibility Do I Have to Ensure the Safety of an Illicit Cat?

So an exterminator was called in and permission was secured: I’m going to read the ‘‘repellent’’ as poison. Secondary poisoning is a real problem with wildlife — foxes, bobcats, coyotes, raptors and more. Dead rodents can be scavenged, and live ones, weakened by poison, can be easy pickings for predators. But secondary poisoning doesn’t seem to be a big risk for house cats — I’ll assume this one is an indoor animal — and your exterminators will surely use the same tamper-proof bait stations that they would use in a building that did allow pets. Despite their reputation, house cats seldom catch enough rodents to sicken themselves. By the same token, their effectiveness at rodent control may be limited; if your neighbor’s cat were really on the stick, you might not have this rodent problem. A feline scent may help to ward off rodents, but one thing that attracts them is pet food. Is it possible that your non-rule-stickling neighbor has been less than meticulous when it comes to storing and pouring the kibble?