The rat catcher of Manchester seems to think that while ferrets and small dogs are better for dealing with heavy infestations, cats are better for the low level stuff.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17243/17243-h/17243-h.htm
Plus cats were well established in Greek and Roman culture. Euripides mentions pet cats in Alcestis, and the Romans exported cats everywhere. They're a better urban feral than ferrets.
Ferrets are banned is some US jurisdictions. This is pure class warfare. Ferreting for rabbits was considered a low class "redneck" form of hunting. Ferrets were banned to undo this form of hunting.
I understand that in parts of Europe ferrets are much more popular than they are in the US. Is this true?