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There are some small breed dogs that are fantastic mousers and rodent killers.
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My property borders national forerst land, and I am a bit off the beaten path and paved road. Unfortunately, small dogs like you describe are every bit as delicious coyote bait as well as cats. I have three large dogs, but they are too well fed and lazy to go after rodents.
For that matter, there are some huge owls and even eagles that inhabit the area, and cats and small dogs are fair game for them, too. (Not to mention the bobcats and mountain lions that sneak in at night.)
I have to agree that feral cats are a nuisance and are highly destructive of other species, but they are predators, and act solely based on their instincts without any abstract moral judgements. The real blame goes to the irresponsible people who were too lazy or stupid (or both) to keep their own cats neutered to curb the population growth.
If I recall, there was an instance where cats were introduced to an island (I'm thinking that it was one of the Galapagos Islands), and within a short time had managed to wipe out every speice indigenous to that particular island.