Rat

[John Little]

It's been pretty well non-stop DIY and stuff since we moved house into Somerset. Yet there is a job which I have been shifting responsibility for.

A rat turned up and started to eat the food which we were putting out for the birds.

So I suspended a bird table from a bracket on the side of the house; the rat climbed up the ivy and ate the food on the table.

Now the rat has a friend and there are two of them so I have stopped feeding the birds apart from a feeder and a peanut container on brackets high above the ground. The rats now eat the food which drops from the feeders.


Next Saturday Maddy and Diego arrive. They are two 8 year old and unwanted cats who we are adopting. They have an attitude problem with rats and mice apparently. The trouble is that we shall have to keep them indoors for a few weeks to accustom them to a new home. It will be a while before they are ready to deal with intruder rodents on their territory.

I am not fond of having rats round the place; I am tempted to shoot them.

My dilemma is to wait for the cats to terminate the rats with extreme prejudice, which they undoubtedly will; or to shoot them.

Or should I just leave the little furry things alone....?

[starfish]

If you have seen 2 rats you will have more that you do not see. I say shoot them , then time the cats are allowed out thier babies will be on the move

[pat]

Borrow a couple of cats from a friendly farmer for a couple of days/nights , hopefully they will get rid of a few for you but if you can see a couple around there are going to be lots more.
If I was nearer I would take my cairn and westie to your house - they regularly rat catch, mainly on the beach in front of the house and along the beach path. Borrow a Jack Russell, they are ratters too.

[Tilly Teckel]

I say shoot them

Seconded! I used to breed rats and they breed like nobody's business. The cats will have a fine time I'm sure once they get out but in the meantime damage limitation is called for. There'll still be plenty for the pusses!

[Whitewater]

Just let them have it between the ears, shoot the dirty Rats.

[Kenn]

We had the same propblem with a rat taking food spilt from the feeders and found a perfect solution.
We bought a rat trap quite inexpensively, baited it......errr caught 1 blackbird !
We have never seen the rat since the day we put the trap out.

[LMS]

I've never fed the birds in years for the vermin reason. I've always tried to cut down on any vermin attractions after the pest control man told me a few horror stories. Shoot them. Poison might kill other wildlife. However, poison is always there should shooting miss the target.

[Dadie]

Shoot/trap/poison them!
If using traps remember urban rats are getting rather partial to fast food and chocolate!

[pat]

Hope you are catching quite a few as there are plenty around! and more than the four footed variety.

[_Ju_]

How close are you to your neighbours? There are quite strict rules about shooting in Urban areas.
If you do poison the rats ( and there is no guaratee that it actually would work- resistance to poisons is quite high, especially in Urban areas), remember that you might also inadvertedly poison the cats, if they come across the carcase of a dead poisoned rat or if they take a likeling to the poison itself.

[squidge]

Get the pest control mannie in. They know what they are doing and will know what poison is most effective in your area.

[John Little]

I will not use poison - do not fear. The cats arrive tomorrow.

Of coure they cannot be let out until they have adjusted to us- but then it's their territory,

I have not seen the rats all week - I guess they are hibernating or something. If I do then I have vermin pellets, a very powerful air rifle and I can do more than hit a barn door so that's my favoured option. I would not wish to poison our new moggies by mistake.

We are also in a rural area.

If the rats stay out of sight for a wee while then they will find very soon that there are some new kids on the block...

[George Brims]

Yes definitely stay away from poison - we had to feed our dog hydrogen peroxide to make him throw up the other day. We were pretty sure he just ran about with the cardboard thing, scattering blue pellets about the place, but we didn't want to take the chance he had eaten any. Lord knows he eats everything else in sight.
Still, your problem could be worse. Our local paper (Mountain News, Lake Arrowhead) sometimes posts reader pictures of brown bears using bird feeders as snack dispensers, or sucking the sugar solution out of hummingbird feeders. Some stupid woman took to putting dog munchies out for the coyotes a couple of years ago, but after one bit a toddler they tracked her down and made her stop.

[John Little]

Yesterday I saw two rats and shot at one - but missed! I don't know how I missed but I did.

But the cats have arrived and what a pair of bruisers they are! They look as if they would murder other cats with ease - and as for rats...

They seem very friendly and biddable moggies though.

[focusRS]

Barn doors can breathe a sigh of relief.:lol:

[TAFKAL]

Get out again with that gun! Need them gone before breeding season starts and the population explodes :(

[TAFKAL]

If you decide to use traps a good way is to smear the bait hook with peanut butter. They love it and as it is a paste will spend more time trying to get it than a "grab and run", which will give more chance for the trigger to be triggered :)

[pmcd]

John - your approach to the Rat Saga reinforces you reputation as stout yeoman and caring individual. We too have rats/mice/voles/unidentifiables which are wreaking havoc. We too took delivery of two cats (not allowed out as dinky kittens because of predatory buzzards and kestrels in the area*). We watched them grow from sweet little round eyed kittens into something which makes even my 15 stone tremble in abject fear as they scour the grounds at night and leave corpses everywhere. They're not fully grown yet, but if one of their predecessors in Germany is anything to go by, I think we may see the last of the rabbits, too. Good luck!

*To the inevitable true countryman who will tell me that either or both buzzards/kestrels can't/won't uplift a cat, may I just apologise, and mention I've only been "rural" for 18 months, and EVERYBODY starts by knowing nothing! Or at least erring to the side of caution.......

[pat]

Walking passed where one of neighbours is keeping 6 pigs, rat runs a few yards up side of field, luckily only had one dog with me but she was going mad trying to get through fence and gate as she had seen rat. Fence and gate have chicken wire to road side, she was screeching like mad and had to put her on lead to walk past.
Could not believe it - on way back rat went from same area again up a few feet at side of field, she was determined to get it screeching as if she was injured badly.
Rat was sharing one pigs food - little one gets fed separately, rat was helping itself and knows where rat gets fed.

[Dog-eared]

Rat "bait stations " only allow rats and mice to access the poison, not cats, dogs or chickens.

[John Little]

I put Maddie on the kitchen window ledge this morning so she could look out. She was purring.

The rat came into view.

The purring stopped. Every attention was focussed on Mr Rodent. Whiskers twitched and tail swished.

Maddie knows what is just outside the door now and wants to go play with it.

Not yet though. I'm scattering their litter round the garden boundary to 'mark' their new territory. A few weeks then it's catfight at the OK corral...

[Corrie 3]

Not yet though. I'm scattering their litter round the garden boundary
They have had a litter already John, that was quick work!!!

C3.........:eek::eek:;)

[ducati]

Anyone who thinks he can deal with the 'Rat problem' is very optimistic indead.

[Phill]

TNT. Lots of it. Granted you'll never win by by Jove you'll feel better!