Not exactly a pet but....

ViolaLass

Hectors_House wrote: »

You don't know my cat. She's the biggest wimp ever and we can't leave the back door open as we have another neighbourhood cat (uncastrated) trying to get in the house to spray.

The smell and presence of the cat will likely be enough to make the rat go so it's worth shutting her in there for the night. Why would you need the back door open?

Hectors_House

ViolaLass wrote: »

The smell and presence of the cat will likely be enough to make the rat go so it's worth shutting her in there for the night. Why would you need the back door open?

We don't have a catflap anymore as the uncastrated cat was using it to get into the house. We've closed it up until we can afford to install one of the flaps that reads the cat's microchip.

We also believe the rat got into the house whilst we've had the back door open when we were cleaning the back yard (maybe we disturbed the rat when we were doing that?).

ViolaLass

Hectors_House wrote: »

We don't have a catflap anymore as the uncastrated cat was using it to get into the house. We've closed it up until we can afford to install one of the flaps that reads the cat's microchip.

Put a litter tray in the kitchen at night (I assume that's why you don't want to leave the cat there).

WeirdoMagnet

My Mum and Dad used the Humane Trap a few years ago. Stopped using it when they found out that they're not actually that humane - mouse is likely to die of shock from a combination of:

• being encaged until you find it (probably several hours)
• being handled in the trap whilst you take it at least four miles away so it doesn't just come running back home
• being released in a strange area

We had one in our kitchen a couple of weeks ago. I know because Tilly JRT told me! She didn't catch it, but it hasn't been back!

Hectors_House

ViolaLass wrote: »

Put a litter tray in the kitchen at night (I assume that's why you don't want to leave the cat there).

Thank you ViolaLass, I'd not thought of that.

We will probably be leaving the back door open whilst we're outside with the weather being so good so I'll encourage Sweepy to sniff around but it the rat is at the back of the units she'll never get to it.

It actually comes up at one spot to feed so we could put the litter tray on there overnight - hopefully the wee fellow will be sat next to the back door in the morning with his suitcase packed waiting for someone to let him out!

ViolaLass

If you really don't want to put your cat in the kitchen overnight, you could also try brushing it and leaving the hair where you think the rat goes so that it gets the idea that a cat is there. When I had mice and got a cat, she didn't catch any of them but they vacated pretty quickly.

Hectors_House

Well we tried setting a humane trap on Friday but got nowhere so we flushed it out from behind the fridge and it dashed up over my foot and behind the boiler.

We took a look when it was light and found a void running behind the kitchen extension that has been left open partially where a wooden board has rotted away so we filled what voids we could find with expanding foam and closed off the hole.

All done we thought but ratty has other plans and there were clear signs this morning that it is still in the kitchen as it has shredded the box holding the rat poison that was stored under the sink.

I took myself off to speak to a nearby neighbour who runs a pet and garden supply business from his house and he mentioned having seen 4 rats in his garden earlier in the week.

And to make this weekend even more perfect, the dishwasher has packed up! Mind you that gave us a good excuse to drag it out in our renewed search for ratty.

The kitchen is kept very clean but just to be safe we've cleared all food out of the cupboards near the boiler and have laid out a dish of rat poison (not what I wanted to do but we don't have a choice now).

Mojisola

Hectors_House wrote: »

I took myself off to speak to a nearby neighbour who runs a pet and garden supply business from his house and he mentioned having seen 4 rats in his garden earlier in the week.

Phone the council and get the rat men out. If the neighbour has seen four, there will be lots more around and it's Spring and they'll all be mating........