Rats

RuthnJasper

Velcro_Hotdog wrote: »

You know I never thought of getting a cat it could be a win win. My girlfriend would love a cat and I would love to have no rats.

I assume cats are natural rat assasins and that no training is required?

They are usually pretty "thorough" Some more than others. Honey (cat opposite) is fairly benign, though she never passes up an easy kill - but her housemates Thunder and Kittenjasper (named after my late, great, Staffie Jasper - to his eternal shame ) are relentless. Come to mention it, I don't think I've seen a rat hovering around the bins for at least 18 months.

The farmer next door to where I work also keeps a cat (called Owl, who gets far more action with the ladies than he deserves and has sired most of the litters of kittens in the area), as rats will steal not just his crops but will also kill and eat his poultrys' chicks.

If you do get a cat, it'd be good to get one that has spent at least some of his/her time as a stray - they tend to be the most efficient and wily (because they once HAD to be).

R x

RuthnJasper

rosyw wrote: »

If you are allowed pets you'd be better off getting yourself a small dog, Jack Russell Terriers are excellent "ratters" !

My dog Gisele is a little JRT. She's waging a relentless crusade with her best friend Betty the Giant Schnauzer against the squirrels of Hampshire. I actually caught Giz half-way up a tree a couple of weeks ago, with Betty keeping watch at the bottom. Cheeky l'il monkey - they never caught the squirrel though! ;-)

RuthnJasper

Velcro_Hotdog wrote: »

Was Eddie in the TV program Frasier a Jack Russell Terrier? I'd give one of those a home in a heart beat.

Plan C involves night vision gogles, a bottle of wine and a night sat still clutching some form of air rifle.

Eddie was played by a dog called 'Moose' - I think he was/is the brother of 'Uggie', who played Jack in the film The Artist. They're great dogs, full of fun and very loyal (and VERY handy (pawdy?!) rat-wise). x

Velcro_Hotdog

Things are looking better

As a temp fix/attempt at a fix we have a cat on the way. I'm told it's four years old and loves hunting. I suspect that due to it being a porker it love cuddles more and that's why the better half chose her from the rescue shelter.

The LL will be here in a week when he's back from France along with a handyman to replace broken brickwork and block holes etc.


Plan C wasn't as effective as I imagined. I got too drunk and fell asleep. I suspect the rodents spent the night laughing at me slumped in my chair.

RuthnJasper

Velcro_Hotdog wrote: »

Things are looking better

As a temp fix/attempt at a fix we have a cat on the way. I'm told it's four years old and loves hunting. I suspect that due to it being a porker it love cuddles more and that's why the better half chose her from the rescue shelter.

The LL will be here in a week when he's back from France along with a handyman to replace broken brickwork and block holes etc.


Plan C wasn't as effective as I imagined. I got too drunk and fell asleep. I suspect the rodents spent the night laughing at me slumped in my chair.

Hehe, you're funny VH! It's brilliant that you are giving a new home to a rescue cat, even if it is a bit of a chubber. Who knows, maybe it's generously-proportioned due to overwhelming success with the rats...

And the rats probably WERE laughing at your "Plan C moment" - they've probably got something like WhiskerBook or MyTail in their toothy world and have uploaded a load of pix of themselves dancing on your unconscious head and pointing their snouts in your ears... but, fingers (and dewclaws) crossed; they won't be laughing soon...

Incidentally (I've just remembered!) I once had a boyfriend with some rather 'unique' theories... he once had a real rat problem in his garden - so he caught one, beheaded it, and then put the headless body on a little stick in his garden "to serve as an example to the other rats". We parted company soon after that...

Good luck with the new addition to your life - let us know how you and your corpulent feline friend get on! x

MaxTheCat

Velcro_Hotdog wrote: »

You know I never thought of getting a cat it could be a win win. My girlfriend would love a cat and I would love to have no rats.

I assume cats are natural rat assasins and that no training is required?

I had a rat problem a couple of years back and tried everything to get rid of the little sods. I eventually yielded to my wife's demand to get a cat (Max) and never saw another rat in the house. I actually think its the scent of the cat that keeps the rats away not so much the hunting.