Saw a rat in our backyard today - Concerned about letting cats out

[susan denning]

I am curious to know about people's experience with rats and cat flaps. My parents told me to they saw a rat climbing our neighbors house. Later, we all saw a rat eating food my dad left out (peanuts and an ear of dried corn, I think) for squirrels. My Dad got rid of all the squirrel food in an effort to encourage the rat to go away.

I locked the cat flap in our garage and kept the cats inside, because I do not want the cats coming into contact with the rat and/or the rat finding the cat food in our garage. It would be a real mess as we have no rat poison or traps (probably not easy to get under the current circumstances, and would worry my parents who are afraid to go to stores right now). Also, I would be super worried about diseases rats can carry. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had contemplated bringing the cats inside as a precaution due to the current pandemic.

My questions for those who have experience with rats - Do I need to be worried about a rat going through our cat flap (or through an open door, since my Dad likes to leave the side door open during the day, so Trixie, our older cat, can get out) despite our garage smelling of cat? I'm hoping the cat smell would be enough to scare the rat off, but I'm not sure that's realistic. And how long should I give the rat to move on before letting the cats in our back yard again.

 

[maggie101]

It would be expensive to hire some one to come to your house,set traps, then take some where. My parents have roof rats. They also get in the kitchen. Your cats might bang on the door if they hear a rat. I had to stay the night once at my parents upstairs. The door was closed. Late at night my cats started banging on the door so I let them out since they heard something. They ran one way,stopped,looked up,then ran the other way. I had to grab them. One of my cats growled and scratched at me

 

[susan denning]

Hi, just to clarify, by trap, I meant one of those snap traps that are used for mice and rats, not live trapping (although those might be hard to use around cats, due to the risk of a cat triggering the trap and injuring their paw). Yes, I am hoping to avoid an need for an exterminator. I take it probably safer to keep our garage sealed off then.

 

[ArtNJ]

This could be the start of something beautiful

 

[susan denning]

I could totally see our backyard rat doing that, as it looked like a pretty bold creature. I'm also pretty sure Felix wouldn't know what to do with a rat if he caught one.

 

[fionasmom]

I did have a rat enter the house through a hole left under the sink by an idiot plumber. I had about 6 indoor cats at the time so that was evidently not a deterrent. All the cats, including the ones who could not stand each other, lined up side by side in front of the under sink cupboard and waited....for hours. I managed to get the rat outside myself and save his life....so yes, rats do enter houses, especially if there is the smell of food such a cat food on the floor.

Watch out where any exterminator puts snap traps...I am not clear on where your cats live in relation to where the rats might be but a snap trap will probably maim a cat's foot for life. Likewise, watch out for bait which can kill other animals if they eat the rat once it has ingested the poison. Most exterminators are aware of all this and don't want to hurt pets.

 

[maggie101]

I assume the traps would be outside since they live outside. What do I know. I get ants and roaches. If I see one In my kitchen, take it outside and make sure there is no food on the floor. Then they don't come back.

 

[susan denning]

I assume the traps would be outside since they live outside. What do I know. I get ants and roaches. If I see one In my kitchen, take it outside and make sure there is no food on the floor. Then they don't come back.

Thanks. To clarify, the cats live in our garage with outdoor access during the day. And their food is in the garage. If we were to feed them outside, I think we would be feeding a ton of critters (as we have had squirrels, feral cats, and raccoons in our backyard in the past). My concern is keeping any exploring rat out of our garage. Yes, putting traps outside while keeping the cats inside might be possible.

 

[susan denning]

Thanks all. That did clarify that rats are not necessarily afraid of cats. I think if we see a rat again, we will have no choice but to keep our garage closed off, so that it doesn't discover our cat food. Either that, or keep the cat food in a galvanized container and schedule feed. I'm hoping this one decided to move on, and not to stick around our backyard, especially now that we are not leaving bird/squirrel food out.

 

[lollie]

This is interesting, because I was reading an article recently about an increased rat problem. I don't know where you live, but the cities especially are experiencing an issue right now. Apparently, because of the restaurant closures, the rats are getting desperate. They are becoming much bolder because they are hungry, and have even resorted to cannibalism. Not pretty, I know. So even if a cat smell would normally discourage a rat, they may be more desperate now.