Rats in the garden! Help!

[confusedofengland]

Over the course of this week, we have found 2 dead rats. 1 the cat brought in through his cat flap 🤢 and the other I found just now whilst hanging out washing. We suspect the cat is killing them.

What should we do now? We have a very small garden which has a neighbouring garden on both sides & 1 at the bottom. The garden at the bottom has an aviary & ducks, as well as dogs & cats, so we wonder if the problem may stem from there?

I was thinking of bringing in my tomato plants, although reluctant to do that as loads of tomatoes still green. Also try & cut the grass but it is wet so not easy. Anything else we can try? The whole thing is rather horrible, although we are kind of used to dead mice & birds as the cat is quite the hunter.

Thanks for reading & any advice!

[AriettyHomily]

If there is a food source at het aviary there's your problem. You can't poison if you've got a cat. If the cat isn't killing them they may well be being poisoned somewhere so keep an eye on he cat.

We had a similar issue under our deck and the only way we solved it was ripping up the deck before went on holiday taking the dog with us for three weeks and getting bait boxes put down.

[IVFNewbie]

I would keep the cat in, especially as it's killing other animals.

[Anordinarymum]

@IVFNewbie

I would keep the cat in, especially as it's killing other animals.

Now that made me laugh

[Kittytheteapot]

I don't understand the problem. Rats are everywhere. You are only aware of them here because your cat is dealing with them.

[confusedofengland]

@Kittytheteapot I was also wondering if it is a problem, or when does it become a problem? I guess part of the issue for me is that my DC will play in the garden & particularly if we are housebound (lockdown or self-isolating) & I don't want them to see that & certainly touch it - DS2 has autism & might not realise it is not something to touch.

[Anordinarymum]

@Kittytheteapot

I don't understand the problem. Rats are everywhere. You are only aware of them here because your cat is dealing with them.

You might if your cat brought a live one in as mine did. He came through the cat flap and brought it upstairs into the bathroom and it was screaming like nothing I have ever heard before. We shot out of bed and i went to catch it and then realised that was no mouse :(

Before we had chance to catch it (no chance actually) it had disappeared at the back of the loo and we never saw it again until a few days later when I went into the bathroom and it was laid dead on the floor with cat looking at it.

I picked it up by the tail and dropped it into the bin outside and then I washed my hands for a very long time.

The rental neighbours next door caused the rats to be present as they had no concept of what to do with rubbish and had piled it up at the side of their house. We saw them playing on the driveway and that was why our cat kept bringing them in at night

I contacted environmental health and the rubbish was cleared along with the rats nest

[Henio]

'The garden at the bottom has an aviary & ducks, as well as dogs & cats, so we wonder if the problem may stem from there?'

No, if they have cats (as do you) and dogs then the problem isn't coming from them 🙄

[leafinthewind]

I'd worry that the neighbours are poisoning them - and there's a danger your cat could poison itself by eating them.

[Kittytheteapot]

But how do you manage ds2 and the dead mice and birds? Maybe you just have to be a bit more vigilant about checking the garden before letting the children into it? I know from my own experience of cats catching rats that the one good thing about it is that the body is easy to see. We've had some whoppers left on our lawn thanks to dcat. I admit I am in an easier position than you: adult children, and any dead bodies left lying in our garden get cleared away overnight, by foxes, I presume.

[emptyshelvesagain]

@IVFNewbie

I would keep the cat in, especially as it's killing other animals.

Ummmm

[Hatscats]

Jack Russell or another cat 😂

Rat proof the birds food.

[confusedofengland]

They might well not come from the garden with ducks & an aviary, but it seems the most logical to me. Their dogs & cats are in overnight so I think not likely to catch anything as these creatures are mostly nocturnal? I don't think ours is the root garden as it is completely enclosed by other gardens. Our house already has mesh & expanding foam in any gaps so not from there I don't think.

[confusedofengland]

My parents had a Jack Russell when I was a teen. He caught a rat under their chicken run once, when we moved it. He had had no training so it was pure instinct. Amazing to see, though not for the rat, obviously.

[Hatscats]

Or ask your neighbours to rat proof (Just seems the birds aren’t yours). We live near water and my cat brought in a rat this week, already dead luckily. They are doing their job. If you think there’s a rat problem I would get in a Jack Russell rat man, no poison, quick death!

[Knittedfairies]

Rats can tunnel, so your garden may have a rat run underneath the surface...