Is this a dead rat or mouse...photo of dead thing warning

[JacobReesMogadishu]

I'm worried its a small rat

Your husband is a muppet! They chew electrical wires as well as fabrics for nest material.
We've had them in the loft and lost a bunch of my daughters baby clothes because of them, they chew through plastic boxes, i now have 6 traps up there and a plug in ultra sonic thing (not sure how much it works, but caught 10 mice before i bought it, 2 after and none since, though i have heard scurrying recently since building work started next door :-( )
You need to get it sorted

PS don't use poison as if an owl caught it the owl would die

poor wee ratty.

I'm thinking it's a mouse now, its ears look quite big.

I have had rats get into a house through a tumble drier vent. They were attracted by the smell of a scraps bowl for the dog which was left on the windowsill regularly. I couldn't believe they could get through such a tiny gap. Because rats always stick to the perimeter/edges of a space, you can also get dirty marks on the walls where they have passed (rubbing their filthy coats everywhere). The answer may be pest control, but it is important to get rid of any accessible food and block their entrance. Personally I would use your cats as the best option for pest control.

Oh, and PS, that is definitely a rat. You can tell by the jaw, teeth and tail. (I had a ratting jrt and have seen a lot of dead rats.)

They are incontinent and wee all the time.
They really are unhygienic.
I am uttely terrified of mice and rats.
A neighbour died from Weils disease.

Apologies if I've missed anyone else saying it, but check your council website re pest control. Our council will provide pest control services free of charge for rat and mice issues.

Whether they’re mice or rats 6 months is enough time for you to get an infestation. I’m not saying you have one, but they breed pretty fast!

And both are very unhygienic. Definitely call pest control and fill those holes, they can get through the tiniest of spaces.

The mice who live alongside cats often have toxoplasmosis, too, which you don’t want knocking around your cats or living space! I read that the reason these mice often have it is because the disease makes them unafraid of cats etc so they’ll pass it on. Non-infected mice / rats would steer well clear of houses with cats.

Our council doen'st have any kind of pest control services - but there are several local companies.

I think given that you have cats you'll need to talk to a psest controller to see what your best options.

You also want to get some of that expanding foam to fill even small gaps and some kind of mesh or rat proof cover for the tumble drier vent.

I’m pretty sure that’s a rat OP. I think you need pest control.

After your 2nd lot of photos, I'm convinced that's a young rat OP.
The mouse I encountered in my kitchen looked like this, huge ears.
It had got in under the kitchen sink 🤮, we had to seal around the drain pipe.

The initial picture looks a bit like a field mouse.

You can definitely smell rodents, but we sometimes have field mice as we are in the countryside and you can't actually smell them, have a good look around the utility or wherever you think they are. There's bound to be chewed stuff be it plastic or wrappers, and lots of droppings. They don't pick one area and "go" there they poo as they go so there should be clear evidence of where they have been.

I'd also consider pulling out fridge/tumble dryer/ washing machine to check behind for a potential nest (usually lots of shredded stuff and random fluff etc they pulled together) empty the bottom cupboards too just to check.

@gamerchick

Why do you need permission from your husband? Tell him you're doing it anyway.

Why does be get the last say?

That was my thinking too. Lots of 'husband says...'

It’s a rat and I’d be ringing pest control quick smart and turfing your husband. Seriously, who knows they have rodents running around a room and leaves it be. They breed. He is not right.

I still say mouse, lol. I am not sure why folk care so much, they are both nuisance to monitor.

A youngish rat by the looks of it. I found one on my kitchen mat some time ago. I have three cats, and just one of the cats is the hunter cat. I was just glad the rat was dead when found, and not running about the house. But regularly have live mice brought in.

It doesn’t really matter if it’s a mouse or a rat. You need to get the issue sorted. Fill any gaps around pipes etc with wire wool mixed with caulk. They won’t/can’t chew through the steel wool.

Also set some traps for your husband while you’re at it

100% it's a mouse.
I work with rats young and old and I can say that is a mouse! Tails of rats are more scales less hairy

‘I work with rats young and old’ hey that’s not a nice way to talk about your colleagues.

I think it's a young rat. Look for scattered poo and greasy marks along your skirting boards. Whatever it is, it has a large family somewhere nearby if you've had them for 6 months.

I keep both rats and mice, and I think it is definitely a mouse (wood mouse I would have said).

Check all your lower cupboards (and if you have one below stairs of course). Our Hamster escaped from on top of the piano in the dining room to the basement via the under stairs cupboard. Just saying that it is amazing what small areas they can get through!

We had field mice in the past and the tails were never that long. Mice leave lots of little grains of poo, rats poo is usually bigger. They say a mouse (or small rat I assume) can get through a hole the size of a pencil. I had 2 humane traps, have caught about 10 altogether, although they would be too small to catch rats. Do you have any covered outdoor areas, like a shed or garage as thats where the rats (if its rats) would be. Mice would be in the house.

It's a rat and....
She told dh who said they weren't harming anyone and not to tell me. He's done nothing about it
Is your biggest problem op.