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Original poster

Cancel holiday tomorrow because of cat and rats?

37 replies

stupidsocialmedia · 09/04/2023 15:57

We are having huge arguments over this and right now I don't want to go.

You may have seen my thread yesterday about the cat bringing in a dead rat here.

Today she brought in a live one and left it in the hall. Luckily today DH was home, but that didn't stop me shutting myself in the front room and screaming for the town to hear. DH got rid of it, but all he told me was it was under the radiator and I couldn't see droppings so just randomly sprayed bleach everywhere.

Anyway, we are going away tomorrow morning for four nights (five days). I am not happy that the cat will be able to come and go. We will shut her out of the front room, but we have no doors from the kitchen to the hall or the dining room. This means any rat could get under the fridge/cooker, or in our bedroom, or under anything in the dining room.

I would like to get a litter tray. DH said no! He's blocked under the shed where he saw her get under, and says that fine, but I'm not convinced. She could still wait and they get out of small spaces.

My adult (ASD) son is coming in to feed her, but he is as squeamish as me and is a real clean freak, and already said he will not deal with rodents. He also wouldn't look at every nook and cranny for an escapee.

The one she caught today was just after being fed, so that knocked DH's theory that she was hungry.

It would also stop the local tomcat coming in and spraying (he's stopped after I blocked the cat flap at night, but obviously won't when away.

I really, really, will not relax on holiday, unless I know I can come home without having to deal with dead, or worse live rodents.

Rat in the hall *tw- photo within thread* | Mumsnet

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OP posts:
FawnFrenchieMum · 09/04/2023 15:59

Cattery? Or are you never going to leave your house again?

Hellocatshome · 09/04/2023 16:06

If your cat is regularly catching rats you already have a rat problem wether she brings them in or not. I would also be worried of she is managing to catch them and not being injured in the process they are probably already poisoned. Could your son not stay in your house while you are away and keep Dcat inside with a litter tray. That might give the poisoned rats time to die off as well without Dcat keep bringing them in the house.

Skybluepinky · 09/04/2023 16:06

send the cat to a cattery or cat sitter. It’s unrealistic for u to never leave yr house again.

TrenchVagina · 09/04/2023 16:07

We have cameras so we can see the cat as it comes through the catflap, and another trained on the kitchen so we can see where the mouse ended up. It's not foolproof but we now know if there's a mouse, and where appropriately it ended up when the cat decided to give up.

We also have a microchip cat flap, and a dedicated mouse catching kit - dustpan and brush, gardening gloves, bucket with a lid.

whirlyhead · 09/04/2023 16:11

My cat has brought in rats before. I’ve just ushered them out the front door. I haven’t had it happen when I’m on holiday though. rats are part of life I’ve concluded - get pest control in
and they still come back in a years time.

Can you get a paid cat sitter who doesn’t mind disposing of dead rodents?

SinisterKnitter · 09/04/2023 16:15

A microchip flap will deal with the invading cat.

And if she's hunting at the same sort of times every day you can get a swanky one with a curfew so she can't go out during her peak hunting times.

Ultimately, though, this is a known risk of having a cat and should be something you're prepared to deal with when getting a cat.

SinisterKnitter · 09/04/2023 16:16

And stop with the bleach! It's not safe to use around cats.

ZirihePevzig · 09/04/2023 16:21

You need a pest control specialist to deal with the local rat population without using poison. There are one-way corridor traps - the important thing is that cats can get seriously ill if they catch a poisoned dying rat.

The fact that the cat regularly catches rats is a good thing, alerting you to the fact that there is an ongoing rat infestation, that needs dealing with.

You can't deal with it by never leaving the house again.

Original poster
stupidsocialmedia · 09/04/2023 16:21

Too late for a cat sitter now, we leave in the morning. I'm sure they're not poisoned, they're quite young I think.

No chance of DS staying, he hates staying away from his home (I think it may be due to his ASD), but he adores the cat and she adores him.

We've got a microchip cat flap, but somehow the tom got in and it hasn't worked since.

She's fine with a cat litter, so that isn't a problem, nor are dead rodents, it's just the fact that she brought in a live one today that has unsettled me.

I will let her out when we're back and contact pest control, but realistically everything is shut today and we leave in the morning.

Of course I will go out again. I'm just trying to think of a practical way to prevent the cat bringing them in whilst we're away and unable to sort anything out.

The reason that I don't want to go is DH being happy to leave her to go out at will. I want a litter tray, cat flaps closed and then to arrange pest control and a new cat flap when we're back.

OP posts:
Singapore4 · 09/04/2023 16:21

Go on your holiday OP. You defo have a rat problem and until you have rats roaming INSIDE your house it's easy to they are part of the environment.

There's good reason why pest control poison them.

romdowa · 09/04/2023 16:25

Could your son not take your cat to his house and mind her there?

Original poster
stupidsocialmedia · 09/04/2023 16:29

Thank you all, I'm extremely anxious (and right now my blood pressure is 93/58, so guess I'm very stressed).

He would love to, but lives in a flat and doesn't drive. My Dsis is around so may help.

OP posts:
TwoBlueFish · 09/04/2023 16:35

My cats a prolific hunter (dead and alive presents several days a week) he NEVER brings in things when we are away. I always warn whomever is cat sitting but nothing

WonderingWanda · 09/04/2023 16:35

If the cat was in a cattery they would be shut inside a smaller space than your whole house so I think 4 days being shut in with a litter tray and someone coming to feed them would be ok.

Original poster
stupidsocialmedia · 09/04/2023 16:43

@WonderingWanda Yes, she wouldn't be shut out of the front room then, DH only wants to do that to prevent her bringing animals into the main living area, but she would be free to wander.

OP posts:
Akite · 09/04/2023 16:43

WonderingWanda · 09/04/2023 16:35

If the cat was in a cattery they would be shut inside a smaller space than your whole house so I think 4 days being shut in with a litter tray and someone coming to feed them would be ok.

I agree with this, they will be fine for a few days and it will let you relax.
Your blood pressure is extremely low though!

ittakes2 · 09/04/2023 16:49

We use those microchip cat doors to avoid other cats getting in.
Can I share my cat and mouse story please.
My cat cries in a special way when he has brought in prey. When he first started doing this he did it once at 1am in the morning in our bedroom so I woke my hubby up and said cat has brough prey into our bedroom we need to turn on the lights and look for it. We could see nothing so I went to the bathroom. After a quick wee I got up and noticed a mouse's tail hanging into the toilet bowl - the mouse had hid under the toilet seat and I had sat on it.

octoberafternoons · 09/04/2023 16:54

It's much safer to not let your cat have access to the outdoors while you're away anyway. They are much more likely to roam further and go missing if there's no one at home. Also better this way, in case they got injured outdoors or became ill as no one would be home to help for a long time, as a visiting cat sitter or friend then wouldn't see them if allowed to roam. I used to volunteer for a cat rescue and this is advice from them based on many years of experience.

lljkk · 09/04/2023 17:01

That isn't high BP.
Come on OP, woman up. They are just small rodents.

CordyLines · 09/04/2023 17:01

Blood pressure of 93/58 is extremely LOW. Watch you don't fall down dizzy.

But the obvious solution is to rehome the cat, get rid of the catflap and keep doors closed at the back for a while. Rats are everwhere, usually turning up when neighbours are putting in footings for an extension or something.

If you don't want to do this, you must stay at home forever, and never leave except through the catflap and go hunting yourself.

TeaandHobnobs · 09/04/2023 17:02

@ittakes2 same here, I now know if DCat makes a particular sound in the middle of the night, I have a present 🤢

I’ve just spent 15 mins trying to chase a mouse out of the sitting room and out the front door. Stupid creature was being very unhelpful! Better me evicting it than DCat turning up for a game of chase…

Gymmum82 · 09/04/2023 17:14

I’ve looked at your other thread and that is a mouse. Not a rat. Not even a baby rat. My cats bring them in all the time. Usually dead. Sometimes live.
Unfortunately rodents in your house are part of having a cat. If you can’t cope with that then I don’t think pet ownership is for you. However I would shut the cat in while you’re away with a litter tray

AnotherEmma · 09/04/2023 17:24

Agree with everyone else. Provide a litter tray and keep the cat shut in while you're away.

Also, have you tried resetting your cat flap and/or contacting customer service for advice about fixing it? If it's sureflap, their CS is generally good.

We had a rat infestation, it was awful. They weren't in our living spaces, they had somehow got in under the floorboards and I think they managed to get up (up the chimney breasts maybe). I think one or two died and the stink was horrendous. So I would NEVER poison rats. We got pest control out and they gave good advice about blocking access and laying traps. We got rid that way.

Are you sure it was definitely a rat, though, and not a mouse?

saraclara · 09/04/2023 17:33

Either keep the cat inside if your husband will agree to it, or just block up any gaps in the kitchen that a rodent could run under to hide. Rolled up old clothes will do it.

My cats have almost all been mousers. I just shut what doors I could while I was away, and blocked up the areas under the washer/cooker etc. Never came home to anything gory or smelly.

Peachy2005 · 09/04/2023 17:35

Keep your cat indoors while you are gone, with cat flap locked and something in front of it so neither he nor the interloper can try to bash through it. Whoever is coming round to feed him will need to be comfortable with scooping out the litter tray though.

Instructions should describe how to reset microchip cat flap, by the way. You can probably search online. Good luck!