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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

"Presence" in the loft

34 replies

Roussillon849 · 23/02/2020 18:11

We've been hearing scuttling and scratching noises in the loft for the last couple of hours. Shock

Would it be a bad idea to let our - indoor, neurotic and not massively fierce - cat loose in there? She's itching for it, we think, sitting on the highest bits of furniture staring at the ceiling. Or will we end up with half dead creatures running around the house?

Never had an infestation of any kind so no idea what to do. Any advice appreciated! We're wondering if the rain has something to do with it?

OP posts:
Littlebluetruck · 23/02/2020 18:13

I’m in the same boat as you, I think it may be a squirrel. No advice I’m afraid, but I’ll be watching your thread with interest.

Youngatheart00 · 23/02/2020 18:14

Don’t let the cat in. If it’s squirrels, they can be viscious and you could end up with a cat needing tetnus! Best to call a local pest control out

Sparklfairy · 23/02/2020 18:14

Depends on your cat Grin if she's a kill and eat type then I would (although they often leave some entrails Envy ). If she's a chase and play and maybe injure til she gets bored, you could end up with decomposing bodies all over the place and are best off using traps.

Original poster
Roussillon849 · 23/02/2020 18:15

Aha! DH thought a squirrel, too. Perhaps seeking shelter? It feels better than rats, right?

OP posts:
CanIHaveATiaraPlease · 23/02/2020 18:16

Squirrels are rats with bushy tails unhelpful

CanIHaveATiaraPlease · 23/02/2020 18:17

unhelpful Goodness knows why I put it in bold

Too much Wine

Butteredtoast55 · 23/02/2020 18:17

Mice are surprisingly noisy! I have thought about letting a cat loose in our loft when there have been mice but settled for traps with Nutella. They have always done the trick but not for the faint-hearted. Maybe get pest control in.

Original poster
Roussillon849 · 23/02/2020 18:18

Thanks. Ours is definitely the top end of the neurotic cat scale. Plus she's an indoor cat so we have no measure of her "hunting profile". I agree that if it's a squirrel she could come out worst so that's a no then.

OP posts:
kittykatkitty · 23/02/2020 18:19

It's been raining a lot.
It will be rats seeking shelter

Original poster
Roussillon849 · 23/02/2020 18:20

Quite possibly, CanIHaveATiaraPlease. Still I'll seize any comfort!

OP posts:
FlamingoAndJohn · 23/02/2020 18:21

Could be bats. My mum gets bats in her loft. They are noisy buggers.

WitchQueenofDarkness · 23/02/2020 18:23

Mice run about wearing hobnail boots - they can make a heck of a din.

I'd be very surprised if it was anything bigger. Get a couple of snap traps tomorrow and bait with peanut butter or nutella. You'll have to reset a couple of times to make sure you get them all. They never come singly

Sparklfairy · 23/02/2020 18:25

Yeah I didn't think of squirrels and if she's an indoor non-expert hunter then I wouldn't risk injury. Put some traps up but don't do what my DM's partner did last year (had a thread about it). Couldn't be bothered with traps and thought poison was easier. Poison takes days to work and said mouse died somewhere in his huge house. You could smell it, but couldn't find it Envy

cactus2020 · 23/02/2020 18:26

My cat is desperate to get into ours but I don't want to risk her getting trapped... Apparently they can get stuck in the eaves, fire brigade etc. Pest control sorted my last lot, not just with bait but working out where they got in. Good luck.

Finfintytint · 23/02/2020 18:26

I’d call out pest control as you don’t know exactly what it is. Our local guy is very knowledgeable and reasonably priced and will come back as part of the deal if there are any further issues. I have a massive bird phobia and he is very understanding.

Raspberrytruffle · 23/02/2020 18:35

Op I live in a stone barn convertion its actually birds in the eves nesting. First time I heard it scared the shite out of me!

Spacecudet · 23/02/2020 18:38

We get jackdaws in our loft, they are fairly noisy!

bridgetreilly · 23/02/2020 18:46

Get the council pest control in. They'll be able to tell you what's up there and deal with it appropriately.

Original poster
Roussillon849 · 23/02/2020 20:34

Thank you all so much. We are a bit freaked out by it. I hear you all: it could be quite a few different animals, do NOT send the cat in, and call Pest Control (our loft is messy and we wouldn't know where to start with traps).

OP posts:
CustardOmlet · 23/02/2020 20:42

You can borrow my cat, she is a hunting expert (dead kestrel anyone?)

icelollycraving · 23/02/2020 20:44

Have you not seen Luther Wink

butwhateverfor · 23/02/2020 20:57

I was hoping for a woo thread!

Supertrooper98 · 23/02/2020 21:01

Yeah I thought it was a ghost one

lilyboleyn · 23/02/2020 21:13

I’d be worried it was bats or house martins, depending on your area. Cat shouldn’t be allowed to eat either of those... Wink

DontCallMeShitley · 23/02/2020 21:39

From experience, squirrels make little scratching noises when it is silent, but if you move it stops. If you find that is what you have, wait until they go out, block off the entry point, reinforce it with some netting and make sure there are no other gaps or holes, they will go somewhere else.

Mice are more difficult to get rid of because they can get through tiny holes and into walls.

Not had experience indoors with rats, ours were considerate and stayed in the shed. Bats were caught by cat and left dead, I never forgave her for that, bats are so cute.

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