Noises in kitchen, absolutely shitting myself

[Kidulthood2027]

First of all, I have a huge phobia of rats. To the point I can’t function if there is one nearby. I have fainted before when seeing one as a teenager.

anyway, partner is currently out with a mate and won’t be home for a few hours. I cooked my dinner and left his portion on the kitchen counter next to microwave for him to warm up when he gets in, as I’ll likely have gone to bed by then. Went back into living room and put TV on not thinking anything of it, door to kitchen slightly ajar. I can now hear rustling noises. Really weird, the dryer and washer aren’t on and I can’t think of anything else that would explain the noise. It’s really loud though, like something has taken food from the plate and is dragging it along the kitchen floor/kitchen counter, I’m genuinely terrified and physically can’t move from the sofa to go and look. The kitchen counters are raised a few inches from the floor so would be easy for rats to be under there. I’m really frightened so please talk to me until partner gets home as I genuinely am stuck to the sofa with fear.

Oh OP I've had similar and it was a cat! Long ago before I had my own cats and it woke me up, I thought it was a person! Keeping my fingers crossed you have a feline burglar rather than a ratty one.

Right Op, you need to calm down. All these posters are not helping you.

breathe carefully and considerately. Being able to identify from a different room, with an ear infection that the random sound you can hear is precisely a rat dragging a potato wedge is your imagination in overdrive.

either go and check, because your imagination will be worse, or calm your breathing, podcast on and wait until your partner is home.

hyperventillating on mumsnet will not assist you.

Nosey follow 👀

Potato wedges do not make noises when dragged across a kitchen floor.

I think you should miaow at the door and see if it answers you.

It will be a cat. The smell of salmon will be really tempting for it.

Sorry this made me laugh 🤣

Just heard from partner who is on the bus, he’s a bit tipsy but not hammered thank god! He reckons it’s a cat that has come in for the salmon. He is going to have a look around kitchen

How did they get into your flat? Can rats climb?

I've had rats several times in my house and they never once came into the house itself. They were in the loft, in the walls and under the floor.

I rigged up a Blink camera in the loft and got footage of a rat scampering about, rearing, and washing its nose. On camera it was cute.

Hope to have solved the problem with a 'rat gate' on the sewer pipe now.

well I think you should look. It might not be as bad as you think and then you'll kick yourself for so long freaking out about it. A rat or mouse, or a cat won't kill you anyway. Just take a deep breath and go for it. Besides, we all want to know what it is. Perhaps we could all do a collective countdown for you to psych you up...

Can't rats get under doors, or is that just mice?

I've got a bit of a rodent phobia and I never leave uncovered food or crumbs out for the precise reason that it attracts creatures...

Do you know what it is? A ghost.

A rat ghost.

A hedgehog?

A bat? Cockroach?.? A mole!

Psss psss near the door and see if a cat comes running. They would defo be attracted by the salmon you’ve left out for them dp.

It sounds more like a cat. Next doors cat used to sneak in and steal food.
We had bloody rats in the loft a few weeks ago and I didn't sleep until they were gone. I'm totally petrified of them and it doesn't help when people say they're more scared of you ( I doubt it).
Anyway hopefully your partner will be home and will find it's just a cat.

Fingers crossed for a cat!

Doesn't sound like a rat to me. I think they're quite wary of new things, move into a house slowly and stay out of sight until they're sure of the their surroundings.

They basically want to come in and colonise, there's kind of a leader rat that checks it out first before bringing others in and breeding.

Coming in and immediately finding a way onto your work surface, I doubt.

We've had a cat in our attic room from a window before, three storeys up.

Still think it’s a ghost.

Oh god don’t go there! I just watched The Nun 2 last night

Yeah probably a cat.

I had a cat come in through my back garden and try to steal some fish I’d just finished grilling. I was letting it cool while cleaning the kitchen floor. I popped out the room for a minute and when I came back it was walking across my kitchen floor to the fish on the oven rack!

I got such a fright and screamed then ran. It must have ran as well though because when I came back in the fish was untouched and the cat was gone. So I guess I startled it.

Yep. It was a first floor flat in really bad condition. I think there was a hole in the wall behind the cupboard, around the pipe from the sink, as that’s where they seemed to hang out 🤢 There was a takeaway next door that dumped food out the back just below.

Sounds very much like a cat. Don't worry OP.

Almost certainly a cat.