Cats catch rats??

[WildHasBeen]

Generally speaking, do cats catch rats? If not, what are we going to keep rats under control? I have used the poison blocks before but have been told it’s very cruel.

Some cats will definitely - we have 3 at our yard and you never see any live rats about, they swiftly despatch them. Prior to the 3 we had an ancient cat that was too long in the tooth, and the hay barn was full of rats - you went in and the floor leapt up and scuttled off in all directions.

We had two cats that used to catch rats - unfortunately, they would bring them into the house not entirely dead….

Yeah, I’ve had rat catching cats before. A Jack Russel would also do the job for you. They are generally very efficient ratters.

I think getting a cat to get rid of rats is probably a bad idea:

While cats can catch rats, they are not particularly effective at controlling rat populations and may not be a reliable solution for severe infestations. Rats are larger and more likely to fight back than mice, which cats are more likely to hunt and kill. Feral cats may be more likely to attempt to kill rats, but even they are not always successful.

The best thing to do is to not have any source of food around, they're all over farms because there's always food. Make sure you have no bird food put out or any rubbish that might attract them.

There is poison available now that doesn't harm other animals if they eat the rats, I can't remember what it's called or how good it is but might be worth googling.

One of my cats left a dead rat outside (thankfully) the back door a few months ago. It’s only happened once, usually it’s mice, so I think it was probably a rat that was either ill or injured already. I don’t know how efficient they would be for large rat infestations. Definitely cat dependent.

One of my cats is a very effective ratter (and squirrels), the other is not. Of my cats over the years, only the arsey big rescue boys have caught rats, so I’d use poison (using bait boxes etc) to deal with a known problem

I’ve found youngish female cats best at hunting. Unfortunately, they do get birds.

We have 3 dogs (jack russel and Yorkshire terrier included) and 2 cats. They're all useless quite frankly. Yorkshire terrier is obsessed with looking for rats, caught one and left it half dead for me. She caught another one gave herself such a shock she let it go. I am taking all food and water away at night but still see them in the day sometimes!

Depends on the cat. One of my cats would do this, the other I don't have as much confidence in. I had a period without a cat and started to see rats in the garden, but it's never happened since I got these two cats unless they've been caught and brought back.

My cats are pretty good hunters but tend to get mice, squirrels and baby bunnies. Rats they tend to avoid! I think they probably think rats are a bit hard work.

plus they bring the mice in to play with and that’s bad enough without bringing in rats

I think that rats don’t like to live where they can smell cats.

Yes, but you generally need two, young, healthy cats to effectively take down rats and deter them. Especially if you are in an area with rats of unusual size (RUSs) that tend to be the size of a cat. Rats this size have been found in southern England, especially London and grow to 2ft or 6cm long.

My cats catch rats. We've had quite a few recently. Even kittens can catch a rat if they are hungry.

My cat is rubbish and ran away from it. My previous cat would have had it though.

I'm a bit wary of combining cats and rats tbh. Rats unbelievably filthy and carry so many diseases, very aggressive if cornered. But I say that as the mum of an ancient arthritic cat and a 2 year old male who was a runt and still the size of a kitten. I just keep a trap around the coop and follow common sense with food scraps and pellets. You just need to keep on top of it.

My black female cat happily bought one in the other day and lost it in the house. The older girl cat would have killed it but she was out sunbathing. It took me hours to catch the fucker and put it out. I can't bring myself to kill any creature.

I have been reliably informed that my cat has been sat watching a rat walk across the kitchen, eat its biscuits and then return home to its nest.

So no, don't rely on a cat......

Yes, but you need a young, active cat. We moved a couple of kittens into our livery barn and lo and behold the rats that had been dancing down the barn were gone in short order.

It may also be worth asking on your local facebook group etc (horsey ones also good for this) as there is likely someone around with ratting dogs who you can pay to come in every so often and have a good clear out.

Your best bet would be to approach Cats Protection for semi-feral cats. Generally females are better hunters than neutered males. You’ll need to provide a shelter that’s suitable for winter and food/vet care and obviously don’t expect it to be a lap cat. That being said these semi-ferals are hard for them to place somewhere they’ll be cared for so you’d really be helping them and the cat out!

Yeah, second this about FB as there are also often people who hunt small animals with air rifles and would like the practice.

Not for the squeamish, we've a friend who has 2 terrier's, uses a leaf blower to get them out of their runs, blocks of the escape routes, the dogs go mental and kill everything in sight.

But within weeks they are back again, food source, water & shelter.

Cats are next to useless, wont kill them in sufficient numbers if at all, and will not deter rats.

Humane traps can keep numbers down, ones that kill, they will avoid after the first few are caught