There's a rat in the kitchen what am I gonna do

[OneMoreForExtra]

Actually way more than one! They've (apparently) got in via a broken drain and a hole in the floorboards, and are getting behind the kitchen cupboards, up the cavity wall and into the flat roof space. They've been throwing tap dancing parties up there and I thought that was bad, but now we've had pest control round and the dead rat smell is worse than the scuttling

We're waiting on a (very slow) process to renovate kitchen and fix the drain but it could be months away and I can't live with this!

Does anyone have any survival / smell control / horror management advice?

Get a cat

Or just borrow a cat. My two would be delighted!

If you’ve got a massive rat problem then I think the drain needs fixing sooner rather than later otherwise more will just come in and you’ve achieved nothing from the pest control.

We had exactly this problem a few years ago.
We set traps with peanut butter and caught about 5 huge rats one night. Then we got someone to fill in any minuscule gaps with expandable foam to stop them getting in again. It did the trick. Very important to block all entrances otherwise you’re fighting a losing battle.

Steel wire mesh is a good cover for covering air bricks,gaps or drains whilst they get fixed.

I've no suggestions for the smell though,other than getting rid of any dead bodies,yuk!

We've got 3 useless cats! Rats entirely unperturbed.

Yes we need to get the drain fixed, but it's under the extension (we didn't do this) and will require pretty much demolishing the kitchen, hence renovation at the same time... but wondering whether we should just do this bit now..., I don't even begin to understand the practicalities of this.

@Moonlaserbearwolf that gives me hope... Pest control have told us not to block the hole so that the rats can access the bait. I think I'll have to call them back and find out when we can block it.

Desperately want to remove the bodies but think they're too well hidden... honestly wondering if we'll have to move out!

These are what you want to get rid of the smell: www.amazon.co.uk/Earthcare-remover-remove-smelly-smells/dp/B00O671ZYS?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

(Don't use the Rentokil ones. They smell worse than the rat corpses.)

@Persipan thank you! I'm ordering them! Hopefully this will save us and the useless cats from having to evacuate

A can of Oust will also help!

Ew yuck, poor you!

We had a rat a month or so ago, just one, it was horrible. The pro guy used a closed bait box but also put a trap in the bait box, which caught the bugger. Not sure if that's worth a try? You could have bait boxes in the kitchen for easy removal.

I've also heard that terrier dogs are better for rats than cats.

Agree with that - my dog is better at killing mice and rats than any cat (who just brings them in alive then lets them go).
I had rats in the garden and had pest control in. I had mice in my house and pest control said they probably spend the day outside come in at night - anyway bait gone no mice after a few day, no dead bodies either. Maybe rats don't die outside. I then put mesh in front of all air bricks

We had a huge rat a few years ago that we didn't know was there until I walked in on the cat fighting it. The rat was so big that it was fighting back - so I understand why some cats don't go for them!!

Fortunately my cat is also a huge beast so there was no chance of the rat getting away.

We had rats which gained access when were renovating and the pest control company said we needed to use bait to kill and potential 'nests'. It was a horrendous 2/3 weeks but it worked and killed them. Awful awful

This is making me feel less of a pariah - not that I'm glad you all had rats! The earthbag thingies are working wonders on the smell, I'm really impressed. Will probably invest in some Oust too for good measure. Wondering who I know with a terrier...