There's an injured rat on my patio...

[goshdarnit]

My boy cat has obviously been busy overnight and brought me a present.
I feed my cats outside, and just noticed a juvenile rat eating the cat food, after an initial panic, I went to scare it off, and noticed it can only walk with a limp, in circles. It's obviously in pain, and I can see where its crawled off to, and could get it if really, really pushed.
Boy cat has buggered off, leaving my girl cat staring daftly in the rats general direction, but that's probably as much as she will do...
So, how do i despatch a rat?!? YUCK!!!

Spade to the head?

Put it under an old cloth or something first, then a spade or a heavy brick. Be quick, kinder to put it out of its misery and don't overthink it.

Good luck

I am already overthinking it!!
I've tried calling boy cat back, but he's probably eating breakfast in someone else's house...

I don't expect your cat will want any more to do with it now he's done his duty and left you a present!

We tried sending PestoCat into DD1's bedroom to catch the mouse he'd brought in for her, but he wasn't interested. Took DD & me 1/2 hour at 12.30am to finally capture it in an old icecream tub!!

Oh, God! I've done it
Found a thick plank of wood in the garage (3" thick) chucked a old tea towel over rat, then a bin bag, the dropped plank on it three times. I've left the plank on it for now, and will bin the lot later.
I feel bad, but I know it is for the best.
but;
BLEUGH!!!

Well done!

Have a

You deserve it

Well done. You did the quickest thing for it.

There must be a nest. He's just brought home another one. Also alive... ffs.

Oh.

Best check out the garden/foundations/rubbish bins etc for good rat living conditions then. (Most, if not all, houses in Britain have rats living in them/nearby so it's not a surprise unfortunately.)

Get some rat poison from your local garden centre. The blue corn-like stuff you leave it down in a little tray. That works here.

Uh, Pesto - what happens if a cat/other animal eats it? Or ingests tasty portions of a rodent that themselves has eaten it and is not yet dead?

It's just dry blue grains, cats aren't interested in it. Just rodents.

Sorry Cozie, dunno about ingesting not-quite-dead vermin. Just we have used it to good effect & no longer have the problem. All the local cats still intact too!