Does anyone else here have a 'ratter'?

[musicalfrog]

Mine has brought two youngsters and a fully grown adult home in the past week. He brings them into the garden within minutes of making the kill (they are still warm when I dispose of them). I don't know where he's getting them from but I'm worried that he'll get hurt one of these days and I really don't want to have to keep tidying up after him. Obviously I hate the fact that he's killing the local wildlife too. He has three bells on his collar and is kept indoors from around 8pm to 8am every day.

What else can I do to stop him?

I have a mouse specialist. Although he branches out into rats, birds, frogs, slow worms and bats as the opportunity presents. I'm not sure how you can stop it to be honest. If I lock mine in he will hurl himself at windows. I have read that bells just teach them to be stealthier hunters. Sorry not to be more helpful.

Thanks anyway, we were getting mice and birds but the bells have really reduced the number of those. But so many rats in a short time has surprised me a bit! They don't look unhealthy either, quite the opposite. It's a mystery to me. Thankfully I've not yet been bought a bat, frog or slow worm though

I couldn't lose sleep over rats.

We have a rat's nest at work and it is a pain. We will have to pay for them to be controlled/removed. A friendly moggie doing it for free would be very welcome!!

Our two are keen on bringing in live birds to play with, which is horrible (and messy).

We've not found that any number of bells really stops them.

Yes- I have a ratter. Happy to have fewer rats in the world, frankly!

Make sure he is wormed regularly and let him get on with vermin control.

Thanks all, I don't know whether to let the neighbours know there are rats nearby or if they are from the fields and not a concern (live in a rural village). I want to stop him because I worry he'll get hurt but also we have young children and don't want them finding the bodies in the garden. And I do feel sad because to me all lives are equal. Rats can't help being rats after all.

Will keep him wormed thanks Bert.

I'd burn the house down if my two ever bought anything back. I have a phobia of rodents. One reason I delayed getting a cat because I couldn't deal with 'presents' fortunately mine are to thick to catch anything!

Musicalfrog - there are rats everywhere. No need to warn your neighbours. And i suspect you might become less rat friendly when you've lived in the country a bit longer!

I have a couple of ratters.

Fluffy cat (who is a terrible hunter) brought me a full, intact rat in the early hours of the morning. She placed it right by my bed and had to wake me up to show me her wonderful gift - she was so proud. I launched it out of the window for the fox.

Other cat (who is a superb hunter) has had what I assume are two rats in the past few days. Hard to tell when she leaves me a head, some paws and a gallbladder.... She will eat anything though.

I just let them get on with it and tidy up after them.

Bertrand I have lived in the country before! Never had a ratter though. In our last house these cats never hunted anything (this was in the town admittedly) but at the grand old age of 5 when we moved here they suddenly found their skillz.

Cupcake I am so glad they keep them outside in the garden. Yuk!

I think PolterCat has retired from ratting now (he's 15) but we had a good few years where we'd regularly wake up to 1 and a half rats in the kitchen. Eyes bigger than belly I guess

I used to have a cat (was born semi-feral, but I had him from about 5 weeks as his mother was ran over) that was a prolific ratter. I once opened the front door as I could see the paperboy on the path...he wouldn't come past the dead rat.

He did used to get a lot of abcesses..I'm sure they were connected