help with my rat catchers

[sleepycat13]

I have two 'lovely' cats ages 6 (girl) and 5(boy).

girl cat has always been a better hunter and has semi regularly brought us presents home but both are at it currently.
they go through phases of bringing home rats on a regular basis presumably when then find a new nest somewhere.

occasionally they kill the rats, mostly they deposit them in our kitchen or bedroom alive for us to practice our hunting skills.
we started closing our bedroom door, then keeping the cat flap on a one way lock overnight so that if they go out they can't get back in, but the last few days they have brought home several live rats during the day and I have had to resort to keeping all the doors locked in this heat!!

I don't enjoy a dead rat but can tolerate that but the live rats are just horrid. the only saving grace is that these ones are currently infants but it's just getting unbearable now and I have a 9month old baby that's now crawling round the place.

really don't want to have to get rid of the cats as I bloody love them too much but any suggestions please???

have tried bell collars in the past when the boy cat was going through a bird catching phase and the collar stayed on for a whole hour before he managed to lose it. but I shall order some more today anyway to try.

Keep trying the collars with a few bells on, hopefully that won't cost too much if you order them several online. I'm not sure what else to suggest though.

just done an Amazon prime order. fingers crossed.

My solution, have dog who will kill the rats.
DP's solution ( we don't live together currently) cats are only allowed out when someone is home as there is no cat flap and they are frisked as they enter the house and presents are removed.

Are the rats coming from somewhere obvious eg bins or unkempt area?

@Lonecatwithkitten
not sure I'm ready for a dog!! we are currently resorting to frisking though. but going away next week so can't really leave them out the whole time!

@TheSpottedZebra
haven't been able to determine where they are coming from. not from our bin area and we don't have any decking. there was one behind the shed yesterday but I think the cats took it there.
there is a bit of wasteland about 4 houses down at the end of our road which is overgrown so quite possibly there but I think that belongs to the end house and when we asked environmental health to come a few years ago they said they could bait our house but not outside and the rats don't actually live in our house.

You can buy anti hunting bibs.