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Will my cat keep rats away?

2 replies

missingyears · 29/11/2023 01:36

I live in a block of flats. It's quite an old building and not well maintained.

Over the last week or two I have heard scratching noises coming from the ceiling near my balcony. I have one flat above mine, but I'm very sure it's not my upstairs neighbour as she is very likely to be asleep when I hear the scratching. I'm beginning to think it may be rodents.

I rent from the council. It's a council block. We have lots of squirrels in the communal garden so maybe it's a squirrel. We also frequently have rats in the communal garden (....probably attracted by people not disposing of rubbish correctly). The council do send pest control out when the rats appear, and they disappear again for a while.

Anyway, whenever I hear the scratching my cat is immediately on high alert. He runs towards that side of the room and glares up at the ceiling ready to attack any intruders! It's quite sweet, like he knows that is his job.

I will report the scratching to the council, but they are super slow in responding to anything, so I don't expect anything to happen anytime soon. So my question is, will the presence of my cat stop any rats entering my flat?

My cat is an indoor cat. He is very playful and loves hunting type games. But I think he would be very scared and retreat if he was actually confronted by a full sized adult rat! So I hope if it is rats, that they don't come in here. Will his presence keep them out??

OP posts:
JustCuriousASHP · 29/11/2023 02:25

I have had no invasive rodents since my now six year old cats moved in. We are rural, and used to get mice in the kitchen in the autumn, and once a rat. Assuming your cat also has a litter tray, it's not unreasonable to hope his presence will deter your visitor.

missingyears · 29/11/2023 02:46

@JustCuriousASHP ah thank you that's very reassuring. He has two litter trays and one of them is right underneath the ceiling where we hear the scratching.

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