Rats, mice, control

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board' started by fired, May 28, 2020.

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  1. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Anyone know about it?
    Got a situation where our cat is bringing in rats / mice as she does every summer. Not that we want them. However, our neighbour, who is freely feeding birds and hedgehogs on the floor of their garden (attracting rats) , has now brought in someone to put down rat poison.
    Whikst we doubt she would eat the poison, our cat now faces her own 2020 lockdown because it’s possible might go for a poisoned rat.
    Any ideas on poison/ risks etc?
     
    fired, May 28, 2020
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  2. SuperTyke

    SuperTyke Well-Known Member

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    Does your cat actually eat any of the mice or rats she catches?
     
    SuperTyke, May 28, 2020
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  3. MexboroughTyke

    MexboroughTyke Well-Known Member

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    I thought that was the new government slogan for coronavirus.
     
    MexboroughTyke, May 28, 2020
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  4. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Lol
     
    fired, May 28, 2020
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  5. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Yes. Usually the heads, which is a fantastic gift to arrive to.... but with rats,not sure how much she eats.
     
    fired, May 28, 2020
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  6. Donny Red

    Donny Red Well-Known Member

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    Depends what kind of kit your neighbour is using Fired. The more popular solutions these days
    involve bait in an enclosed box, which is claimed to be child and pet friendly.

    From my time in Public health some years ago, I know that rats are hemophilliacs i.e their blood
    does not coagulate. My operatives used to bait minced feed using warfarin which is used by human
    heart disease patients. It effectively thins the blood so that blood clots do not form.

    After ingestion, the rat would effectively bleed and crawl off somewhere to die. I don't know what poisons
    Pest Control professionals use now, but I would guess that they still use some form of anti coagulant. If your
    neighbour is using baiting trays full of toxins that are left in the open, I would err on the side of caution as
    far as your cat is concerned especially as she has a tendency to bite the head of her prey and keep her indoors.

    I would ask your neighbour what is being put down and then check as to its safety or otherwise with your
    Local Authority's Public Health Department.
     
    Donny Red, May 28, 2020
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  7. Donny Red

    Donny Red Well-Known Member

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    Donny Red, May 28, 2020
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  8. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Cheers for info. I understand they are using warfarin type baits but within traps that my cat couldn’t reach. But they have apparently used this more freely in a neighbours garden.
     
    fired, May 28, 2020
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  9. Donny Red

    Donny Red Well-Known Member

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    image0.jpeg
    Sounds very much like the kit we bought fired. Technically a pet or a child should be unable to come
    into contact with the bait tray and its contents, but our wee Lhasa Apso could be guaranteed to find
    a way to disprove that theory. If it was my cat, I would not let her out to run free, until your neighbour
    had finally taken the traps up.

    Incidentally your neighbours probably already know, but great care should be taken when handling the poison being used, as there could be quite serious side effects if the instructions given with the kit are not adhered to.

    A disposable coverall suit ( from B&Q/Amazon), nitrile gloves, safety specs and a 3M face mask (or equal),should be used and it's also advisable to take a shower and use a protective hand sanitiser every time the trays are either inspected or topped up.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2020
    Donny Red, May 29, 2020
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  10. Brush

    Brush Well-Known Member

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    If it's a reputable firm they will be using the poison boxes with the bait inside, which are the safest for pets and children etc. The rodents tend to die in their nests some time after eating it. While they are still running about the poison should still be in the stomach.
     
    Brush, May 29, 2020
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  11. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Thanks for the replies and advice. As our cat evidently knows where to find rats and mice, we’ve decided to keep her in. Day 1 of lockdown with a cat is definitely harder than any lockdown we’ve had.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2020
    fired, May 29, 2020
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  12. Stephen Dawson

    Stephen Dawson Well-Known Member

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    Is your cat called Freddie?
     
    Stephen Dawson, May 29, 2020
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  13. Red

    Red-Taff. Well-Known Member

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    seems a bit odd to be putting food down for the birds and then wondering why rats are turning up.
    I've seen these rat trap/boxes outside Tankersley Macdonalds !
    Rats are nasty things - they don't have a bladder so deposit urine everywhere and rat's urine may cause a Weil's (sp) disease which I think can be fatal.

    There's a breed of dog which has the characteristic of being a 'good ratter' - (don't know which breed it is.)
     
    Red-Taff., May 29, 2020
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  14. Stephen Dawson

    Stephen Dawson Well-Known Member

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    Lurcher.
     
    Stephen Dawson, May 29, 2020
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  15. Red

    Red-Taff. Well-Known Member

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    excellent SD -
     
    Red-Taff., May 29, 2020
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  16. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Indeed. She’s been feeding hedgehogs on the floor!

    As for a good breed of dog, ironically we have a very good breed of cat that was naturally sorting the problem.
     
    fired, May 29, 2020
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  17. Red

    Red-Taff. Well-Known Member

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    most cats wont tackle a rat - I worked on a farm many years ago and I have no recollection of the farm cats killing a rat.

    It was up to the farmer who went into the grain store in the night armed with a pitchfork - switched on the light and skewered as many rats as he could.

    You must have a special cat - wonder if some breeds are better 'ratters' than others?

    So Fired, it's up to you - get yourself a good torch and a pitchfork…..
     
    Red-Taff., May 29, 2020
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  18. Jud

    Juddy G Well-Known Member

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    Can I borrow your cat cos we’re chuffing overrun
     
    Juddy G, May 29, 2020
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  19. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    She's a rescue cat - feral from birth to 8 months so lived under her own steam. She's brought 4 small rats in in the last 3 weeks, plus several mice. She doesn't generally eat the rats, but she does kill them, and she does eat the mice. Mice can get the bait in the same way that the rats can. So if she gets a mouse that's had the bait, she's in trouble. As a barn owl would be. As would any hedgehog be that eats a slug that's been in the baitbox. As it stands she's in lockdown for at least a week. It's going to be a long week. Hottest week of the year and we can't open windows and doors downstairs. Just annoying that the reason we have rats in the first place is that the animal lover next door, feeds the birds and hedgehogs on the floor. Animals perfectly capable of feeding themselves. Aforementioned neighbour is scared that rats will enter her house, chew a cable, and cause a fire.

    I''d better not buy a pitchfork, who knows what I'll do with it!!
     
    fired, May 29, 2020
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  20. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Here she is 6800B7EE-BCF5-4651-9753-FBBFC32CEB84.jpeg

    0B2935D9-39B1-4110-8ABC-E2DDA182B390.jpeg
     
    fired, May 29, 2020
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