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Rat in my kitchen

(19 Posts)
MiniMoon Wed 22-Jul-26 13:24:28

Help! The cat brought in a live rat and released it in my kitchen. It ran under the fridge freezer. Has anyone any idea how I can catch it? It can't stay in the house and I don't have a trap.
Who'd have a cat!!

MissAdventure Wed 22-Jul-26 13:30:56

I'd order a trap frin amazon for delivery tomorrow.
Humane, or non humane, depending how you feel.

Or, pull the fridge freezer out, put the cat in the kitchen and wait for the inevitable to happen.

hollysteers Wed 22-Jul-26 13:39:42

I have a cat and she took no notice of what was signs of a rat or mouse in the winter.
I ended up putting sachets of poison down. Cruel I know, but I couldn’t stand it.

MissAdventure Wed 22-Jul-26 13:47:53

You can make your own trap.
Use a deep bucket or bin, with something across the middle of it, at the top. [Such as wire)
Then balance a piece of wood across the wire or whatver is at the top.
Bait it with food, and it works like a seesaw.
It tips once the rat has passed the middle point, and tips the rat into the bin ir cntainer.

MiniMoon Wed 22-Jul-26 13:50:50

The cat keeps looking at the corner where the rat is hiding behind the freezer but he has no interest in staying to catch it. He's outside somewhere at the moment.
I'm in the process of looking for a tall, smooth sided receptacle and something to make a ramp from, hoping that if I put a tasty treat in the bottom I might be able to catch the rat.
We have a good hardware shop I town that will probably have a trap, but its half day closing today.

MissAdventure Wed 22-Jul-26 14:31:53

youtu.be/0kk-r15Q35M?is=Yv65TqwtYNAmtKxK

MT62 Wed 22-Jul-26 14:37:37

MissAdventure

youtu.be/0kk-r15Q35M?is=Yv65TqwtYNAmtKxK

Wow that’s a great idea if it works.

MissAdventure Wed 22-Jul-26 14:41:00

If your container has a lid, you can cut a trap door into it, and bait that.
When the rat stands on it, it falls into the container.
Rars can jump pretty high, but wirh the trap door shut, it shouldn't be able to get out.

JaneJudge Wed 22-Jul-26 14:41:48

I've never had a rat stupid enpug to get caught in a trap. As it has been brought in, rather than wanting to get in, prsumably it will leave of its own accord if you leave the door open on kitchen (assuming your have one to the outside)

MissAdventure Wed 22-Jul-26 14:55:06

Thatsa good point, unless the cat spots it and brings it back in. smile

MiniMoon Wed 22-Jul-26 16:20:35

Left the door open all night last night. Rat didn't find its way out. It has to traverse a hall and a porch. I've rigged up a bucket with a piece of bark as a ramp. Across the top a can with a wooden skewer through it, lavishly smeared with dairylea cheese and ham pieces cut from the gammon we had for lunch. I'm waiting.

butterandjam Wed 22-Jul-26 17:15:00

Buy a trap (rat size, not mouse) online and leave it out, baited, at night.

Don't use poison indoors. Trust me, you will not enjoy the longlasting stench of a rat that crawled to some secret inaccessible place in your home to lie down and die.

butterandjam Wed 22-Jul-26 17:46:45

MissAdventure

You can make your own trap.
Use a deep bucket or bin, with something across the middle of it, at the top. [Such as wire)
Then balance a piece of wood across the wire or whatver is at the top.
Bait it with food, and it works like a seesaw.
It tips once the rat has passed the middle point, and tips the rat into the bin ir cntainer.

Then what are you going to do with a live and very annoyed rat?

MissAdventure Wed 22-Jul-26 17:51:12

Take the bucket for a long, long walk and let it go, of course.

Flippinheck Wed 22-Jul-26 17:51:55

butterandjam

Buy a trap (rat size, not mouse) online and leave it out, baited, at night.

Don't use poison indoors. Trust me, you will not enjoy the longlasting stench of a rat that crawled to some secret inaccessible place in your home to lie down and die.

Couldn’t agree more.
The vid posted by Misadventure might work for a mouse but not for a rat. The last rat my cat brought in was huge and horribly aggressive. The large metal traps are best. Try to get one with a handle so you don’t need to put your fingers near the cage, as the rat will bite you.

midgey Wed 22-Jul-26 17:52:40

I think the only hope is to move….!

Shelflife Wed 22-Jul-26 18:12:30

My cat brought a live mouse in. I bought humane trap - no success. In desperation I left the cat to do her stuff , she sat and watched it running round!
Had a look on utube and found a solution. Get an ordinary household bucket , remove the handle if you can . You then need a steel rod , an empty drinks can , some peanut butter .
1. Pierce a hole in the bottom of the can .
2. Thread the can onto the rod using the base hole and the ring pull hole. Ensure the can revolves easily round the rod.
3. Thread the rod through the two holes where the handle was.
4. Place bucket where you have seen the mouse, but close to a wall or cupboard door.
5. Wedge a plank ( walk way for the mouse) between the bucket and the wall.
6. Smear peanut butter on the side of the can.
7. Leave the room and wait with baited breath!
Mouse can't resist peanut butter. It will walk up the plank , jump onto the can , the can revolves and bingo the mouse is deposited into th bucket!
I was then able to release it into a field.
Not sure about it catching a rat ! Probably would need a much larger bucket- or it could well be able to jump out or scrabble about so much and knock the bucket over. They are big!!
Good luck- I dont envy you. Keep us posted on progress.


4.

Oreo Wed 22-Jul-26 18:44:46

When we had cats in the past, we also got lots of mice and once a thankfully dead rat.The mice were often released alive and the bored cat toddled off and left it.
With no cat in the house now we do still get mice but only in the loft.

Oreo Wed 22-Jul-26 18:46:29

Mice and rats love peanut butter, chocolate and cheese, so all good as bait.