How Do You Safely Get Rid Of Rats In Your Home When You Own A Cat?
Posted on: 26 August 2022
Even though you give your cat a lot of love and attention, they may not be the best rat catcher. Having a cat in your home when you're dealing with a rat infestation brings up some added difficulty in dealing with it since you need to use pet-safe methods of rat control. Thankfully, there are ways to deal with rats behind the walls without harming the little kitty. If you want to find out how, read on.
Absolutely Do Not Use Glue or Snap Traps or Rat Poison
Snap traps and rat poison both pose a serious risk to your cat. Cats are pretty good jumpers and smart ones can open cabinets. They can get into a snap trap accidentally. They can get into glue traps in the same way. It'll get stuck to their fur and you'll have to cut it out.
Rat poison is definitely out due to the risk of secondary poisoning. If your cat manages to catch and eat a rat that's been poisoned, they'll be poisoned too.
Use Live Traps to Remove All of the Rats Nesting in Your Home
Instead, the best way to deal with your current rat infestation is to put live traps in areas where they roam. Look at their grease marks as they run along the walls and put a live trap there. Bait it with something enticing to rats but not cats, like peanut butter or apple slices.
When rats go in, the trap will close behind them. You'll have to take the trap very far away from your house and release them. Live traps have the advantage of not being able to harm your cats even if they wander in there accidentally, so they're preferable.
After They're Gone, Exclude Them
Once you don't hear noises behind the walls anymore, it's time to prevent any more rats from coming in. You'll need to buy a roll of copper wool. If you notice any opening into your home larger than a quarter inch, that's able to be accessed by rats. Wad up some of the copper wool and put it in the gap to block them. Once the infestation is gone and they're excluded from your home, you're done.
If you need help fighting your rat infestation, contact a rat control service in your area that's pet friendly. Owning a cat when you're trying to get rid of rats in your home requires some special considerations, and the main one is that your cat's at risk of secondary poisoning if they eat a poisoned rat. A rat control professional will be able to set up traps in the right spots and block off your home from entry to exclude any more rats from invading.
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