Blocking rat holes

[Daniel Prince]

Yesterday my (indoor only) cat left a small rat in my bedroom. I have been hearing strange noises in my kitchen at night. When I find the hole the rats are coming in through, what should I fill the hole with. I want something that rats can not, or will not, chew through and that is easy to use. Thank you in advance for all replies.

-- Whenever I hear or think of the song "Great green gobs of greasy grimey gopher guts" I imagine my cat saying; "That sounds REALLY, REALLY good. I'll have some of that!"

[The Streets]

For small holes, I've had success with steel wool.

[gfretwell]

I wouldn't block the hole right away, I would put a glue trap in front of it. Mane sure you lond it down well. I usually staple it yo a piece of plywood or tywrap it to a 1/8" steel plate that is too heavy for a rat to run off with. If your cat caught one you have more.

[salty]

Rodents HATE steel wool. Once they encounter it, they will never try to get through that spot again.

Finding how they got in can vary from nearly impossible to forget it. This is the time of year when they are looking for a warm place to spend the winter. Your biggest problem is that with a cat in the picture, you can't set out poison. On the other hand, your cat's presence will be a pretty effective deterrent. Also make very sure that there is NOTHING for them to eat. That includes dirty dishes left overnight on the counter.

[observer]

I can't imagine living in a place with a rat infestation but since that is going on where you are how about putting the cat away for a few weeks with someone else, lay out poison and after a week start going over the exterior of the house (yes, big task) to block entry. Then focus on the interior holes.

[Kurtis Long]

"observer" wrote

Are you kidding me? Why would anyone want to block a rat hole?

You can get almost $2 a pound, at any Chinese restaurant!

Just bait the area, wait with a ballbat, and club them! Hopefully you'll get a couple hundred pounds by the end of the week.

It's easy pickens! Fast cash!

[salty]

Who said anything about an "infestation"?

Mice and rats have a seasonal tendency to start trying to find a warm place to winter over. It has nothing to do with cleanliness, income level, or anything else.

There are rats all around you. I can hear them calling. observer... obserrrrrrver! We are coming for you!

[robson]

Right on. I get the buggers each fall. I lay out the Rattack bait, they eat it up, die a short but painful death and thats the end of them till next year.

[Cheri]

:) that was my first guess.

Cheri

[observer]

Good for you. Around here people don't have rats but the student slum areas in the southern end of the province have them occasionally.

Maybe a little cage for your seasonal buddies to sleep in would nice.

[salty]

Unless you are Sponge Bob Square Pants, living in a pineapple under the sea, you are, quite simply, deluded.

[Oren]

LOL. Search: Canada Province Rat-Free for 50 Years*

• ( In the Canadian province of Alberta, a 50-year battle has succeeded in keeping the province rat free. But it's not an easy task. To deter such a resourceful animal requires eternal vigilance. )

Imagine that:)

-- Oren

"The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!"

[SteveB]

Other than gopher guts, which are out of stock frequently at my store, steel wool is the most suggested thing by people who know these things. Really cheap and easy to use.

Steve

[SteveB]

"Kurtis Long" wrote

Uh, to keep the rats out?

[Dan Espen]

I disagree.

We have a declawed indoor cat. We had a hole in the dryer hose and had a chipmunk, mouse, mole, and another mouse get in before we found the entry place.

I dispatched one of the mice with a hammer. (It was the first thing I saw.)

Other than that one, our indoor cat was right on the case. As soon as the rodent was in the house we could tell something was up. The cat was all attentive and watching for the rodent to get into open space. None of them lasted more than a few hours.

If you have rodents in the walls, the situation might be different but if they're just getting in the house, you don't need traps the cat will get them.

I'm sure our old cat looks back to that time as her glory years. She's 16 now and still going strong but it's been at least 10 years since her last kill. Poor kitty.

[HeyBub]

Do nothing other than leaving the cabinet and pantry doors ajar.

Consider Towser (who you can Google) who, for 23 years was the mouser-in-chief at the Glennturrent Distillery in Scotland. During her tenure, she caught 28,989 mice, quite a few rats, and an occassional rabbit.

Praise your kitty; she's earning her keep.

[jmagerl]

I've had good luck with a blob of great stuff mixed with pea gravel trowelled into the hole AT least it works with chipmunk holes

[Terry]

I have found traps inefective.

Check out the pic for the reason. :)

[Oren]

A one week stay on Rat Free Island

-- Oren

"The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!"

[SteveB]

Goodie. What do we win?