kitten attracting this! Rat?

2012paddy2012

have new kitten. It was in garden today spotted this taking an interest in kitten. I presume it is a rat. Kiddie now afraid kitten will be attacked by it.

firstly , is it a rat?(LOOKS LIKE A WELL FED RAT)
secondly , is kitten in danger?
Thirdly , how do I get rid of this un welcome visitor
thks
paddy

Kovu

Yes that is a rat. The kitten wouldn't be attracting it, food would. Have you a compost bin/food waste bin it might be getting at?
It shouldn't attack the kitten or do it any harm unless the kitten decides to play with it or try to attack first. If it were a starving hungry rat, I'd be a bit more worried for the kitten.

Rat trap with a bit of peanut butter/nutella and keep the kitten inside while it's set would be the option I'd take. You don't want rats piddling about your garden for your own sake, not just the kittens!

2012paddy2012

thks a lot. I put rat poison in a drain pipe near where rat emerged from (under shed).
I wonder if bits of kitten food was dropped would that attract rat? kitten is in shed. I don't want him in house.
his litter tray which he uses in at one side of shed , he has bed , food/drink , toys there as well.
kid arrived home with this kitten the other day. Hadn't the heart to say no.

If rats are arriving because of it I will have to reconsider. Young lad saw rat is afraid now to go to shed. (hate them myself)
shed is at rear of garden. at rear of shed , I have timber stored ,against it , someone told me that might also be an attraction to rats/mice??!!!

thks

Paddy

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

2012paddy2012 wrote: »

thks a lot. I put rat poison in a drain pipe near where rat emerged from (under shed).
I wonder if bits of kitten food was dropped would that attract rat? kitten is in shed. I don't want him in house.
his litter tray which he uses in at one side of shed , he has bed , food/drink , toys there as well.
kid arrived home with this kitten the other day. Hadn't the heart to say no.

If rats are arriving because of it I will have to reconsider. Young lad saw rat is afraid now to go to shed. (hate them myself)
shed is at rear of garden. at rear of shed , I have timber stored ,against it , someone told me that might also be an attraction to rats/mice??!!!
the
thks

Paddy

If you have only recently gotten the kitten then the Rat didn't just suddenly arrive. It was already around. Be careful with bait as a poisoned dead rat will be lying around somewhere.

MrWalsh

Poor kitten living in the shed. Why not in the house? Kittens need lots of socialising.

When the kitten becomes a cat you wont have a rat problem anymore, so she will earn her keep.

fryup

don't use poison, use a rat trap quicker & better for both you and rat

2012paddy2012

fryup wrote: »

don't use poison, use a rat trap quicker & better for both you and rat

Thank you. Afraid of my life of them ! (Rats) Kitten is minded like a baby played with all the time. Do you recommend any particular type / make of trap.... This will presumably mean having to meet this rat up close ! Prefer not to tho ðŸ˜႒

2012paddy2012

Just cleaning up round the area at mo I have a bird feeder up beside the shed outside I wonder would the feed falling from it be the attraction!? Think I will dump it ! Lastly is it not usual for these vermin to come out mainly at night

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

They say a Rat during the day is a sick rat.

2012paddy2012

Marleigh Angry Gem wrote: »

They say a Rat during the day is a sick rat.

Funny thing normally a large adult cat hangs around here during day and suns himself on the shed roof ...I saw yesterday he flew round to the back of the shed when I looked round he was watching the rear of the shed like a hawk ... The kitten had wandered under it around that time I thought it was the kitten but maybe he spotted the rat! Didn't catch it obviously

deise08

I wouldn't use poison myself. It's an awful death.
I would remove the poison you have put down especially with a young kitten.

2012paddy2012

deise08 wrote: »

I wouldn't use poison myself. It's an awful death.
I would remove the poison you have put down especially with a young kitten.

I love animals but rats no no ... Poison stays ... Hope he is hungry tonight

dubscottie

What I would do is get a wooden rat trap. Bait it with a bit cooked bacon, Stuck down with a drawing pin. WEAR GLOVES (the smell of human will put them off it) so Mr rat has to pull on it, so setting off trap.

Nuttella and peanut butter are useless in this heat as they melt away.

Place the trap against a wall or side of a shed where the "rat run" is.

Cover it (I got a hungry Magpie last weekend), but remember the loop needs space to spin round.

If the trap has gone off and the food has gone use poison. It takes 21 days for it to kick in though.. I have found however, that a unbaited trap works well if you have it on the "rat run".

Rats are smart.. You will get one in a trap and the rest will learn from that.

tisgrand

Rats infected with toxoplasmosis are attracted to cats and areas they frequent. It over rides the rats natural fear as a mechanism for the rat to be killed and consumed. This is necessary as the cat is the secondary host.

Half-cocked

Be really careful setting a rat trap if you have other wildlife like hedgehogs around the place.