Monterey County, Salinas Rat Control Situation:
Roof rats in apartment walls - Hi! I saw your page and hope this is still a valid email. I live in an apartment and do not have rats inside yet but do have them in my walls. The property manager called pest control who put traps with peanut butter on the roof but that is it! I called the county complaint line but they said it will be 7-10 days til they can come. What else can I do or get the manager to do? The noise is becoming more frequent and in more walls. I asked them to cut into walls but they won't yet. Thanks, Lindsay
Hello David, I have visited your site after searching for an answer to my problems. I think I have a rat living in my ceiling. Its driving me crazy, it makes so much noise especially in the evenings and it even wakes me up in the middle of the night. I live in a council flat on the top floor and the rat lives in the attic. The problem is that there is no human access to the attic at all, I have called the council and they said as there's no acces to the attic they cannot do anything. Only if the rat comes into the flat. It's outrageous! I stood outside one day and have noticed that on the top of the roof there is a very small gap, which I don't know what it's for but I think the rat is using this passage to come in or out, or perhaps the pipes. Anyway, how can I get rid of it without being able to put any poison or traps in the attic? Please help! Thanks you, Adriana
Salinas Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Cats Good at Keeping Rats Away?
When it comes to removing rats from homes, the use of cats in hunting these rodents is one of the best natural ways of getting that done. Cats and rats are natural enemies; hence cats are good at keeping rats away. The only issue with keeping cats to remove rats from your home is that there is a high probability of it being prone to catching other non-target animals like frogs, birds, and lizards. Also, there are no guarantees that the cat you bring into your home to keep rats away will help catch the rat within a specific time.
Apart from the hunting skills that cats use to remove rats, the scent of a cat will also make rats stay away from your home. Rats have a well-developed sense of smell and can easily pick up slight scents. With this, they can sense the presence of a cat in a particular area and stay as far as possible away from it. This survival instinct of rats will send them packing.
But for this to work the way you want it to, you need to find a cat that displays typical hunting behavior. Naturally, cats do have hunting instincts and the urge to catch rats. But this only gets triggered when the right environment is in place or the cats are encouraged to do so.
If you want a cat with a good hunting instinct, the first thing you need to do is to make inquiries as to whether the mother of the kitten was a good hunter or not. Cats learn the required hunting skills from their mother. If you want the cat you will be introducing into your home to be a good hunter, it will need to learn these hunting skills from its mother.
Are cats good at keeping rats away?
When it comes to removing rats from homes, the use of cats in hunting these rodents is one of the best natural ways of getting that done. Cats and rats are natural enemies; hence cats are good at keeping rats away. The only issue with keeping cats to remove rats from your home is that there is a high probability of it being prone to catching other non-target animals like frogs, birds, and lizards. Also, there are no guarantees that the cat you bring into your home to keep rats away will help catch the rat within a specific time.
Apart from the hunting skills that cats use to remove rats, the scent of a cat will also make rats stay away from your home. Rats have a well-developed sense of smell and can easily pick up slight scents. With this, they can sense the presence of a cat in a particular area and stay as far as possible away from it. This survival instinct of rats will send them packing.
But for this to work the way you want it to, you need to find a cat that displays typical hunting behavior. Naturally, cats do have hunting instincts and the urge to catch rats. But this only gets triggered when the right environment is in place or the cats are encouraged to do so.
If you want a cat with a good hunting instinct, the first thing you need to do is to make inquiries as to whether the mother of the kitten was a good hunter or not. Cats learn the required hunting skills from their mother. If you want the cat you will be introducing into your home to be a good hunter, it will need to learn these hunting skills from its mother.
