Whatcom County, Bellingham Rat Control Situation:
Hello David, I found your website very interesting. It didn't answer all of my questions so maybe you can help me out. I live in a two-story row home in Bellingham WA that is attached to neighboring row homes on both sides. I renovated the house and moved in a few months ago. I have a cat that is an excellent mouser. She has proven herself in my last home but I have not seen evidence of her catching any mice here. In fact, I have not seen any evidence of mice here at all since I have moved in, although there was evidence prior to my renovations. For the past week I have been hearing a lot of scurrying sounds in the ceiling cavity between the first and second floors. It happens mostly at night, but sometimes during the day on the weekends. It could also be happening while I am away at work. The only way I could access this cavity would be by cutting holes in the ceiling from the first floor. For this reason I am tempted to try poisons instead of traps, but I know your website does not recommend this. My neighbors on both sides of me tell me that they have mice in their homes. They are not as fortunate as I to have a good cat. I am not worried about mice in my living spaces. If they do manage to get through the drywall my cat will take care of them in a very short time. I am worried about damage to my wiring in the ceiling, and my wife's peace of mind in regards to the scurrying sounds at night. I believe the mice are using my ceiling cavity as a highway to travel between my neighbors homes. I believe I have sealed up all of the openings on the exterior of my home. I cannot say the same for my neighbors. To make a long question short, what do you recommend?
I am desperate & concerned for my family.I just want the rat problem gone forever. How much would you charge to come out to my house & complete this step by step process to get rid of the rats once and for all. After reading your article, I am convinced my regular Bellingham pest control company cannot completely resolve my problem. They have sealed up obvious points of entry with metal screens, behind which they have placed scent deterrents. You say this is not effective. I would agree as the rats are gnawing on my roof, trying to break back in. My garden is large with natural food sources from plant seeds, but otherwise is clean. I do not leave pet food, garbage or other food sources available. The crawl spaces are clean. How can I keep rodents from wanting to break into my attic? The pest control company says that the scent left by the former residents of my attic is attracting the new rodents. It's their 'scent trail' to tell them where 'home' is. I understand their strong desire to find a place to live. I read that fake owls and scent deterrents do not work. I do not want to poison the animals. I had agreed to snap trap the ones that were in the attic but only because the service would not live trap them. What now?
Bellingham 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.
