Random Question. Will a cat control rats?

[ksalvagno]

If there is a rescue in your area that has a trap/neuter/release program with feral cats. That would be a great choice. I got my first 3 barn cats that way. Many times the rescue group can't release the cat back where they live so they look for people who would be willing to make sure they have food, water and shelter. They have been great mousers. I would definitely have more than one. I noticed that the cats will gang up on a rat. Plus they have company and can snuggle when it is cold.

 

[dacjohns]

Kim,

I have two male cats you can have. I don't know how I'm going to get them to you since I don't have plans of going to NC any time soon.

 

[Blackbird]

Does the whole Tom cat leaving and never coming back part stop if they are neutered? Will they stick around if altered?

All of our best hunters have been females. We have some that are stunted in growth that we've been given after being abandoned, they've taken out wild rabbits (they leave the bantams and rabbits in the cages alone), squirrels, chipmunk, etc.

I guess it depends on the cat you get, keep an eye on the rabbits just to be sure though; and secure the brooder boxes!

 

[freemotion]

We had a cat that would reach into the rabbit cage and snag a baby, and pull it out through the wire (chicken wire.) Took a few days to figure out what was happening.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

as for the rats, it really depends on the rat problem and the cat. a larger cat would be your best chance, but rats, unlike mice, will form gangs and have been known to take out a cat from time to time.

we've got a rat terrier (our 2nd) and i would argue that that might really be your best choice*. ratties are the least terrier like of the terriers. neither one of ours has been a chewer (other than on the toys we give them which they instantly gut) or really hyper. they can tend to be a tad nervous but are extremely friendly and pretty easy to train. the one we have now is a completely spoiled sausage who wants nothing more out of life than to sleep under your covers, but she still kills rats when she is at the barn. she's very efficient at it.

terriers get a bad rap and, honestly, there aren't many terrier breeds i wouldn't have (you couldn't pay me to have a jack russell after being around my uncle's) but i'd get another rattie in a heartbeat.

*eta: ok, obviously if the problem is a really small one and you have no desire for a dog as a pet, then a rattie wouldn't be the best answer. if you don't mind having a dog around though ratties aren't "problem dogs" like you fear (i'm sure there are exceptions to this). they are also good for other little problem critters like moles.

It's nothing against dogs or even terriers, we just have a couple of rats, mostly mice and we already have two dogs. It's just that our dogs are inside and while I don't mind outside dogs, I think it would be rough on any dog other than LGDs to have to stay out in the barn, while the family and other two dogs are inside. By high maintenance, I simply meant very active and more socially dependant than a cat.

I didn't mean it to come off as though I thought of them as problem dogs. I've dealt with many terriers, both in and out of the vet office. They make wonderful pets and I'm sure they are useful for rodent control, they should be, it's what they were designed for. LOL It's just that a third dog is a little much, where as a barn cat would be almost completely independant.

(I guess you could say I like dogs too much to get one to be my living rodent control out in the barn by itself. LOL Cats? Eh, throw 'em out there, give them food and shelter and the occasional visit and they are content. Where I think a dog would seek companionship or become frustrated due to the isolation from the family and other dogs. No offense cat people. )

 

[The Vail Benton's]

I had a very basic Black & White Tuxedo type Domestic Shorthair that would bring squirrels home to me. I also have had cats that wouldn't touch a mouse if you served it to them in a crystal bowl. I think it's very much dependant upon the cat, but I do agree that it's probably a learned trait and a cat whose mother hunted will have probably learned to do so also.

 

[Beekissed]

My neutered tomcat is death on most rodents on this place...haven't seen a squirrel, mouse, or mole since he came. But his hunting of rats gets disrupted by the dogs, chickens and sheep, as the rats tend to stay in the outhouse or cellar. He has caught a few but not enough to keep them completely gone.

I just put some OneBite in the outhouse and cellar, where no other animal can get it and where the rats tend to nest.

One of my dogs have killed rats before, but he will not eat them, which is strange becauset this dog would chaw off his own leg and swallow it if he took the notion. I swear we are afraid to fall down outside, the dog is an eating machine!

If you are looking towards dogs, one of my sisters had wonderful ratting done by Boston Terriers and they were very nice little dogs also.

 

[SKR8PN]

(I guess you could say I like dogs too much to get one to be my living rodent control out in the barn by itself. LOL Cats? Eh, throw 'em out there, give them food and shelter and the occasional visit and they are content. Where I think a dog would seek companionship or become frustrated due to the isolation from the family and other dogs. No offense cat people. )

Very correct Wolf-Kim! Dogs ARE pack animals and as such are very social. They nave a need to be with their "pack" and when humans raise them, the humans become the "pack". Tying a dog to a box in the back yard is like putting a human in solitary confinement, only worse because the dog can SEE what he is missing and can become very territorial to the area he has control over. In other words, the length of his chain...........

 

[bibliophile birds]

It's nothing against dogs or even terriers, we just have a couple of rats, mostly mice and we already have two dogs. It's just that our dogs are inside and while I don't mind outside dogs, I think it would be rough on any dog other than LGDs to have to stay out in the barn, while the family and other two dogs are inside. By high maintenance, I simply meant very active and more socially dependant than a cat.

(I guess you could say I like dogs too much to get one to be my living rodent control out in the barn by itself. LOL Cats? Eh, throw 'em out there, give them food and shelter and the occasional visit and they are content. Where I think a dog would seek companionship or become frustrated due to the isolation from the family and other dogs. No offense cat people. )

i didn't mean to suggest that you were against dogs in general. i just meant for this particular situation. i wouldn't leave a dog out in the barn all the time either. the dogs on our farm (all 11 of them- there are 5 homes on the farm) basically spend their days at the barn chasing critters and hoping someone will do something cool (trail riding or moving cattle) that they can tag along on. they all go to their respective homes at night (except for the times they decide to have sleepovers at a house that isn't theirs). so dogs work for us, but they wouldn't if they had to be either/or.

a cat (a few would be even better) should be a fine choice.

 

[hwillm1977]

Our horse barn has a Jack Russell... he does go to his home with his family at night (which is across the driveway), but she opens the door in the morning and he spends the next 12 hours chasing mice, rats, etc... in the barn. That can include staring for HOURS at holes in the wall in case one pops out. He does great... the barn cats lay around on top of the tack boxes and watch

It really does depend on the cat... My house cat likes to make friends with mice, and will cuddle and wash them if he catches one... letting it go once it's nice and clean.

Try other barns who have litters of kittens, coming from actual barn stock might help with their drive to catch mice/rats.