If you want to get rid of rats, but still haven’t found a method that works, don’t despair – you can get rid of rodents! We will tell you how to get rid of rats in a private house and apartment, about rat poisons and poisons, how effective electronic ultrasonic repellers are and why it is better to remove upholstered furniture from the room when using them. Is it possible to repel rodents with essential oils alone, and should you trust your grandmother’s folk advice on removing rats? You will find answers to all questions in this material.
There are many methods to combat these parasites that will not give them the opportunity to drive you crazy and destroy your home. But you must be prepared to fight comprehensively. We will tell you how to drive rats out of your house, what methods you can use to scare away or kill such unwanted neighbors, and how to make sure that they no longer appear on your territory - in an apartment or private house.
How to get rid of rats and mice in a private home
How to defeat a rat infestation in a private home?
The question is incredibly difficult. As experience has shown, not all means are good in this fight. Unfortunately, I had to verify this from my own experience. With the first frosts, it seemed like uninvited guests came to our house. We began to suspect this after something “boomed”, rustled and rang. After just about three weeks, the cautious noises turned into thundering madness.
While we were thinking about the humaneness of the methods and the inadmissibility of using poisons in the house, the rats began to multiply exponentially. And then we began to use all possible methods suggested to us, which we were assured would work 100 percent, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. But more about this...
From neighbor to internet
Where can I get the necessary information? The easiest way is to use smart tips from the World Wide Web. “A mousetrap is the most tested and reliable means of fighting rodents,” as it is written as a carbon copy on the Internet.
Indeed, my neighbors, using this simple device installed under the bathroom sink, caught all the mice. We had to fight a more serious enemy. Experienced fighters for sanitary cleanliness of houses note that it is much easier to defeat mice than their more intelligent relatives, rats.
They don't fall for the same trap twice. Rats are capable of thinking and analyzing: if one individual from a large family dies, an analysis is immediately carried out and the entire family will avoid this source of danger.
Mousetraps also have sizes
It turned out that these traps come in different sizes: miniature ones for catching mice and larger ones for rat “hunting”. You can find this device on the Internet for more than 2 rubles.
This happened only once. Never again, none of the rodents fell for this trap. No matter how much we ventilated and washed the mousetrap, no matter how much we placed it on the most tricky paths, the rodents masterfully avoided the dangerous obstacle and did not succumb to the alluring smell of cheese or other baits.
Crazy pens and glue
Delighted with the first result, we stated: one - zero in our favor! But the rats immediately struck back - they chewed through the cord from the refrigerator, which, moreover, was energized at that time. We immediately understood that this was revenge. There was nowhere to retreat.
Neighbor Maxim came to the rescue:
— Try making a glue trap. Place some seeds on a piece of hard cardboard and spread special glue on it. It is sold in all gardening stores. I put such a trap under the kitchen set: every night, a mouse would come across it.
But, alas, glue bait for our rodents turned out to be an overly naive method of control. Meanwhile, the husband was making another “correct” remedy, according to experienced mouse fighters. I took a 3-liter jar with a screw-on metal lid from my supplies.
I dug a hole in the center of the lid and cut about seven rays from it, which I slightly bent inward. It turned out to be a kind of mink. A lot of goodies were placed inside the jar: fried seeds, sunflower oil. They placed the jar on its side on the path in the hope that the rodents would like the house.
As the authors of this can invention guaranteed, the rodent will definitely crawl into the hole to feast on it, but will not be able to get out because the sharp teeth of the metal lid will be directed at it and will prick it. But our rodents had a different logic. Not a single rat ever used the jar trap.
This happened only once. Never again, none of the rodents fell for this trap. No matter how much we ventilated and washed the mousetrap, no matter how much we placed it on the most tricky paths, the rodents masterfully avoided the dangerous obstacle and did not succumb to the alluring smell of cheese or other baits.
Crazy pens and glue
Delighted with the first result, we stated: one - zero in our favor! But the rats immediately struck back - they chewed through the cord from the refrigerator, which, moreover, was energized at that time. We immediately understood that this was revenge. There was nowhere to retreat.
Neighbor Maxim came to the rescue:
— Try making a glue trap. Place some seeds on a piece of hard cardboard and spread special glue on it. It is sold in all gardening stores. I put such a trap under the kitchen set: every night, a mouse would come across it.
But, alas, glue bait for our rodents turned out to be an overly naive method of control. Meanwhile, the husband was making another “correct” remedy, according to experienced mouse fighters. I took a 3-liter jar with a screw-on metal lid from my supplies.
I dug a hole in the center of the lid and cut about seven rays from it, which I slightly bent inward. It turned out to be a kind of mink. A lot of goodies were placed inside the jar: fried seeds, sunflower oil. They placed the jar on its side on the path in the hope that the rodents would like the house.
As the authors of this can invention guaranteed, the rodent will definitely crawl into the hole to feast on it, but will not be able to get out because the sharp teeth of the metal lid will be directed at it and will prick it. But our rodents had a different logic. Not a single rat ever used the jar trap.
How eggs are stolen
Rats pose a danger to chickens and other inhabitants of nurseries due to the spread of infection and parasites. They reduce the offspring of birds by destroying young chickens and eating eggs.
Let's take a closer look at how rats steal eggs. The animals take the egg with their front paws, moving on their two hind limbs.
With its prey, the rodent is able to move not only along the floor, but also along the walls and ceiling. Most often, pests steal birds' eggs in groups, rather than individually.
Folk ways and methods of poisoning rats
Rats are vermin that can spread disease and also compromise the structural integrity of your home. Most commercial poisons promise to effectively kill rodents, but they contain extremely toxic chemicals that also pose a danger to humans and pets.
If you need to poison rats, you can prepare rat poison, which will be much safer than its chemical counterparts, at home. Below are various rat poison recipes.
Homemade Rat Baiting Remedy
- Mix 100g plaster of Paris and 100g cornflour in a small, possibly disposable bowl. Plaster of Paris can be purchased at most craft and hardware stores. It is a dry powder that, when mixed with liquid, expands in volume and eventually hardens.
- Add 1-2 cups (0.2 - 0.5 l) milk. You can add more milk if the clumps of cornmeal or gypsum remain dry.
- Knead this mixture into a dough by hand.
- Tear off and roll 2.5-5 cm balls from the resulting dough.
- Place the balls behind the refrigerator, inside cabinets, under the stove, or other places to bait rats.
- Wait a few days and check the balls to determine whether they have been eaten or not.
If some of the balls were not eaten, you will have to make another batch of poison and place the poison in other places. The plaster will harden and the bait will become inedible over time.
How to get rid of a rat in an apartment
- Mix 130g flour, 1 cup (200g) sugar and 130g baking soda in a large bowl.
- Place the dry mixture in shallow containers, such as canning jars.
- Wait one day and check the jars.
This is another effective way to control rats in your home because the bicarbonate in baking soda reacts with the rat's stomach acid and produces carbon dioxide gas. Rats cannot regurgitate gas formed in the stomach. The gas will accumulate in the rat's digestive system, which will ultimately lead to the death of the rodent.
Methods to control rats
Methods to control rats
- Combine one package of dry (cooked) potatoes and a cup of plaster of Paris in a large bowl.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon to the mixture.
- Add one glass of water to the bowl.
- Stir the mixture and form small balls from the resulting dough.
- Place the balls (or mixture in canning jars) in areas where rodents live.
Adding a little peanut butter to your poison bait will help you attract and kill rats faster. Make sure you find dead rodent carcasses, as decomposing rodents can fill your home with an incredible stench that will linger for months and is also potentially hazardous to your health.
Advice!
Do not leave rat poison where pets or children can reach it. Even though homemade rat poison is less toxic, it is made from substances that are hazardous to health if ingested.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to get rid of rats using absolutely safe means for humans and pets. Wash and thoroughly disinfect the bowls in which the poison was mixed if you plan to use them in the future. It is better to use disposable tableware.
Using ultrasonic repellers
Ultrasonic repeller is a modern product whose action is based on the influence of ultrasound. High-frequency wave oscillations affect the nervous system of rodents, causing a feeling of danger, fear and panic, as a result of which they rush to leave the room.
Human hearing does not pick up these vibrations, and the device has no effect on people. Acoustic emissions are considered safe for cats and dogs.
The repeller operates using electricity by connecting to the mains via an outlet or using batteries.
When using the device, it is important to consider the following features of its operation:
- The coverage area is determined by the wavelength, the parameters depend on the power of the device;
- signals do not pass through solid, smooth obstacles, but are reflected from them, increasing their impact in a confined space;
- Absorbers of acoustic vibrations are soft surfaces - furniture, carpets.
Manufacturers of the devices claim that after 15 days (maximum a month) there will not be a single rodent left in the house or apartment.
To increase the efficiency of repellers, it is recommended to use a separate unit for each room with a power sufficient for the given room, as well as remove carpets and take out upholstered furniture.
Attention! There are no exact data on the effect of repellent systems, so it is recommended to use additional methods in parallel. If the house contains hamsters, guinea pigs or other rodents, it is better to remove the animals while the repeller is operating.
Fighting rodents with folk remedies
I will tell you one old way to get rid of rodents in your basement and cellar. People call it dirty. And that's why.
Getting rid of rodents using ash
You need to take wood ash and grind it finely, and then sprinkle it on the dry floors of the basement and cellar at the rate of one bucket per 5-10 m2, of course, only in those places where it will not interfere with you.
The ash contains alkali, which corrodes the paws of rodents. They lick it off, which causes further irritation to the mouth and stomach. Therefore, rats and mice are forced to move to another place.
For humans, unlike mice, ash is absolutely harmless, which is why the method I described is good. But there is also a disadvantage to this means of getting rid of rats and mice, because the “tailed ones” spread ash throughout the house and this does not make it cleaner.
Fighting rats and mice using culinary methods
There is another original method of fighting rodents in my collection of folk wisdom, I call it culinary. Wheat flour and building gypsum (alabaster) are mixed in a 1:1 ratio and this dry mixture is poured into a container.
Water for drinking is placed nearby. The bait has a familiar smell and does not arouse suspicion. The essence of the method is that after eating and drinking, a rat or mouse gets specific indigestion, since after a few minutes the mixture hardens like cement in the rodent’s stomach.
In our village, sometimes instead of flour and alabaster they used a dry mixture of quicklime and sugar. And there is another tricky way - take a wine cork and cut it into small pieces with a knife, mix it with finely chopped crusts of bread, and flavor it with a few drops of unrefined sunflower oil.
Important!
When this culinary delight gets into the mouse’s stomach, the plug begins to swell and gets stuck in the mouse’s intestines. Did you know that rats are very sensitive to human smell? Therefore, when preparing bait for them, you need to use something plastic or wooden, it could be a stick or a spoon.
You can wear rubber gloves. Before spreading the bait, the rats must be fed normal food for several days. And only then food with a “surprise” is placed in the same place.
Rat poison
It is recommended to poison rodents in the household using quick-acting chemicals. The drug Krysin (in ampoules) is effective against rats.
Even small dosages of the drug are fatal to pests. You can get rid of the problem with the help of a toxic substance in 1-2 weeks. It is advisable to disguise the Rat under a piece of lard or fish.
It is important that the product is slightly spoiled: this way cunning rats will not recognize the smell of poison. Another way to use poisons is to add them to odorous drinks, such as beer.
Other poisons intended for pest control in the household include:
- Goliath;
- Ratid-1;
- Bromed;
- Brodifan.
How to protect birds and animals when using poison
Rodent poison is dangerous for birds and other animals living in the household. To prevent their poisoning, it is necessary to place baits with poison under heavy wooden boxes, where only rodents can get into.
Rats can carry the remains of poisoned food around the chicken coop, causing mass poisoning of birds. For this reason, when using poisons, it is advisable to move pets to another room for several days.
Exterminating rodents with perfume
To repel rodents, formaldehyde or kerosene has long been successfully used, the smell of which is so disliked by mice and rats. But these liquids can only be used to protect non-residential premises. I recommend that you spray the corners of the cellar or basement with formaldehyde or kerosene and the rodents will immediately leave there.
If you yourself do not like the smell of kerosene, then you can take a piece of old rubber, place it in a bucket and burn it on the fire using a blowtorch. It is better to do this while storing food in the cellar.
Well, if you are somehow not satisfied with all of the above methods, try another one. Mice and rats cannot stand the smell of mothballs. Make a mixture of equal parts of naphthalene derivatives and sawdust and sprinkle it near mouse holes, passages and holes.
Mice can be effectively exterminated with turpentine, the smell of which they cannot tolerate. To do this, soak a rag in turpentine and place it in the hole. After a few days, this operation must be repeated.
Reinforced concrete method of fighting rats and mice
Reinforced concrete method of fighting rats In order to prepare a cellar or underground for storing food, all existing holes must be filled with glass, stoned or concreted, and the supply and exhaust pipes closed with a fine metal mesh.
A week before storing food, you should disinfect the room with a bleach solution.
And I recommend smoking the cellar, which is located outside the residential premises, with a sulfur bomb before storing the harvest.
This is done like this: we plug up the vents and cracks in the room being treated. Light the wick and close the door tightly. The smoldering time of the checker is about 1 hour, the time of the cleansing effect of the smoke is 24-36 hours. After this, it is necessary to ventilate the cellar well for 1-2 days until the smell disappears completely. And your cellar will be cleansed of fungus, mold, rot, and insects. And the rodents will run away.
Marine method of getting rid of rats
One day, while sitting on a rubble, I heard about an ancient maritime method of fighting rodents. It is said that several healthy adult rats were placed in a strong metal barrel. Left without food, they began to devour each other.
Attention!
The surviving rat was released into the hold of the ship, where it found and ate all its relatives. Today, the method is not relevant, since it requires a strictly limited space for the activities of the surviving individual: otherwise you raise a monster and it will run away to another place. Yes, and there are simpler and less bloodthirsty methods of controlling rodents.
We exterminate rats with vodka.
And the last method of exterminating rats - you don’t know for sure - is with the help of vodka. Frol Fomich’s eyes sparkled slyly: “Here, dear man, you can’t get away with a wine cork, you’ll need half a liter for a scientific experiment.” I had to respect the old man.
Before his story, they took a sip of a glass. From a good conversation and a drink, Frol Fomich became slightly tired and he snored sweetly and took a nap on the rubble. I didn’t wake him up, so Frol Fomich will tell you about fighting rodents with alcohol next time.
Measures to prevent re-infestation of rats
To prevent repeated rodent invasions, you must:
- cover ventilation outlets with fine grilles;
- seal all cracks and rat passages with concrete mixed with glass;
- strictly monitor food products, which must be stored in tightly closed containers;
- remove garbage and food waste in a timely manner;
- clear the area of fallen leaves and debris;
- use fragrant herbs for preventive purposes.
Destruction of rodents or how to get rid of rats and mice
With the onset of autumn and the time of harvest, owners of various buildings have a question - how to destroy rats and mice in a house or barn. Interestingly, these rodents are the most adapted to cohabitation with humans.
Such a neighborhood cannot be called pleasant - both rats and mice in the country (and in any other habitat) are considered pests. To know how to protect against rats and mice, you must first determine what kind of object we are talking about.
Advice!
You can also contact our specialists for help (consultations are provided by phone or online). Our proposals include many effective ways to solve the problem of rodent infestations forever.
Rats in city apartments or offices - is such a neighborhood necessary?
Wild rats thrive in urban landscapes. They can move into living quarters from a nearby pond or landfill. In addition, rats and mice can live in the entrance or in the sewer. They can enter the apartment both through open doors and through cracks in the walls or ceiling, as well as through ventilation ducts.
How to remove or get rid of mice and rats in an apartment or office
How to remove or get rid of mice and rats So, rodent control in the house is definitely necessary.
- Firstly, rats and mice are carriers of many serious infectious diseases, including salmonellosis, rabies and plague.
- Secondly, these animals can live perfectly well behind drywall (even in a layer of foam plastic or insulation) and, as a result of their activities, damage not only the finishing, but also the main load-bearing and engineering structures of the house.
People may be bothered by the unpleasant odor emanating from rodents, as well as constant noise at night. There are also cases where rats have seriously injured pets and children - and these are just a few reasons to drive away harmful rodents for good.
What does effective protection against mice and rats in homes mean in this case? What set of measures should be taken and what means should be used:
- when choosing how to deal with mice at home, you can turn your attention to traps with glue: they “grab” the rodent in the same way as happens when using a mousetrap, but the whole process is much more humane,
- if there are not many rodents in the apartment, then measures to destroy them can be reduced to installing several traps with bait,
- methods based on pesticides will be appropriate if there are a lot of rodents and it is not possible to deal with them in any other way.
To ensure that protection against rodents is not needed again after their destruction, simple preventive measures will be required: thorough cleaning, sealing all cracks, and so on.
Rodents in the garden - how to get rid of or drive away rodents from the dacha
Indeed, the removal and destruction of rats in the countryside is very important for humans. First of all, rats and mice in the house are carriers of various “infections,” and mice in the walls can ruin many structures.
In addition, they feel great in a bathhouse, attic, cellar, chicken coop and even in beehives. So, the main methods are how to remove or get rid of mice and rats in a private home.
How to use ammonia against rats
The smell of ammonia is perhaps one of the most unpleasant not only for animals, but also for people. However, it is worth overcoming your disgust and using it against rats. You need to take small pieces of cloth or cotton wool, moisten them generously with ammonia and push them into passages gnawed by rats or place them where you saw rodents. Some even pour ammonia directly into animal burrows. This will permanently discourage rats from approaching your home. By the way, vinegar can be used for the same purpose.
Effective control of mice in a private home
Possible measures depend on what kind of private buildings the pests have chosen for themselves:
- the use of chemicals: with their help you can decide how to deal with rats in the cellar, preventing damage to household goods, or remove rats from the basement, minimizing the possibility of damage to the subfloor. But you cannot use poison in rooms with pets,
- traps and traps: in this way you can exterminate rodents in hives. Although, if we are talking about constant migration of pests, traps may not help.
Rodents on the site - how to preserve the harvest
Before deciding how to get rid of mice, garden rodents and rats in the garden, you need to know how they get there. For example, the vole mouse multiplies rapidly all summer - the number of individuals during the warm season can increase several dozen times (at the same time, they settle both near trees and directly in the beds).
Complete destruction of mice and rats in the vineyard is possible only after taking radical measures. Of course, the fight against voles in the fields also requires prevention - that is, keeping the area clean and free of waste accumulated on it. But rodents won’t just go away, which means that the fight against mice in the garden should be carried out using proven means.
Rodent control in the garden
Voles and other rodents are pests not only of fruit trees, apple trees, pears, plums and fruit bushes, but also actively destroy root crops, flowers (especially bulbous ones) and grain crops - not only by eating the crop, but also by damaging the root system of plants. The actual fight against rats and mice in the garden may involve using the following means:
- traps and other types of traps can only be used in such an event as garden protection if you know the permanent mouse trails or where their feeding areas are located,
- One of the ways to fight rodents in the garden is the use of pesticides. But in most cases this method is not only impractical, but also not safe for humans,
- The most modern and highly effective means of controlling rodents are repellers. Purchasing repellers is a humane way and will save you from having to look for animal corpses. Pests will simply leave an uncomfortable environment - even if there are many of them.
Why is it necessary to fight rats?
The main thing that should not be forgotten is that rats reproduce very quickly, so you need to start fighting them as quickly as possible. In a year, one female alone can bring about a hundred new small pests into your home. They cause significant damage to property, destroy and spoil food, and transmit many dangerous diseases. Imagine how much the damage caused by these rodents will increase if there are more and more of them in your home. And it will become much more difficult to get rid of them.
Mechanical methods
Catching rats
If rats appear in the house, the thought of using traps and traps comes to mind. Mechanical control methods were the first inventions that made it possible to cope with rodents on the territory of one’s own property.
Modern devices for mass disposal of rats are sold in specialized stores. You can make rat traps with your own hands.
There are pros and cons to using mechanical methods of fighting. A rat caught in a trap emits shrill screams, thereby scaring away other rodents. In the future, several options for events are possible. Rats leave the room or simply avoid traps.
The same goes for rat traps. An animal caught in a trap becomes a warning to others. The exception is camouflaged traps, the existence of which rodents are not aware of. A row of plastic bottles under the steps, with the neck cut off, greased with vegetable oil is a good protection against rats. Rodents fall into a bottle and cannot get out of it.
Mechanical methods of control include making loops for rodents. They are made from nylon cord, flexible wire. Tighten the loop and place it in places where rats were seen, against their movement. Rodents often move along the walls in the darkened part of the room. The head gets caught in the noose. They try to move forward, they show effort. The noose is tightening.
On a note!
You can also catch a rat with a towel if you have the time and desire. They wait quietly in a dark place, and when the animal appears, they quickly throw on a towel. This method has several disadvantages - you need to waste time and be able to react quickly. There is a human smell in the room; a rat can smell it without getting out of the hole.
Gel traps
Rat glue
A common product for mechanical trapping of rodents are traps made from an adhesive gel base. Within 14 days, the anti-rodent glue does not lose its properties and instantly fixes everything that gets into it. One touch of the paw is enough for the rat to firmly stick to the trap.
The methods for exterminating rats are impressive in their variety; the gel trap is one of the most effective among them. There are several advantages:
- you can catch a whole brood of rats;
- does not contain toxic substances;
- used in any room.
Glue is applied to cardboard, plywood, and plastic. Fixed to the floor using screws and nails. The size of the trap should be within 50*50 cm. The glue is applied in a continuous line with 3-5 cm indentations between the rows. The glue strip should be 5 cm wide.
You need to check it every day. Throw away the trap, make a new one, or get rid of stuck pests, renew the layer of glue. It is possible to kill rats using this method in a few weeks. To lure into a trap, a fragrant bait is placed in the center.
Interesting!
Rats are attracted by the smell of smoked meats, fish, meat, fried lard, chips, cheese, and seeds. Large rodents react less to flour, cereals, grains, and sweet foods.
How to get into the chicken coop
Rodents enter chicken coops through cracks in the building, open manholes, and clay floors. Rats can also enter a poultry house standing on stilts: the animals are good at climbing walls and vertical planes.
Rodents are especially attracted to the smell of eggs and warmth.
Let's consider other reasons for the appearance of rats in the chicken coop:
- sufficient feed and grains;
- suitable microclimate.
In winter, rodents escape the cold in heated chicken coops. Especially often, unwanted guests appear in those rooms where there is no foundation, but there are clay floors.
Signs of appearance
The following signs will help you recognize the presence of rodents:
- paw prints left on the floor of the chicken coop (usually rats move along the same paths);
- presence of rat feces;
- teeth marks left on wooden objects;
- the smell of ammonia in the poultry house;
- broken eggshells on the floor;
- passages gnawed into the walls and floor.
The versatility of the Hawk repellers
Hawk repellers are used both at home and for agricultural purposes. Advanced models are even allowed to be placed outside buildings.
Where can it be used
Repellers are used in residential buildings: apartments, houses, country cottages, etc. They are placed in holiday homes and tourist centers to protect visitors from rodents.
The beeping of the device causes severe emotional stress in rats.
The devices can be used in domestic premises: garages, storerooms, basements. They are required to protect granaries, production and warehouse buildings.
Due to the absence of harmful effects on human health and the large covered area, there are no restrictions on the use of Yastreb repellers. Some models are waterproof.
Prevention of re-breeding of rodents
To prevent the recurrence of rats, you need to do the following:
- Look around the room. Cover all holes and cracks with a mixture of concrete and broken glass. This will prevent animals from chewing their way through.
- Remove food from open access and clean regularly. Pests will have nothing to eat; they will not have material to build nests and shelters.
- Cover the ventilation shafts with fine mesh wire mesh. It is better to secure it with screws or screws. This will allow you to quickly remove or replace the mesh if necessary.
- Do not leave garbage near the doors to your apartment or house, or near the garbage chute.
- Lower the toilet lid. Rodents are good swimmers, so they move freely through risers and sewers.
- Place mosquito nets on the windows. It is advisable to close them when you leave home. Rats are able to climb trees and jump into houses. They can easily chew through the mesh while you are away. If you are at home, you will hear the noise and be able to react quickly.
To prevent rats from getting in, you need to throw out trash regularly.
It is recommended to use ultrasonic repellers for prevention. If they are turned on constantly, rats will not have the desire to move into your home.
Biological methods
The natural enemy of rodents is the cat. Animals are repelled even by the smell of the animal itself. A cat practices its hunting instinct by chasing rodents. Don't mind eating fresh meat.
While even a kitten can handle mice, only an experienced cat can overcome a rat. A large rodent can win in a fight with a cat. Therefore, the cat does not always agree to catch rats, and sometimes it simply flees.
To use a “biological weapon” against pests in the house, you need to be confident in the cat’s abilities. Choose not a purebred feline, but a semi-wild creature with pronounced natural instincts.
On a note!
The cat rarely associates with rats and does not particularly chase mice. Only a cat that is as big as large rodents can remove rats from the house.
