Topic: Cats, Rats and POISON

[Squash64]

I asked (in another thread) about whether a cat could be poisoned by eating a rat which had eaten poison and Baccy Man confirmed that it could.

Some people on our site do put poison down so now I'm worried about our feral cats.

[attachment=1]
This is 'my' feral cat who I feed every day.  Being well-fed didn't stop her from catching a big rat the other day.

Would it be unreasonable to ask people not to use poison but to rely on the cats to keep the rat and mice population down?  I suppose there might be some people who think the cats should be poisoned too  :'(

What's it like on other sites?  Is poison the main way of controlling vermin?

[grawrc]

I would speak to your local council ratcatcher. Ours assured me that "the stuff we use nowadays is safe". Mind you he didn't offer further details.

[lewic]

What a beautiful cat, she certainly looks very well fed. Quite likely her full belly means she doesnt actually eat her kills - its probably more fun to go and hunt something else!

Agree its much better to have cats around than putting down poison. There used to be loads of rats on my plot but since tidying it up I havent seen any.

[shirlton]

Why use poison if you have feral cats. Surely poison is the last resort

[Flighty]

I have no doubts that feral cats are the best solution!

I used to work on a factory site where feral cats lived,were fed and looked after at minimal cost. New owners had them caught and removed against everyone's advice and wishes. A few weeks later there was an important delegation visiting and they along with all the top brass were standing in the middle of the factory when a very large rat run through the middle of them. Despite spending a fortune on poison and traps the problem continued and got worse, not surprising as the place was bounded by a railway and canal which are both wildlife havens!
 
We have few rat problems on our site, and I believe that's because they're kept in check by the resident foxes, and domestic cats from the adjacent flats and houses.

[asbean]

Our Serco ratcatcher puts the poison in tubes (with a sign on it saying what it is) that the rat can get into but cats can't.

I must say, I do worry about our cats, one in particular will eat anything.  The other night he nicked a piece of coriander and garlic naan bread off a plate, took it to the floor and held it down with his paw while he tore off bits to eat.

 ::) ::) ::)

[Chrispy]

My concern is other wildlife being poisoned, for example hedgehogs?
I am pretty sure your cats and other wildlife will be safe if the poison is used correctly, but is it?

Our site is surrounded by roads/houses and we have a few foxes and cats keep keep the rats down, although not very nice when you do get the remains of a kill on your plot.

[Squash64]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

My big worry is not that the cats will find the poison and eat it, but that they will catch, kill and eat rats or mice which have already eaten the poison.

I phoned the Council pest control office today and someone is going to call me back tomorrow.  When the ratcatchers say the poison is 'safe' I suppose they mean that it is unattractive to other animals and that they are unlikely to eat it.  They don't mention that a poisoned rat or mouse is toxic to an animal that might eat it.  I'll ask some questions tomorrow.

I might also contact our Council Allotment Dept. and ask them to let other sites know of the danger to feral cats from rat poison.

[Borlotti]

That looks a very happy, well fed cat. I would hate to think of it eating poison.

[Baccy Man]

The feral cats should do a much better job of keeping the rat population down than the poison would. A lot of the rat poison available to the general public is a waste of time because the rats have built up immunity to it or they eat a little bit realise it makes them feel ill & won't touch it again so they don't get a lethal dose. The stuff the council & pest control companies use varies I believe brodifacoum and flocoumafen are popular at the moment both of which are very effective but they can potentially cause problems with secondary poisoning or secondary consumption.
Fenn traps on the other hand are very effective when used correctly & although they can be expensive to buy initially they last for years.

[Old bird]

I thought that the poison thinned their blood to the point where they internally bleed to death.  I would think that the cats would need to eat a fair bit of rat to kill themselves as it is second hand and probably diluted by the time they are dead.  Only guessing tho.

We have cats on our site and a fair few rats as well - so they aren't doing a very good job - but having said that I think that they are all pet cats - so probably too well fed!

Old Bird

[elvis2003]

we have a few rats onsite at the lottie,and a few plotholders are asking me to get poion from the council,im reluctant to do so,as not only is it introducing a strong chemical,but we also have hedgehogs,a cat and lots of foxes. I cant,however,find an alternative,any ideas? cant see amyone forking out for a fenn trap,although i would if they were on my plot

[lincsyokel2]

I thought that the poison thinned their blood to the point where they internally bleed to death.  I would think that the cats would need to eat a fair bit of rat to kill themselves as it is second hand and probably diluted by the time they are dead.  Only guessing tho.

We have cats on our site and a fair few rats as well - so they aren't doing a very good job - but having said that I think that they are all pet cats - so probably too well fed!

Old Bird

Thats Warfarin. Most rats know what it smells and tastes like now so it practically useless.

[grawrc]

As I was leaving our site today one of our visiting cats squeezed through the side of the gate with a very fat and very dead rat in its mouth.

[macmac]

I basically don't like cats -actually individually they're fine but I think too many people keep TOO many all that said I would NEVER wish to see them suffer by poison or any other means.
We have a handful of lottie cats and they do what cats do which apart from when they catch baby moorhens ,is ok by me.
We had a pet cat Peggaty who was poisoned and it was horrible.
I think there are many folk who throw chemical poison around for a variety of reason without ever reading the label and considering the consequences . :(

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's a safe bet you will have rats visiting your plot even if you haven't seen them.

[cornykev]

As I'm typing we have small rat climbing up a bird table eating bread off the tray.  :( :( :(

[elvis2003]

update...spoke to the council pest control dept today,they will come and assess us this week,and use bait boxes with poison contained within...apparently they are of a size/proportion that do not allow any other creature in,not even squirrels,so may go with that.thats if the appropriate dept of the council agree to pay for it,of course!

[Squash64]

Elvis - even if other creatures cannot get the poison from the bait box, a cat could still be poisoned by catching and eating a rat which has eaten the poison.

[elvis2003]

hi Betty,I believe the rat gets trapped within the box,so a cat wouldnt be able to get to it,but Ill certainly be checking this out when they come. If it was down to me we wouldnt have poison at all,but Im duty bound to research all avenues
Rach
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