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| It is mine. Pasta costs money. I bought it cheaply. But, this was originally expensive. I will protect what is mine. So, if your conscience has a problem with protecting what is yours, GO NO FARTHER. If you are eating or squeamish, maybe you should leave. You have been warned. Graphic photo ahead written on Sunday Tonight, I was talking to a friend. I mused that tonight is the night I get rid of the rat that has been in my house. Two nights ago, the rodent decided the kitchen was his, too. I got up and went to the kitchen and heard him to my left. When I started picking things up, I was kicking a box to scare him away. Really, I have no desire to pick up a rat. Then, I heard scritches to my right. Then, as my skin crawled, and my breathing came more rapidly, I heard mighty scratching to my right. I kicked the box to my right. More scritches then cries came each time I kicked the box. My adrenaline flowed. I was puzzled. Why didn't the rat run? Why was he screaming? My kicking of the box could not hurt him! I lifted a box sitting on the box and saw the sticky trap lying on its side, just like I had wedged it into a space between boxes, a natural route since all the other boxes were too close. Plus, I had seen the rat run in that direction. My idea worked days later! The rat was stuck on the sticky trap. I ran for the kitchen garbage can, empty and very tall. The tongs were at hand, so I grabbed those from the drawer since the last rat caught on a sticky trap tried to bite the box I put near him. Then, I ran out the door with the screaming rat in the garbage can. The strangest thing happened. Six squirrels ran over the fence and up the trees as I emerged with the screaming rodent. They knew a distressed fellow rodent. Grabbing the bucket that the ac drips into, I dumped the rat and sticky trap. He only struggled for thirty seconds. I assure you it was a swift death with his little lungs. I do not feel one bit guilty.  At one point this evening, I thought there were two rats. Now, I have not heard one for hours, so I got the only one. The problem now is to keep others from entering. I am on it. Sure, I could make it my job to protect the pasta. But, the one last package was still not in rodent-proof packaging. It is now. For the last week or two, I have stored everything in upper cabinets, the microwave, the oven, in or on top of the refrigerator. But, there are germs that I don't want to live with, not just a gnawing rat. I am not sure what has been destroyed in the way of food. Last time, he ate into a one-pound bag of rice. I did not lose much, except peace of mind. The expensive rat trap sits untouched....sigh. About 20-years ago in my ninth grade English class, I stomped a mouse that ran from a closet. The teacher must take the lead...lol. The next day I told the guys sitting near it to stomp the next one since I could not make it to that side of the room. A kid in work boots stomped it as hard as he could, literally scattering the mouse to all parts of the room. Most of these were country kids with no tender feelings for a mouse. Some girls wanted to catch the mice and put them outdoors. The other kids told her what would happen. I told them of the health consequences. The school exterminated them. The garbage can is washed. Rat and trap are disposed of. Tongs will be sterilized. My heart is still pounding. Okay, I just heard another rat! Your turn Are you a bloodthirsty rat killer? |
Monday, October 14, 2013
You May Hate Me
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Only the desert variety.
ReplyDeleteStephen,
DeleteThe ones in my house are my target, no matter what their names.
I don't where they want to live, desert, wharf, roof, I just want them dead.
DeleteI have indoor/outdoor cats. One of them turned out to be a mighty hunter. He would find rats that were huge (their tails were as long as their bodies - a little smaller than a wharf rat but was probably a wood rat). Boots would bring them in, play with them and then loose them in the house. Dad would have to dispatch the rats when it was discovered. Since Dad died, I think the cats have only brought in a couple of rodents - it was like they realized I didn't want to deal with the whole issue. Although, one of the cats I had did bring dinner in the house one night. After listening to him go crunch, crunch in the hallway as I was trying to eat my dinner in the living room - he was invited to dine outside.
ReplyDeleteSarahy
sarahy,
DeleteI need a cat. My friend only let his cat in after using a flashlight to examine the cat's mouth. Otherwise, the cat would bring in baby rabbits, gophers, rats, grasshoppers. I would have invited the cat to eat outdoors, also. You probably were not as much fun in rat catching as your Dad.
If you have to open the door for them, use a flashlight to see what they are bringing you.
Linda: The cats have pet doors so they come and go, literally, on their time frame.
DeleteBefore we had pet doors, we had a couple of cats. One of them wouldn't let my cat eat so we started feeding my cat in the house. One night I called her and she came running to the front door with this big thing in her mouth - she was also invited to dine out that night.
seyrey,
DeletePet doors does make it difficult to control what the cat brings in. LOL... I would not be allowing a cat with a rat to eat it in the house, either.
I haven't had a cat in quite some time, but when I did, they were house cats – always ready for action. Not going outside didn't bother them. They took care of the critters in the house that didn't belong there and loved my children so sweetly.
DeleteJanie,
DeleteI think I need a resident house cat. You and your children must not have allergies. Good!
Sister, I am with you! .....For the most part in life I'm pretty Zen and almost a Buddhist until you invade my space and then watch out! I go all Rambo and will take you out!
ReplyDeleteJanet,
DeleteMy space--it's all about that. I was shaking. I am glad to have a Rambo friend. What a great response!
Congratulations! We've been lucky here, just squirrels and chipmunks to contend with, but when we lived down south there were rats everywhere. I used warfarin blocks, nailed to pieces of wood. That forces them to eat it, rather than just carrying it off and hiding it for later. We had cats as well, but two years in that place and we were still fighting the rats. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWendy,
DeleteDid the cats not eat dead rats? Rats are just the most horrifying creatures to deal with. Well, mice, too, horrify me. I may have to resort to something deadlier, but I have never heard of warfarin blocks. Thanks for the information and encouragement.
Rats! I am an immaculate housekeeper, but because we live in the pnw, near a wetland, (water source) and our garage was accessible, we got visited by many ratsm. I was mortified! I called the exterminator. We went on a year plan, had insulation replaced, and so far, they are gone. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteMeg,
DeleteMortified is correct! I cannot afford an exterminator. I am glad you got rid of the problem. In over 30 years, this is the third visit. There is no insulation in most of this house, so they won't destroy that. I will check the hole where they usually come in and see if they have removed the barrier. Thanks.
Linda: Have you tried putting steel wool in the hole - I understand that can be effective although I haven't tried it.
Deleteseyrey,
DeleteI heard about steel wool and that it did and did not work. I might just try that! Thanks for the reminder. I may put a piece of Irish Spring in the steel wool to help deter the rat.
An exterminator told us they would chew through steel wool or caulking. I don't remember how we repaired entry points, but we had mouse problems. Rats are a whole other problem.
DeleteJanie,
DeleteSomething has to give!
Good for you. I hope you don't have more. But if you do, KILL THOSE RATTY BASTARDS!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Janie,
DeleteThanks. I certainly will. I have not heard one since last night. RATTY BASTARDS is correct.
I'm with you. Kill all rodents that make it indoors. We have mice come to visit almost every year in the fall since we no longer have an indoor kitty. I usually set snap traps and catch them pretty easily, but what a mess they make. I keep my house very clean and keep all food in my house in containers a mouse cannot get into yet they still come to visit. It's horrible. They don't just visit my kitchen. They visit under the bathroom sink and even in the spare bedroom dresser. The mice this year were the boldest yet. They dashed across the floor right in front of me. They were apparently related to Houdini since they could get peanut butter off the snap traps without triggering them. I bought sticky traps and as well as poison had set them up everywhere in my house. I caught 3 and so far on the sticky traps and that seems to be all. It looks like they may have also nibbled the poison. I've cleaned my entire house and no more signs in the past week. I really don't want another house kitty because of family with allergy issues, but if this keeps up I'm going to have to get a kitty or pay the exterminator. What a pain.
ReplyDeleteRats are coming in for shelter. They want to use our old quilts for nests for their babies. Of course, they will eat our food or scraps, anything they can find in the trash can. Bathrooms sometimes have openings around pipes for their entrance.
DeleteAt night I have been keeping my hens' eggs on top of the refrigerator instead of on the counter. Most things are safe, just a few things that are stored out or have not been transferred to mouse-proof glass jars.
I would try to find their entrances before I went for an exterminator. Please don't put a cat in the house if someone has allergy problems. I know that medication can help the person with allergies, but I would prefer to have the exterminator.
If the only thing you can do is traps, that works, too. I cannot afford another sticky trap, or I would put more in here. Thanks for the information. Find their entrances.
You call that a rat!!! Get outta here. You have cockroaches bigger than that, cockroaches being ONE thing that I had in the South that I never see in Oregon and am glad for it, although I have no idea why they don't like it here.
ReplyDeleteSnowbrush,
DeleteYou made me laugh so. Remember, it is freshly from a bucket of water. Yes, I have seen larger ones around, but this is all I have. You are so right about the cockroaches, especially the ones that live outdoors until they decide to visit indoors.
No cockroaches in Oregon? Wow! That works for me.
There is another rat now, so I will try to get a larger one to show you. I thought there were two in here when I caught him. I guess all the rat screaming scared the other off until tonight. I need a recording of rat screams to play periodically.
Thanks for the good hearty laugh.
Ugh!
ReplyDeleteSue,
Delete"Ugh" is correct.
that is a young one, juvenile.. Probably staking out new territory. Since rats have 6-24 in a litter, you're probably going to hear a few more ...as others will also seek this now, newly vacated territory. Steel wool alone won't work as well as steel wool and EXPANDING FOAM (sold in hardware stores) to fill any gaps. They won't gnaw into the combination. Meanwhile, the only good thing about rats...is if you have rats you WON'T HAVE MICE. Rats kill mice, clean out the nests and all it's called "Muricide"
ReplyDeleteyuck!
DeleteI will use both if that is what it takes. Just great about the rats killing mice! Thanks