Is a neighbour poisoning rodents? And will it hurt cat?
Discussion
Hi,
digging in the garden yesterday I noticed a full sized rat twitching a few meters away. These were its death throws. I was making plenty of noise and it was in an exposed spot in broad daylight in an area with plenty of cover nearby so it must have either been there a long time, very brave, or not behaving normally. We have lived in the house for 8 months and only ever seen one so I don't think they are confident urban rats I have seen else where. We live in the country and are surrounded by woodland so we weren't concerned (it you don't want wildlife in garden, don't live in the country). Later I found a dead mouse, again in the middle of an exposed location. Finally our cat, which has never caught anything in its life, bought in a dead mouse, which she may have found, rather than caught.
Do the symptoms of the rat sound like poison or was it just having a heart attack?
If someone is poisoning them and my cat eats one, will it harm the cat?
Thanks
digging in the garden yesterday I noticed a full sized rat twitching a few meters away. These were its death throws. I was making plenty of noise and it was in an exposed spot in broad daylight in an area with plenty of cover nearby so it must have either been there a long time, very brave, or not behaving normally. We have lived in the house for 8 months and only ever seen one so I don't think they are confident urban rats I have seen else where. We live in the country and are surrounded by woodland so we weren't concerned (it you don't want wildlife in garden, don't live in the country). Later I found a dead mouse, again in the middle of an exposed location. Finally our cat, which has never caught anything in its life, bought in a dead mouse, which she may have found, rather than caught.
Do the symptoms of the rat sound like poison or was it just having a heart attack?
If someone is poisoning them and my cat eats one, will it harm the cat?
Thanks
If a rat ingests poison then your cat eats the rat it could definitely kill your cat. I don't believe there is any type of poison that works on rats but harmless to cats/dogs. And if the rat eats a load of it, there is going to be plenty still in there just like it was fresh from the packet.
It'd be worth going round and speaking to the neighbour ? Perhaps offer to put down some traps for them.
It'd be worth going round and speaking to the neighbour ? Perhaps offer to put down some traps for them.
Posions nowadays are pretty much universally double-dosage.
Very unlikely to kill your cat even if it scoffs the poison itself.
Modern poisons have been developed so they will not kill not target species (unfortunately this also makes them pretty ineffective) so you should be ok.
If your neighbour is poisoning rats and there are rats about, then the other options are limited. They are very tricky to control, even using poison.
Very unlikely to kill your cat even if it scoffs the poison itself.
Modern poisons have been developed so they will not kill not target species (unfortunately this also makes them pretty ineffective) so you should be ok.
If your neighbour is poisoning rats and there are rats about, then the other options are limited. They are very tricky to control, even using poison.
Posions nowadays are pretty much universally double-dosage.
Very unlikely to kill your cat even if it scoffs the poison itself.
Modern poisons have been developed so they will not kill not target species (unfortunately this also makes them pretty ineffective) so you should be ok.
If your neighbour is poisoning rats and there are rats about, then the other options are limited. They are very tricky to control, even using poison.
Very unlikely to kill your cat even if it scoffs the poison itself.
Modern poisons have been developed so they will not kill not target species (unfortunately this also makes them pretty ineffective) so you should be ok.
If your neighbour is poisoning rats and there are rats about, then the other options are limited. They are very tricky to control, even using poison.
Sounds like he might be using something. Rat poisons are typically Coumarins. They work by inhibiting clotting, leading to internal haemorrhage, hence shock and death. Second generation coumarins that tend now to be found in modern rat poisons last longer and hence are potentially more harmful.
I see infinitely more cases of toxicity to over the counter flea products (synthetic pyrethroids) than to rat poisons (exceedingly rare). Eating poisoned rodents could certainly poison the cat, it would probably lead to a general malaise, off food etc with quite possibly some difficulty breathing and possibly bruising or unexplained bleeding. If your cat becomes unwell, take him to the vet and mention your concerns, they can easily test his clotting ability to rule out coumarin toxicity.
If you use traps, please check them at v. least every 24h (preferably alot more frequently) and have a plan in case the trap has trapped rather than killed...
I see infinitely more cases of toxicity to over the counter flea products (synthetic pyrethroids) than to rat poisons (exceedingly rare). Eating poisoned rodents could certainly poison the cat, it would probably lead to a general malaise, off food etc with quite possibly some difficulty breathing and possibly bruising or unexplained bleeding. If your cat becomes unwell, take him to the vet and mention your concerns, they can easily test his clotting ability to rule out coumarin toxicity.
If you use traps, please check them at v. least every 24h (preferably alot more frequently) and have a plan in case the trap has trapped rather than killed...
Yes though much lower risk than it used to be unless the cat/dog eats the bait directly and probably a few times.
If you have a mouser and it ingests a few affected mice then it could be in trouble due to the accumulative effect of the poisons. Someone on ph lost a cat to poisoning a couple yrs ago sadly suspected rat poison, though it is a lot less common than it used to be.
You really need to know the action of the bait being used and toxic dose levels.
Unfortunately these are only a guide as I have seen over the years individual animals do react differently so toxicity can only ever be a guide.
It'd be sensible to enquire about what is being used and how it is being distributed.
And to answer the first question, poisoning has to be considered.
If you have a mouser and it ingests a few affected mice then it could be in trouble due to the accumulative effect of the poisons. Someone on ph lost a cat to poisoning a couple yrs ago sadly suspected rat poison, though it is a lot less common than it used to be.
You really need to know the action of the bait being used and toxic dose levels.
Unfortunately these are only a guide as I have seen over the years individual animals do react differently so toxicity can only ever be a guide.
It'd be sensible to enquire about what is being used and how it is being distributed.
And to answer the first question, poisoning has to be considered.
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 10th May 14:18
doesn't sound like a poisoned rat to me. When they get poisoned they bleed to death and look drunk, being very slow and wobbly. I'd say it was attacked by a weasel or a stoat (can never remember which is which), it was disturbed and sneaked back when you left to finish the job. They certainly don't make any noise when they get poisoned.
also, don't forget they would need a full dose of the poison. There would probably be active ingredient in the rats system and a belly full of product. The actual product as Bitrex on it that isn't palatable to non rodents IIRC, it makes the vomit and rodents can't vomit.
also, don't forget they would need a full dose of the poison. There would probably be active ingredient in the rats system and a belly full of product. The actual product as Bitrex on it that isn't palatable to non rodents IIRC, it makes the vomit and rodents can't vomit.
How can you be sure your cat has never caught or killed anything? Maybe in her move the countryside she has discovered her hunting skills.
My cat is the sweetest thing indoors - yet it's surely her who leaves me families of rodents and half eaten birds on the doorstep. Because I very much doubt the neighbour is poisoning them and they're making their way to my front door to die...
ETA. Your cat is a murderer. HTH.
My cat is the sweetest thing indoors - yet it's surely her who leaves me families of rodents and half eaten birds on the doorstep. Because I very much doubt the neighbour is poisoning them and they're making their way to my front door to die...
ETA. Your cat is a murderer. HTH.
Gretchen said:
How can you be sure your cat has never caught or killed anything? Maybe in her move the countryside she has discovered her hunting skills.
My cat is the sweetest thing indoors - yet it's surely her who leaves me families of rodents and half eaten birds on the doorstep. Because I very much doubt the neighbour is poisoning them and they're making their way to my front door to die...
ETA. Your cat is a murderer. HTH.
I agree, she may well have caught the mice. She, in her 14 years on the planet, did one catch a butterfly and meowed very loudly at a dragon fly that landed near her. Then it flew off. My cat is the sweetest thing indoors - yet it's surely her who leaves me families of rodents and half eaten birds on the doorstep. Because I very much doubt the neighbour is poisoning them and they're making their way to my front door to die...
ETA. Your cat is a murderer. HTH.
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