ALUMINUM TRASH CANS FOR FEED STORAGE

[K0k0shka]

or cats? I find cats invaluable around the farm. They even keep away the pesky ground squirrels.

Cats don’t really bother with rats, they mostly hunt mice and other smaller rodents. Rats are too big and aggressive for them and not worth the fight.

 

[Folly's place]

Our barn cats always considered rats our problem, not theirs.
Mary

 

[K0k0shka]

Our barn cats always considered rats our problem, not theirs.
Mary

I lived on a farm up until college and we had really good barn cats. Even the best of them only ever once brought us rats though, and it was because she had found a nest and the mother was away, so the cat brought us the baby rats one by one. It was 6 or 7 of them. We'd reward the cats for rodents so this cat would bring the baby rats one by one, wait for her reward, eat the reward, and only then go and bring another baby, so she'd make sure to get a separate reward for each baby rat She was a great cat. Never bothered with adult rats though.

 

[Stephine]

Interesting! Our cats definitely catch juvenile rats. And their mere presence seems to keep away the ground squirrels.

 

[K0k0shka]

Interesting! Our cats definitely catch juvenile rats. And their mere presence seems to keep away the ground squirrels.

Probably because juveniles are smaller and less likely/able to put up a fight. Grown rats are meeeeeean and they don't go down easy (unlike mice and the other smaller rodents).

 

[Stephine]

Probably because juveniles are smaller and less likely/able to put up a fight. Grown rats are meeeeeean and they don't go down easy (unlike mice and the other smaller rodents).

I’m sure you’re right. Helps a lot though, if they catch a lot of juveniles, fewer big ones. Plus it seems the rats don’t like having cats around, even if they could fight them. Maybe they know their offspring would be doomed…