Author Topic: Looking for a rat catcher ! (Read 2738 times)

HappyHippy · « **on:** April 11, 2011, 02:49:04 pm »

Hi folks,
I'm in need of a couple of farm kittens (or a small terrier

) to take over the job which my dad's old, fat (& neutered) cats don't do a very good job of $:-\$
I'm in Lanarkshire, have tried a few local farms with no luck. The cat & dog home don't have anything apart from lots of Staffies and pampered house cats and a friend is looking for £250 for her JR x Border terrier puppies

(That's how much I paid for my pedigree GSD a few years ago - not much dog for your money nowadays it seems

)
Help !
I don't mind travelling within 1-2 hours of Glasgow if anyone can help.
Thanks

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #1 on:** April 11, 2011, 04:34:50 pm »

Good luck!! If you go for a cat, try and get a siamese or siameseX. Our Si cross is the most amazing ratter. I know |I moan about her on facebook but the amount of rats she gets through is untrue. She has now taken to sitting in the chicken run (despite the grumpy old cock - not tony, the other one - staring at her

)

Fleecewife · « **Reply #2 on:** April 11, 2011, 05:51:25 pm »

Hi HH

A good ratter from a line of good ratters will fetch a premium - it's not the size of the dog but his ability to kill the rats that counts. For £250 you would want to see his parents working. We swapped a good tup plus a lot of notes for Lucy (the Patterdale x Cairn) who is the best instinctive ratter. Rippy the JR was a bit less but still a hefty wack

Definitely not lb for £

. How about asking around for people who own working terriers who might come to do the initial clearance while you wait for your terrier or kitten to grow? (Lucy was 10 weeks when she killed her first giant mother rat but I don't think they usually start so young) They might even know a good source of a pup for you, but you would want one which could be trusted with the children too.

ps - our cat doesn't catch rats unless they are young. She catches everything else though

HappyHippy · « **Reply #3 on:** April 11, 2011, 07:37:31 pm »

Hiya

See, I was after a wee Lucy Fleecewife

Something small and deadly

We're not over run or anything, they're just getting a bit too close to the house - but that's because the chickens are in the garden $:-\$
So my plan is now to get the chooks oot the garden asap and I've managed to get hold of someone local with 2 pregnant farm cats................just got to wait now

Be interesting to see how my big, brave dog gets along with 2 kittens though - I'd better buy him some skirts so he can stand on the chair, lift them up and squeel whenever the kittens get close

Fleecewife · « **Reply #4 on:** April 11, 2011, 11:02:57 pm »

Oh I bet he'll love them

Ours all get on well - the cat loves to hide behind the curtains and ambush the dogs. Who says animals don't have a sense of humour

. When we had giant dogs our then Siamese didn't like them very much but would sit up on something high to swat their heads when they went past

I don't think you can ever be truly free of rats, especially on a farm, because they come around to see what's available, even once any nests have been dug out by the dogs, then settle in if they like what they see. Let us know when your kittens arrive

ballingall · « **Reply #5 on:** April 11, 2011, 11:24:31 pm »

We get good farm kittens from the same farm we get our hay and straw from. I can ask and see if he has any just now, and you could always pick them up on Sunday! He claims that as a farmer he makes more money from the kittens than any of the farming (and he only charges about £25 a kitten rather than the £60- £80 from the pet shops.

That said, we have two young cats, one from that farm and one from a pet shop- and yes you've guessed it, the pet shop one is the rat catcher.

Beth

Crofter · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2011, 08:28:05 am »

Have you tried the Cats Protection League? They often have feral cats they can't re-home as they are too wild and are glad to find a farm to take them. We got a brother and sister, both neutered, from them and they will catch anything that moves! They live in the byre with the goats and bed down in the spare straw. No use if you want a cuddly cat but if you have an outbuilding they can call home they are no trouble.
The male one of ours (Xac) ventures out a bit now and will allow himself to be stroked at arms length while he is sitting in the roof beams. The female (Merry) lives under a pallet and we only ever see her when it's feeding time or if we go in after dark.
Perhaps worth a try.

Dave