Author Topic: What turns a rat inside out? (Read 4949 times)

benkt · « **on:** November 03, 2013, 05:33:37 pm »

When I went into the garden to play football with my eldest boy yesterday, he complained that there was 'something dead' in front of his goal. When I went to have a look, he was right! There was the inside-out skin of a rat lying on the lawn. We have a pair of cats who catch the odd rat but I've never seen them do this to them. So did something else? and if so what?

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #1 on:** November 03, 2013, 05:53:36 pm »

Badger would be my immediate thought, as its what they do to hedgehogs, they just leave an inside out prickly skin

bizzielizzie66 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 04, 2013, 10:02:54 pm »

My old farm cats (part Burmese) many years ago used to do this. They used to leave what we called "ratskin rugs" draped artistically round the farmyard and barns. None of my subsequent farm cats have ever done this...perhaps yours have the "skinning gene" too....

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** November 05, 2013, 06:16:12 pm »

Badgers turn their prey inside out but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they'd take a rat.

I've had cats who were great ratters but all have always left all rats intact; dead but otherwise intact.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #4 on:** November 05, 2013, 08:01:38 pm »

Most literature seems to agree that badgers do eat rats, tho they prefer tastier and less fierce things like rabbits, worms and hedgehogs if they can find them easily enough.

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #5 on:** November 06, 2013, 12:34:34 pm »

As I read the heading only one word came to mind - Badger.
However I have read that foxes can take a hedgehog by rolling it into water and getting to its softer underneath as it has to open up, so if hungry would they take a rat (they do eat mice) and eat the soft underbelly, but I would think they would also eat the skin? I do find rabbit skins down the field, presumably left by fox.

benkt · « **Reply #6 on:** November 06, 2013, 03:51:00 pm »

Thanks, sounds like I should keep a closer watch for other signs of badgers about. Our cats do take the odd rat but like Sally's they tend to leave them whole.

kaz · « **Reply #7 on:** November 06, 2013, 06:03:58 pm »

I've got two young cats and have found several turned inside out rats. Perhaps they are the culprits or maybe they have found badger leftovers. We are in a area where there are lots of badgers as we can sometimes hear them at night.