Rats ate my cat on my deck
Do rats eat cats
Rats certainly aren’t interested in your cat and not interested in living under your deck either. Rats hate the wet dry nature of the environment under your deck. One minute its dry and the next its raining which drips through the gaps which rats don’t like. They prefer either being wet or dry and under your deck is both.Rats ate my cat on my deck is an informative post to provide the right advice about rats and decks.
Do Rats live under decking in your garden
Rats don’t live under your deck unless you provide a sheltered environment for them. If you have a reason for them to be there and they can gain access, then they find their way under your deck. When rats breed, they make their nests in the dry. This means even if they make a nest under your deck they won’t be there for long. Just as soon as it rains, they’ll be off.
What do rats hate
To repel rats, you can use essential oils such as rosemary, citronella, sage, lavender with peppermint being their most disliked. They don’t like homes that have pets, lack of food, moth balls or chance to make it comfortable. They prefer it if you don’t have bait boxes or traps.
What attracts rats to your decking
The primary attractor for rats is waste food. The second is a completely covered area such as a shed which provides shelter directly underneath it. You’ll struggle to prevent rats from entering your garden and your deck if it has easy access.
Tips to prevent rats under your decking
Maybe you should get a cat! Clean up after eating in your garden, place off cuts of cedar wood in the area (Its what moth balls are made of) and cover the ground under your deck with gravel. Regularly use essential oils on and around your garden decking.
Building a rat proof deck in your garden
You should consider using a fine wire mesh which has been dig into the surrounding ground to 300mm. The mesh can then be fixed into place for the whole of the perimeter. It is recommended to cover the underneath of your deck with a weed membrane which should be covered by 20mm minimum gravel. It’s the gravel they don’t like.
You may also consider using trapdoors for access and place bait boxes or traps under the deck.
Should you be worried?
Absolutely not, ratty and his mates are going to travel anywhere they please and you can’t really stop them. You can dissuade them with the preventative measures in this advice for “do rats eat cats”.Rats ate my cat on my deck