The Domestic Cat is the Best Rat Deterrent in India

Rats were once a very serious problem in our Home, way back in the late seventies and even today.

I still remember how scared we were if we had to enter our kitchen or washrooms, these huge rodents would fearlessly run around, most plastic caps/lids of food containers were found gnawed upon.

If the rats couldn't bite into the steel lids then the glass bottles would be thrown off the shelves, adding more cleaning and clearing work to us.

Even the wooden doors and windows were not spared, the lower ends of our doors and windows still have the gnawed out holes made by these critters.

Once I remember my mother killing a huge rodent with a thick bamboo stick in a fit of rage after she found him running over the toilet door, denying her access to attend her call of nature.

I must mention, yesterday a small rat was caught by my adopted cat siblings after forty minutes of search and finally the skinnier one devoured him within two minutes after the catch.

I must thank my cat siblings for all the good sleep I had.

How strange and how very interesting that rats are worshipped in some parts of India but are considered pests in others.
Some people do keep white rats as pets in our country and when we had a fund raising Coffee Morning for Kays Hill Animal Sanctuary they brought one along, he was very tame but most people there shuddered on seeing him, me included.
I love hearing more about your country and its customs Rudolph, thank you.

Thankfully, after the idea of putting "Matata" on the loft weekly for the usual duty of checking for rats, the rats have totally vanished from my loft. Hence proven that cats are the ultimate natural deterrents for rats, a psychological fear. Agreed, rats also have the right for living space on Planet earth , but, their rapid breeding have created an "Unbalance" of natures normal living habitat and hence a control on their population by "Pest Control Methods".
Cats are natural predators of rats in nature and ironically, both are also rapid breeders in the wild.
In India, rats are worshipped in some places. The "Karni Mata" temple in Bikaner(Rajasthan) is the most famous temple where rats are considered sacred.There are thousands of rats in this temple, the most sacred being the four or five white rats.Hence in India, rats are a paradox,considered destructive pests as well as worshipped in some places.
Even in Western culture, the rat occupies a prime spot in the form of "Mickey Mouse", the eternal comic as well as the famous "Cat and rat rivalry" in the cartoons of "Tom and Jerry".
Ultimately, its been proven by science that pests will co-exist as long as humanity exists as also the real life "Tom and Jerry" rivalry.

Thank you Rudolph, I so much enjoy an insight into other countries, it must be terrible having rats in your home. Matata obviously loves his job of ridding your house of them.
I love all animals and rats can't help being born rats but I shudder when I see one, which thankfully is very rare where we live.
But one day Jozef brought one home and dropped it outside under the window, it climbed the bricks of the house, very scary ! He whacked it back down and did his 'nape bite' and I removed the body quickly.
Yes cats need their claws for the purpose of catching rodents too although some poor cats never get to chase even a little mouse because they are forced live such un-natural lives.

Hi Rudolph. I enjoyed your article and it is great to see a purebred fancy Persian cat do some real work!

Persians are sometimes called "cat furniture" or some such phrase because they are thought of as passive and inactive but Matata is working and providing a useful service.

Great to see.