The Rat in the Kitchen

[Alpo]

My house is old. It sits up off the ground on pilings, and has little or no insulation in the walls. It also has rodents. Both bushy-tailed and snaky-tailed rats seem to like it here. Maybe because it’s warmer and dryer than outside.

 

I have a little Smith 317. 8-shot 22 revolver that weighs a whole 8 ounces. I have it stoked with 4 rounds of Colibris and 4 rounds of Federal Lightnings, with the squibs up first. I carry it when outside, in case I see a bushy-tailed rat (I got three pecans this year. Off two trees. Three flippin’ nuts).

 

This evening I walk into the kitchen, and there is a rat strolling down the floor. Not running. Not scurrying. Just ambling along like he has all the time in the world.

 

The shorts I was wearing yesterday are sitting on top of the dogfood can (my dogfood is in a 40 gallon galvanized iron garbage can, ‘cause my house has rodents), so I reach over and take the pistol out of the pocket. Thumb-cock it, take careful aim at the back of his head and let fly. BAP. Colibris ain’t loud, even out of a 1 7/8” barrel. Rat, he jumps like he was bee-stung, and takes off. Bullet ricochets off the ceiling and lands on the floor near me. Hmmmph. Damn.

 

So I go walk around the fridge and look in the doorway of the room he went into. There is a concrete block standing up in the doorway, with a rat-tail sticking out of the hole.

 

I don’t want to grab the tail. Don’t know if he’s dead or just thinks he’s hid, or what, but I don’t wanna grab that tail. Need to think.

 

Go in the bathroom and get the flashlight. What? You don’t have a flashlight in the bathroom? Watcha gonna do when you’re taking a dump and the power goes? Even better, how ‘bout taking a shower and the power goes. Cold, wet and naked, stumbling through the dark? You bet your bippy there’s a flashlight in the bathroom.

 

Try to look in the hole. Angle’s wrong. Requires me to kneel down and put my face to the floor. Don’t wanna do that. Need to think.

 

Go to the front of the house where there is a broom. Gonna get broom handle to poke. Upgrade the gun. There’s a 45 in the bedroom loaded with CCI rat-shot from the last time I went bushy-tailed rat hunting in the attic.

 

There’s a pick handle by the front door. That’s better than a broom. Get it. Can’t find 45. Keep 22. Go back to kitchen. Rethink. Go back to bedroom, get headlamp out of bedside stand drawer. Look some more. Find 45. Put down 22 and take 45. I'm ready. Now I can poke AND shoot, and still see.

 

On way back to kitchen pass corner where is leaning 3 foot long 3/8” steel rod. Trade pick handle for steel rod. Angry rodent cannot climb steel rod to get to me. Always thinking.

 

Now I’m back at the door way. Still can’t see in hole. Still ain’t going to the floor. Guess the only thing to do is move the box from on top of the cinder block and see what’s what. See if moving box makes him run.

 

I move box. Look down. See grey furry belly going up and down, and long scaly tail. Thumb-cock 45. Rethink. All that is is a belly shot. I want a head shot. Rethink.

 

Lower hammer, put 45 on stove, go back to bedroom and get 22 again. Rethink. Poke furry belly with steel rod. Belly still going up and down, but no other response. Take bull by horns, and move the concrete block. There is mister rat. Layin’ there, lookin’ up at me. Blood on the floor next too him, and a clearer liquid that I suspect is urine. How ‘bout that? I hit him the first time. That’s why he’s not moving. But – he’s still alive.

 

Take careful aim with the 22 at a spot just above the eyes starin’ at me. BAP. He jerks. I know he’s dead, now. I’ll go put my stuff up.

 

I’m halfway back to the bedroom, with the headlamp, when I hear him start floppin’ around. Death thrashin’.

 

Go put on a pair of rubber gloves. Don’t wanna be touchin’ no damn dead rat with my bare hands. Get a shovel. Use shovel like dustpan, and steel rod as broom and sweep him onto shovel. Take him out front door to garbage can.

 

Do mental calculation. Today is Saturday. Garbage pickup is Tuesday. That can’s gonna smell good by then.

 

As I’m carryin’ him out, I notice something shiny below his chin. Bullet sticking out. The Colibri got full penetration, but could not make it through, or even INTO, the wood floor.

 

After I dump the rat, I go back to clean up the blood and ****. I find a dent in the floor, about a quarter inch in diameter. So, at three feet (approximately) – from my waist to the floor, those wimpy things won’t stick in ¾” ply.

 

Floor clean. Guns put away. Flashlight back in the bathroom.

 

So – how was your afternoon?

[Apache Hawk 60642]

Go to Bar-b-que joint....

 

 

Make order and git scratch offs from bar-b-que joint.

 

 

Eat bar-b-que like a king !

 

 

 

Got fat as a rat !

 

 

 

Dats how my day went ! :lol:

[Pack Saddle Slim, SASS #73122]

Dang! And I thought that's why the good Lord invented cats. Our trusty farm cat, General A.P. Hill, sleeps in our garage at night but roams the barn, farm, and out-buildings during the day. Haven't had any problems with rats in the house or barn. (Knock on wood.) Had them in the chicken coop for a short while, but slipped a block of RATZAP or somethin' in an area inaccessible to the hens or any other animals. The rats magically disappeared.

 

Rats in the house? Maybe I'm a wimp, but aren't you just a little bit concerned about Hantavirus?

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

Good to see ya here, Alpo. It's been a long time.

-----------

Now go back and get you gun out and replace the spent rounds. You don't want to go up against them critters with a half loaded gun.

 

Here in the desert in the summer I have had critters invade my house. I have sat on the couch with .22 rifle loaded with BB caps just waiting for the shot. I even have a piece of 2" thick cardboard I stand up in front of the cupboards so there's no damage. Thought I was doing good until one night while waiting for the opportunity, this big rat came in to view right in front of the cardboard backstop. As I raised the rifle just enough to see the sights this beast charged me. Ran right up to my out stretched feet which I promptly retracted, paused and returned down the hall in to the dark.

 

Next day I went to the hardware store. Bought 2 rat traps. Lady at the check out didn't even know they had spring traps that big. Asked what I was going to use them for. Gee I thought, I have two rat traps you would think she would know, but I responded, "I've got a cat problem and this should take care of it." The lady let out the loud screech and went running to the office. Didn't get a change to tell her I was kidding.

 

well I set up the traps with peanut butter as bait smeared on the underside of the trigger lever. Sun went down and SNAP...SNAP. I had in minutes gotten two of them critters. About a week later I got another. Haven't had rats in the house that I know of for more than 6 years now.

 

Still get the occasional visitors. Chipmunks during the day and the kangaroo rats at night. The chipmunk comes in to watch tv. Sits by the door for the quick exit when I move. This about 5 feet away. I don't have screen doors on my place so when the front door is open, it is really open.

 

Oh that lady at the hardware store still remembers me when I go in. She tells everyone who will listen "There goes that cat killer. He uses Rat Traps on them." I'm not going to waste my time explaining it to her.

[Alpo]

Hey Cliff. This is a story I wrote in February of 2008, so it's right at 4 years old.

 

>Ivy and the rats.

 

I’ve got this dog. Ivy. Chesapeake Bay retriever. The gal I got her from named her Ivy, ‘cause “she is the exact color of Lady Godiva chocolate”. Okay. Works for me.

 

Her previous owners taught her some very bad habits. Eating out of the garbage can. Sleeping on the bed. Jumping up on people. Barking when she wanted fed. Using his dirty socks for chew toys. And they would put a bowl of food down in the morning and let her eat on it all day.

 

I started tryin’ to retrain her. 80 pound dog jumping up on you. Not good. 80 pound HUNTING DOG, jumping up on you with muddy feet, while you hold a loaded shotgun. Really not good. I got her broke of that. She don’t do that any more.

 

Eating out of the garbage. Well, she still does that occasionally. She still barks too much, but I put her food down at suppertime, and ten minutes later I pick it up. Only took her two days to learn that when the dish goes on the floor, it is time to eat. I finally got her convinced that she does not sleep on the bed.

 

I have an old house. Built in the 40s. It is up off the ground about two feet. And it has rats. You never get rid of rats. Kill one and its mate has already had another litter and there are ten more. You just fight a holding action.

 

Couple of years ago, Ivy got underneath the house, and while attempting to get back out, she broke a water pipe. Hot water pipe. So I turn it off at the water heater, and have no hot water for a week, until I can get the pipe fixed. I put boards down, at the back of the house, blocking the crawl space off.

 

About a year later, I am sitting on the toilet, and hear her under the floor. Damn dog. I pull up my britches and go out back, thoroughly pissed. Damn dog. I call her, and hear her coming out from under the house. Damn dog. Now she comes out from under the house and comes toward me. I have a bit of a problem. I need to beat her, for going under the house, but she came when I called her. If I beat her, stupid damn dog will think she is getting beat for coming to me. Damn dog. As she gets to me, I notice she has something in her mouth. Dead rat. Good dog. She drops it, and I pick it up by the tail with my leatherman (I don’t wanna touch the damn thing), and take it to the trash.

 

Next day, when I come in from work, I notice something dark layin’ in the foyer. I flip on the light, and there on the floor is a soggy rat. GOOD DOG. Out comes the leatherman, and he goes out to the trashcan.

 

Fast forward a couple of years. It’s been pretty calm, but lately I have been hearing sounds in the overhead. Okay, I know how to handle this. Go get the rodentcide and toss it in the attic. In about three days the house will start to stink. It will stink for about a week, and then the smell goes away. Not the best way, but it does work. There are advantages to being divorced. It’s cold tonight. Coldest it’s been so far this year. Ivy’s down at the foot of the bed, looking pitiful. Standin' there, with her chin resting on the bed, staring at me. I can’t see her, in the dark, but I can feel the eyes. All right. Damn dog. I slap the mattress, next to me, and “whump”, she levitates to the middle of the bed. “All right, dammit. Lay down and go to sleep.”

 

The next morning, just as I am starting to wake up, she lunges up towards the head of the bed. What the hell? I roll over and get my glasses on, and look at her. She’s now down at the foot of the bed, with something dark between her front feet. She looks up at me, and it moves, and she snaps at it and shakes it. Then she drops it. Soggy rat. GOOD DOG. Son of a bitch was runnin’ across the head of my bed. Put on pants, coat and slippers, get the leatherman and take it to the trash.

 

I don’t know how good she is at retrievin’ ducks, but she’s purty damn good at killin’ rats.<

 

As I say, I wrote that 4 years ago, and her rheumatiz done caught up with her. She don't get around as quick any more.

[Alpo]

And on the subject of rats, this was a few months after the previous story.

 

>The Giant Rat

 

For the last couple of nights, my dog has been barking at my linen closet.

 

When we moved into the house, there was a hole a couple of inches 'round, in the back wall of the closet, and rats and squirrels were coming in. I plugged up the hole, and everything was fine. But now, with Ivy all upset, I figgered a rat had moved in again. There was a whole buncha junk sittin' in front of the door, so I decided to wait until today to open the door. Figgered if the rat was gonna mess up the blankets on the bottom shelf, he already had, so there was really no big rush.

 

This mornin' I moved the ammo cans outa the way, and opened the door. There, on the bottom shelf, the blankets were kinda roiled up, and there was a bunch of pecan leaves. Yep. Rat. Then Ivy barks, and lunges, and snaps a couple of times, and backs out with about a ten pound possum.

 

So, she shakes it a few times, like I've seen her shake rats, and it ain't movin', so she drops it to the floor. And it just lays there. But I don't trust it. I've heard about "playin' possum" afore, and it's got some mighty nasty lookin' teeth.

 

So, I think a bit, and go out to the living room and get my sword. Bring it back to the bathroom. Second thoughts time. Iffen it ain't dead, and I attempt to poke a large hole in it, it's liable to jump up and come runnin' up my arm, gnawin' with them nasty lookin' teeth. Think some more.

 

Go into the office, get .22 revolver. Get box of Super Colibri. Load gun. Hard to do when hands are shaking that much. Adrenaline? Was not expecting a wild animal to be in my closet.

 

Go back to bathroom. Possum is in a different place. Did it get up and try to leave, and Ivy put it down again, or has Ivy just been throwin' it around? Don't know. Don't really matter.

 

Call the dog. Call the dog again. Finally get the dog to come to me. Holding the dog away from the little beastie, I thumb-cock that Smith and put the muzzle down to about a half a inch from the skull. Baap. Possum wiggles. All four legs jiggle around. Hmmmm. Guess it was just playin' possum. Cock it again. Shoot it again. Ain't wigglin' no more.

 

Put the dog outside. Get a shovel, the sword, and a wastebasket with a liner in it. Between the sword and the shovel, get the possum into the garbage can. Then get the dirty clothes that were layin' on the floor, and are now covered with blood (T-shirt, drawers, towel) and put them in on top. Take the whole mess outside and dump it in the trash. Garbage pickup is tomorrow.

 

Go get one of my dwindling supply of pig-mats and put it on the puddle in the bathroom (dog pee? possum pee? don't matter) to soak that up. Let the dog back in. She does not seem concerned with the closet anymore. That's good. Means it weren't a mama with babies. Guess I need to throw a blanket or three away, and see about fixing a hole.<

[Bama Red]

Caught a pack of four feral dogs on the adjoining property. They were probably the same four that dang near killed my black Lab several months ago.

 

Grabbed my .45 1911 and a couple spare mags and headed out the back door onto the porch, snapping off the safety as I went. The four of them were quartering away from me thru a rolling pasture with dips that they would disappear into every now and then, always reappearing a little further away each time.

 

Brought the gun up into a two-hand hold just as they dropped down into a swale. When they came back up they were a good seventy-five yards away, but I kept the front sight just over their heads and snapped off four shots. Could see the bullets kicking up mud about ten feet short of the pack. Raised my point of aim a little and cranked off two more shots, but the first volley had scattered the pack pretty well. The last two rounds just split the four down the middle and drove them out of range.

 

I've gotta start keeping one of my rifles near the back porch for future situations like this. Might not hurt me to practice some with my guns also.

[Bama Red]

Deleted.

 

Dang double tap!

[Jack Houston # 35508]

Jennings J-22 w/snake shot, I shot to head!

 

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd133/LoneRiderLeather/MVC-153S.jpg

 

Same gun, 12 rounds of Remington 22lr

 

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd133/LoneRiderLeather/MVC-411S.jpg

Possums are TOUGH!!

Also got a 4' Texas Rat Snake in living room w/2 shots Snake shot. No photo Wife disposed of snake before I could get camera charged!!

[Wolfgang, SASS #53480]

Alpo . . . I just them big game hunting stories Thanks for posting of your exciting adventure.

 

 

 

Here in the Wild West Town we have rats. Both house type rats and the long tailed desert rats and this year a lot of chipmunks as well. Recently there is a half grown house rat that is teasing me in the Ranch House. No one lives in the "Ranch House" full time. It is just extra quarters for guests and fills up real good when there is a movie production underway. But it is the only place for television as it has a dish. So I frequently am there in the evenings to observe the days "horrors of the world". Anyhooo it is teasing me. . . . it has eaten the bait of both snap and live traps. One night it had a good size peice of a hard roll in its mouth and was trying to do its usual "escape from the living / kitchen area" by going under the door to the front bedroom . . the roll was too big to go under the door. That was amusing watching him trying repeadedly to get under the door. Anyhooooo..... the saga continues . . . .

[Bama Red]

Stories and pics like we've been putting up must have the local deer population quaking in their boots - figuratively speaking, of course.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Given that you had the corpse on a shovel, I would have given it a heave ho into the woods, assuming you have woods nearby. Buzzards gotta eat to.

 

Oh right, he's got that lead pellet in him. Wouldn't want the poor buzzards to swallow that, now would we?

[Alpo]

Given that you had the corpse on a shovel, I would have given it a heave ho into the woods, assuming you have woods nearby. Buzzards gotta eat to.

 

Oh right, he's got that lead pellet in him. Wouldn't want the poor buzzards to swallow that, now would we?

 

I caught one in a trap, ten years or so back. Took it out and tossed it in the street. We got feral cats. Figgered it would be gone in ten minutes or so.

 

Five days later is was a dried up flattened mummy-lookin' thing. Cat's hadn't touched it.

 

Jack has shamed me. What good is a hunting story without a picture? Pickup ain't 'til tomorrow, so I took me a little wander out to the can.

 

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/therealalpo/100_0749.jpg

[Noz]

One of my employees brought her 9mm shotgun to show me a few years back.

 

They really did make them. A cute little shot shell with #12 shot in it. Designed to kill rats indoors with little damage to the house.

They were a fad in the early 1900s. Some of them are very ornate with inlays and engravings.

There are 6 listed on gunbroker right now with a box of shells.

[Sheriff Oso, SASS #57788L]

Also got a 4' Texas Rat Snake in living room w/2 shots Snake shot. No photo Wife disposed of snake before I could get camera charged!!

 

Ummm Jack. Rat Snakes are called Rat Snakes because they eat rats. They are not venomous and noot too friendly with humans. They just pretty much lie in wait for unsuspecting rodents.

 

now I know there's lots of folks that have a fear or mistrust of snakes, and I wont let a venomous one live. But the thing to do with a rat snake, a hog nose, a coachwhip, a bull or a king snake is to take a coat hanger, pick it up in the middle and set it outside. there's no need to kill a beneficial critter!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

A few years ago a very large neutered gray cat came to my house and asked if he could live with us. He & I came to an agreement. He would get rid of all the rodents (we have a HUGE field behind the house, a BIG woodpile, and a "usually open" garage door) and we would give him kibbles and water and a warm/cool/dry place to sleep.

 

Now the rats and mice are gone, and I failed to distinguish just WHICH rodents he was to kill. So now he brings us dead baby bunnies. The girls dont like that, but I figger there'll always be plenty of bunnies!

 

Jack, I'm not raggin on ya fer killin the snake. I'm just pointing out that all snakes are meat eaters, and most are very efficient rodent removers. If you have a rodent problem, a snake (moved outside the house) can be yer friend.

 

and remember there are NO POISONOUS SNAKES, only venomous ones. and I treat them like I treat bees, wasps, and other thigs that bite or sting etc. If they leave me alone, I leave them alone. If they mess with me...THEY DIE.

 

FWIW..YMMV

Oso

 

BTW, lizards, geckos, anoles and the like all eat bugs!

If you find one in your house, think of it as a free spider/mosquito/fly catcher.