Is it true that rat bait attracts cats and endangers their lives and could result in poisoning your cat? It is due to rat bait typically containing chemicals that are toxic to rodents, such as Warfarin, Bromadiolone, and difethialone.
These chemicals are mixed with a food attractant, such as peanut butter or cheese, to make the rat bait appealing to rodents, but it is also attractive to other animals such as cats, dogs, birds, and insects. The solidity of enticing bait makes rat poison tempting to cats to consume.
If your kitty eats rat bait, this could be harmful. The chemicals in the rat bait can cause a cat to become disoriented and lethargic, and they can also cause internal bleeding. In severe cases, consuming rat bait can lead to organ failure and said death.
Why does Rat Bait Attract Cats?
Rat bait contains appetising food content, such as peanut butter, chocolate, pasta, nuts, fish, or cheese, which not only attract rats but also appeals to cats and dogs.
You should know cats have a good sense of smell and may be able to identify food from a distance of 154 feet. This is why cats are drawn to rat baits and eventually devour them if they are not safeguarded inside a bait station.
How Soon will a Cat be Affected by Rat Poison?
The speed at which a cat will be affected by rat poison depends on several factors, including the amount of rat poison ingested, the size of the cat and health, and the type of rat poison used, wheather it is a strong rat killer, quick acting or slow acting.
Rat poison, those that contain warfarin, can take several days to take effect. While bromethalin containing rat killers, can cause symptoms to appear within 2-5 hours approximately.
When your cat has consumed rat poison, may exhibit symptoms such as lethargy, disorientation, vomiting, diarrhoea, frequent urination, and blood in the stool. If you suspect your cat has these symptoms or has eaten rat bait, seek veterinarian care immediately.
How to Prevent Cat from Eating Rat Bait?
It is critical to use rat bait in a safe and responsible manner to avoid cats coming into contact with it.
When you want to kill rats, you should always use bait stations with rat bait poison. It is a safe way to do it and it doesn’t produce a mess, and allow you to avoid poisoning your pets and children.
To be safe, choose rat bait that includes a “Bitrex agent” or is designated safe for pets and children. This way, your cats and dogs can lick it but not consume it because it repels them from ingesting.
The reason for this is that Bitrex is a taste aversive agent, also known as denatonium benzoate, a bitter or unpleasant tasting compound used in many products such as rat bait, flies repellent, gardening supplies, ant killers, and cosmetics to avoid accidental consumption by children and pets.
When applying rat bait, use areas where rats are active rather than areas where you eat a dice, such as kitchens, bedrooms, and playgrounds where children and pets play.
To keep your feline and furry friend safe, you must dispose of the dead mouse carcasses. Even if you don’t have indoor cats, you can’t ignore the reality that a dead and poisoned rat might cause secondary poisoning, endangering wildlife.
If you are concerned about your cat’s safety, you can employ alternate rodent control methods that do not require poisonous rodenticides, such as mouse traps, which could be any manual or electric mouse trap or repellent that works continually.
What is Secondary Poisoning?
Secondary poisoning occurs when an animal ingests a toxin that was originally ingested by another animal. This can happen when a predator eats a prey animal that has ingested the toxin, or when an animal eats something that has been contaminated with the toxin.
In our example, when a rat consumes rat poison, than cat eats that rat either alive or dead corpse, the cat will develop poisoned symptoms and result in secondary poisoning. It is hazardous to the cat since the toxin will be activated and concentrated in the rat’s body than it would be if the cat had ingested it directly.
How to Safely Dispose of Dead Rats?
After eliminating pesky rodents, it’s important to dispose of the carcass, which is a crucial element of the rat-killing process. In this matter, you should be prepared to handle rats’ creases safely to avoid spreading the diseases, which come from dead rodents’ bodies, their faeces, urine, or saliva.
Here’s a quick and easy way to get rid of a dead rat without harming the environment:
- Put on gloves and a face mask to protect yourself from any potential diseases the rat may be carrying.
- Use a shovel or other tool to carefully pick up the dead rat and place it in a plastic bag including the remaining bait food.
- Then place this sealed bag in another bag without pushing out the air; doing so may infect the environment with viruses carried by the mouse.
- Now tie the bag securely and dispose of it in a trash bin that is regularly emptied.
- Remove gloves, trash them, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- It’s also a good idea to clean the area where the rat was found using a disinfectant to kill any germs or bacteria that may be present.
