Yea, a good yard cat works.

I haven't had any issues and not sure if what I do is helping or just makes me feel better. There are sprays you can get that "claim" to deter the little fellas. Every so often I will pull the cover off the top of the engine and spray the underside and let the spray dry and reinstall. I also give the air filter box a coating. I'm sure this isn't really doing anything but again I feel better and have yet (knocks on wood) to have any issues.........but then again I find things like in this pic in my yard all the time.

 

The cat option is probably effective but not in my neighborhood. Coyotes from the adjacent wilderness area roam the neighborhood every night. This morning I found one of the rats that I have been looking for. Hiding in the garage. In bad shape but still alive. So, those Tomcat poison blocks seem to work on rats but it's a slow process. This rat would have eaten the poison two days ago. I have found no options that really work to deter the rats. The highly recommended peppermint oil as a deterrent probably works well in an enclosed area but not in an open area like the car engine compartment. The odor quickly diminishes. Also, if you run a rat out of the engine area they will likely move to the back of the car. And, once they move into your car it's very difficult to get them to leave. What a pain !

 

Well, living out in the country I see those on a semi-regular basis. Coyotes in the evening hours are also normal, as are opossums, deer, and other animals. In fact rabbits like eating wires almost as much as rats.

 

Well, the Super Rat is no myth ! After several days of no rat activity in my car or garage I woke up this morning to find rat activity in my garage and my car. I looked around the garage to see what could have happened.There is a slight gap between the bottom of the garage door and the floor in one corner. I discovered that a rat had chewed off a piece of concrete and chewed through some heavy gauge chicken wire that I used to block that gap. Tore right thru all of it ! Entered the garage and ate a bunch of the Tomcat green poison blocks that I put on the garage floor. I'm beginning to wonder if they are immune to that stuff !

 

Be sure you have the rat grade stuff, if it's available. Don't have rats here, but I used the normal hardware store stuff for mouse and found the mouse dead just 15 inches from the slightly chewed bait - fast acting. Maybe need to google/amazon for a strong rat stuff?

 

I was wondering why almost all of the rodent poisons are advertised for mice. Maybe due to all of the California restrictions on poisons and harsh chemicals the stuff available out here is weak. I've seen evidence that the TomCat green blocks work on rats but it's a slow process. I blocked up that garage door gap so we'll see what happens tonight. What a pain in the ars !

 

Wouldn't surprise that California would have "animal safe poisons". Seems like they are more worried about the rodent, that what it destroys. It's either that or they're worried a cougar or mtn lion would eat after it died in the land fill.