a very big rat

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:



"MLB" wrote in message ...

On Mon, 09 Sep 2013 20:18:46 -0500, MaryL wrote:

"MLB" wrote in message ...

Many years ago, my uncle owned several movie theaters and they had a
downtown rat problem. People would take food with them to eat while
watching the movies and that attracted the rats. One morning while
waiting for a transfer bus to go to work, a rat as large as a big cat
ran across the downtown street. My uncle would not permit popcorn and
ice cream or drinks in his theaters. He asked me once if I ever
thought
I felt a cat during the show and I said I did. He said that was a rat
maot a cat. MLB

~~~~~~~
Oh, yuck! I think that would be the last time I would ever set foot
in
that theater.

MaryL

Actually, his theaters were the cleanest because he restricted the
food.
The others did not. Eating establishments also had the problem and
probably still do. I suspect the problem is world wide. MLB

~~~~~~~
You're probably right. I just never heard of rats moving past a
person's
legs during a movie in a theater. That's ironic, given the care he
took to
avoid food.

I have a feeling that rats brushing by patrons' legs was what *caused*
him to ban the food.

Rats are opportunists and they are very intelligent too. I used to try
and catch them with snaptraps but after I got one the others used to throw
up earth to set them off and then eat the bait when it was safely
disarmed.
I kind of don't like having to control them, but it's the law here, if you
have rats you are obliged to control them in some way and poison is out
for me after seeing one die very badly.
The least I can do is ensure they die in an instant and that's where the
terriers come in.

It costs far less than poison too as the terrier men like to exercise
their fierce terriers on rats - and most people can't stomach the rat
hunt. I can. I prefer to help with it rather than use poison.
It's not like I want to do it, but I have to and I know that my method is
best, they live not one second or get away, not dying around other
people's gardens like this one I posted about did.
This was probably not my rat.
Well, yes, she might have been one of the baby ones that Boyfie missed
catching last year.
but more likely Stan's one.

Tweed

I had a rat problem briefly. Apparently they got in through the cat door.
The exterminators put out sticky traps, which they ignored. Then I got one
of those subsonic (I think) gizmos that you plug in. First I plugged one in
hear the area where I'd been finding droppings. After a couple of days of
no droppings, I moved it to a plug right by the cat door. I never had a rat
problem again, and I didn't have to deal with dead rats either.

Joy

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"Judith Latham" wrote in message
...
In article , Christina Websell
wrote:

"Mishi" wrote in message
... Man, I
hope they aren't using poison! Can you talk to them and ask them? Maybe
it was something else that killed the rat. One of my online friend just
lost a cat to rat poison - her landlord put out poison to control the
rats, and her cat ate one. The poison has also killed all the squirrels
in the neighborhood too. There are non toxic rat control baits out
there, but not sure if they use them in the UK. (The rats eat the bait,
the bait swells up and starves the rat to death)

I do not feel able to approach the neighbour in question. We were
friends for many years and used to eat together once a month.. One day
the wife rang up and said "can you leave it for this month?" I said
"Yes, of course" and she did the same the next month, so not being
paranoid I assumed they were busy, which is fine. When I heard nothing
the next month I went round with my bottle of wine to find they were
out. So, I never went round again, therefore things are a bit delicate.
As far as I know I didn't do anything to upset them except maybe it was
the cookbook I bought them for a Christmas present, only because it had
woodpigeon, duck and pheasant recipes in (they shoot) and absolutely
not because I thought she couldn't cook.

Ah well, their loss, but so much nicer to have an explanation if that
was the offence - I could have explained that I thought the book would
be very useful.

Brits can be easily offended my implied criticism.
But one day I had my worse meal ever there. Macaroni cheese on top of
rice..

Tweed

That reminds me of the comedian Reginald D. Hunter who is from the USA.
He
often talks about us Brits and how we confuse him. For example how a man
out with his friends and speaking to someone else will say something
insulting about his friends such as "I'm with that bunch of idiots."
(polite version) and the one this reminded me of was when he complimented
man abut the jacket he was wearing and the man looked at him suspiciously
wondering if he was being insulted. So Reginald said "No subtitles, I'm
American." When I hear Americans talking about this side of the British
culture I realise just how weird we can be to outsiders.

Judith

Yes, they don't understand us, but we don't understand them either.

Judith Latham wrote:

Christina Websell wrote:

Brits can be easily offended my implied criticism.

That reminds me of the comedian Reginald D. Hunter who is from the USA. He
often talks about us Brits and how we confuse him. For example how a man
out with his friends and speaking to someone else will say something
insulting about his friends such as "I'm with that bunch of idiots."
(polite version) and the one this reminded me of was when he complimented
man abut the jacket he was wearing and the man looked at him suspiciously
wondering if he was being insulted. So Reginald said "No subtitles, I'm
American." When I hear Americans talking about this side of the British
culture I realise just how weird we can be to outsiders.

LOL. At least this guy understood the issue and was prepared with an
explanation!

--
Joyce

The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in
the morning feeling just terrible. -- Jean Kerr