We had a few rats move in last winter. We live in an old farm house in farm country, and with all the grain etc rats are fairly common. Not a big deal really, but nasty as roommates. The wife wasn't thrilled either. Ever seen a pizzed off MtnWman? Poison isn't a great option for me. My Jack Russell could get into it, or into the rat after they eat the poison. We also get mice every winter, and I like to use them to feed my birds, so poison isn't good then either. I generally trap them live and put them into a cage to monitor for a week or two. If they look good, they're fine for the bird

We have some cats outside too, but they're confused about their roll in life. They think they make the porch look good. And they chase the Jack Russell. And run away from my bird, hehe!
I found the rats were suckers for peanut butter and sunflower seeds, hehe. And my bird likes rats too!
MtnMan