Unwanted Animals Almost no one likes rats, let alone having them in their home. However, there are still some people who keep rats in their home, but we will talk about that later. In this article, we will talk about the relationship between rats and common household pets such as cats and dogs. We will talk in this article whether rats are dangerous to cats and dogs or not. Continue reading this article because you will find a lot of useful pieces of information that sometime may save the life of your pet.

Rats and Pets
When rat infestation takes place in your home, it can wreak havoc and leave you scarred for life. Whenever you notice weird droppings close to your walls and hear strange noises coming from your walls and behind your furniture, you should suspect that you have rats in your home. And when you suspect that there are rats in your home, you should immediately take action to get rid of rats in your home before they wreak havoc. There are various ways how people get rid of rats, and one of those ways is using pets to get rid of rats. But, the question is - can rats cause harm to rat-hunting pets such as cats and dogs? Are rats actually dangerous to cats and dogs or it is the other way around?

Natural Instincts
Unlike other wild animals which are rarely afraid of pets, rats are generally terrified of pets such as cats and dogs. A rat’s natural instinct is to run away from cats and dogs because these domesticated animals have been chasing them for centuries. However, in very rare instances rats attack pets. Giant rats are especially prone to attacking pets. On the other hand, a dog’s and a cat’s natural instinct is to hunt for rats and other rodents. Both cats and dogs are successful at catching rats. However, unlike cats who usually don’t eat rats after catching them, dogs usually eat rats they catch. Now, we will talk about is getting bitten by a rat or digesting a rat dangerous for your pet.





Rat Diseases
Rats carry a number of diseases that they can easily transmit to your pet via bites and via your pet actually eating a dead rat. Some diseases which rats carry that your pets can catch via bites and eating rats include plague, leptospirosis, salmonella, and other dangerous diseases. This is why you shouldn’t ever employ your pet as a part of rat control.

Read the How to get rid of rats page for helpful information and to learn more about Are rats dangerous to cats, dogs, or other pets?

Are rats dangerous to cats, dogs, or other pets?