If it was a rat, it would have heard the meow, gone for a sniff round and when it didn't smell cat, would have moved back in. Rats aren't stupid!

Unfortunately, if it was a rat, pretty soon you're going to have a whole colony of them. No such thing as a single rat.... Do you have any food outlets near you? We have a couple and our rodent population has increased, luckily we have several cats in the area so they aren't a problem (10 cats decimate the babies on their first outing usually!).

LTS