Latest visitor - brown rat! They have been scaling the feeders and bird tables and have been bold enough to let me get within 3 feet of them. They also ignore the "electronic pet scarer".

We started taking the feeders down and clearing up at night but the rats moved on to the squirrel feeder and gnawed their way through that. Either they or more likely squirrels are now raiding the metal bins where we store the feed.

I fear the time for all out war is coming. I don't like it and think rats in the field away from the home are quite nice intellegent creatures but there are limits... We've only resorted to poison in the past when they have invaded the roof space.

In case it does come to that, can anyone suggest the best one to use and advice re our cats and other creatures?