Something's trying to get in! (long, sorry)

Oh, no! I got a new dishwasher this week. DH and his friend had to open the atrium door in order to carry the old dishwasher out, the new one in. I'm not sure if this is where the problem started, but....

Yesterday, Daisy was acting very strange. She was stalking around in front of the cabinet under our kitchen sink. That cabinet is connected to two other cabinets - they're open to each other. I mentioned it to DH, who thought she'd just lost a toy. Then Daisy left for a while and Speck did the same thing. I was starting to worry....

Last night, I noticed Daisy wasn't in the living room with me. She usually stays right with me. I found her sitting vigil in front of the kitchen sink. Hmm. I sat down with her. Then I heard this scratching noise coming from the cabinet. I opened it and looked in. The scratching stopped. I woke up DH (it was 2:30 in the morning, but this was important). We traced the scratching noise to the area around where the pipe comes in for the sink. DH put some washcloths around the pipe, so nothing could slither in. I haven't heard anything in there tonight, but Speck has been standing up on his backlegs at that cabinet. OMG! I think that a rat is trying to get in. Or maybe it's already in and we blocked the exit hole. This has never happened before. I'm not afraid of much except for bats and spiders, but I still don't like the idea that something is making itself at home. And it sounds big! Do mice make a lot of noise? We have them at work sometimes and I've never noticed such a loud clawing sound.

Snakes won't make scratching noises, scraping maybe if it has keel scales or is trying to shed. But if it's as loud as you say it is, it probably is a rat. If you're in town or in a city it could be large brown rat (though they can be anywhere) or if you're more rural you might have a wood rat trying to get in (smaller, also called pack rats). That noise is probably specifically from a rat trying to widen any holes for itself.

You don't want it chewing wires or bringing in disease, so maybe some traps out of kitty reach would be a good idea. You can also replace the rags with steel wool and use that to plug other holes since they don't like chewing on that.

With the right acoustics a chewing mouse can sound like a handsaw on plywood.
I had a young possum living under my kitchen sink for a season, then decided it would be wise to catch her out and block the hole.
A washcloth wont stop a chewing rodent for long, I've heard that steel wool pads are good for keeping them out. I tried it once, but got to picturing cute little field mice with a mouth ful of steel wool and felt guilty. Yup, I am a bit soft in the head.

^It won't hurt them. I don't know if anyone has ever tried to bite down on any sort of metal, say aluminium for example, but it feels terrible on teeth.

Sounds like you have a mouse, a very stupid mouse, trying to come in! I doubt it's a rat, and yes mice definitely make more noise then you would ever expect! One of their favorite places to dig and enter through the walls is around plumbing, this is where they have a head start . Your cats are awesome, this is the no. 1 mouse control ever! I live in NYC and have learned several prevention methods along the way. Stuffing Brillo or wire scrubbing pads in open areas, also wire mesh flush covering the hole then plaster sealed. Mice won't chew through this because it will shred their mouths up! The best prevention is the kitty security system!

Our cats were obsessed with our new stove when we put it in, then we realised that we had mice living under it! They came up through the hole in the concrete floor and maybe they got disturbed when we put the new stove in. Anyway, with two cats in one small apartment, let's just say we don't hear mice anymore....

I doubt that it's a rat. Sounds more like a harmless little field mouse that is trapped in between your walls and is desperately trying to find it's way out again. Since you've more than likely sealed off the way it got in, chances are it's going to die soon from starvation and dehydration.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I doubt that it's a rat. Sounds more like a harmless little field mouse that is trapped in between your walls and is desperately trying to find it's way out again. Since you've more than likely sealed off the way it got in, chances are it's going to die soon from starvation and dehydration.

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Ahhh, is she suppose to feel bad now? Mice are hardly harmless, they are extremely invasive, carry disease, multiply beyond belief ( or rabbits as a better example ), and pee everywhere they go, and even your basic field mouse has been known to devastate entire crops........
The best defense is your two kitties, and don't even second guess yourself when it comes to keeping your home rodent free. I have witnessed it first hand how quickly these infestations can develop, and it's not cute

Thank you all for your answers. I am going out tonight to buy the steel wool. Daisy and Speck sat in front of the cabinet again last night, but I didn't hear anything this time. But I trust their ears much more than I trust my own .

I had to laugh when I saw this thread. DH left a cellar window open Friday night, and Jamie caught a mouse in the laundry room this morning. When I came back inside after putting it out, he had another one! He's really disappointed that I put his new playmates outside.