Comments on: What I Learned From The Rat In My Toilet http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/ Think we can't live without plastic? Think again. In 2007 I committed to stop buying any new plastic & I've almost succeeded! Won't you join me? Let's see what plastic-free looks like in 2012... for the health of our bodies, our oceans, our planet. ~Beth Terry Mon, 20 May 2013 05:33:38 +0000 hourly 1 By: jules333 http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-44525 jules333 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 05:18:24 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-44525 dousing cotton balls with cayenne pepper and peppermint oil can be an effective natural deterrent in keeping mice away.  put the cotton balls doused in the cayenne pepper and peppermint where you have seen mice—and change every three months.

]]> By: jules333 http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-44524 jules333 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 05:16:13 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-44524 

]]> By: jules333 http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-44523 jules333 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 05:14:30 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-44523 cayenne pepper–(cotton balls doused with cayenne pepper) and peppermint oil (same–cotton balls doused in peppermint oil) are natural deterrents for mice…put them in places where you see mice indoors/outdoors.  seems to work.

]]> By: BethTerry http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-43597 BethTerry Fri, 07 Dec 2012 19:27:18 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-43597 Hi Jay.  I’m inferring from the website that EnviroKats litter is made from recycled tires, but strangely, I can’t find any page that actually says that.  The front page says it is made from “recycled material” and the Environment page says, “EnviroKats™ (Patent Pending) helps reduce the number of used tires that are clogging our landfills.” However, there is no page that actually says “EnviroKats contains… xyz” so that leaves me wondering what else is in it.  Also, I’m not sure about the safety of having my cats sit in used car tires… they are synthetic and contain all kinds of ingredients, so I don’t know about the health impact for my cats. Have you done any research on it?

]]> By: jay http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-43596 jay Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:29:35 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-43596 Mice and rats can coexist. We discovered both living in our floor’s insulation (open to the house’s crawl space).

]]> By: jay http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-43595 jay Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:24:45 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-43595 OMG! I’ve slowly been catching up on your blogs, and just now read -and reread- this! Living in the East Bay I’m all too familiar with the rodents we have living in a not so parallel universe! Don’t know if its been mentioned elsewhere, but have you looked into the EnviroKats system? Might be worth a review on your blog…

]]> By: BethTerry http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-43153 BethTerry Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:39:01 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-43153 I wouldn’t add diatomaceous earth to the litter because it’s not good for cats to breathe.  And no, most essential oils are bad for cats and would probably drive your cats away from the box.   I haven’t had a bug situation, only a rat situation, and only in the toilet.  Wondering if anyone else has.

]]> By: Melissa http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-43123 Melissa Sun, 11 Nov 2012 03:46:19 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-43123 I’ve started using swheat scoop but I’m afraid the little weevils will move I to it (I tossed the instant rice where they lived, so they’re looking for a new home). Does anyone have a weevil/bug solution? Maybe add diatomaceous earth? Probably can’t use anti bug essential oils..

]]> By: Emily http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-34773 Emily Sun, 22 May 2011 00:36:39 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-34773 I am an animal lover so when you talked about the baseball bat, I was like “ohh no :(!!” I’m glad it didn’t get hurt though. I can understand safety concerns with the rat but I’m glad you were making the connection from how you treat your kitties to how you treat rats. I hope that you will be up for using a humane method of releasing a rat should another one come about :)

]]> By: Amber http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/what-i-learned-from-the-rat-in-my-toilet/comment-page-1/#comment-33374 Amber Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:57:27 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/?p=4194#comment-33374 I have thankfully never had a rat in my toilet, or any other kind of living creature. But I’ve had a phobia about it ever since I heard a news story almost 25 years ago about a local woman with a snake in her toilet.

I think it’s normal to have an aversion to certain animals. While it may not be totally fair, the truth is that some animals carry disease and steal our food. I’ve had mice in my house (but thankfully never rats) and it’s pretty annoying when they pee and poo in your cupboard and eat the good chocolate. Wanting to keep them out of there is pretty reasonable, I think. There are more and less gentle ways to do that, but I can understand why your first impulse would not be to turn the rat into a pet.

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