They won’t limit themselves to cat and dog food, either. Expect mice and rats to be interested in anything you feed any other animal including grains, seed, hay, fish food and so on. What do rats eat when they enter your home in search of food? Many will eat some of what they find, then bring the rest along so they can hide it near where they live. If your diet is a fairly healthy one, you can probably share a little of your meals with your pets with a few key exceptions. I can say that because I have seen them all go for the food we leave at the barn for the cats. The rats and the magpies are the worst. Raccoons, coyotes, and rats and mice are, too. Unfortunately, they eat just about anything they can find. Rats forage for food … Removal of food, water and shelter will deny rodents their main requirements for survival, and this is the key to solving rat problems. Rats, like hamsters and other rodents, are food hoarders. Catch the seeds that drop from the feeders by placing a bucket or similar underneath, then dispose of this at the end of each day so there is no food left overnight to attract the rats. Their food might even attract them. A small number of foods are toxic, while plenty of others can cause health problems. Mice - rats - magpies - weasels - martens - flies - bees - raccoons - possums - coyotes - foxes are all drawn to cat food. Parasite uses the power of sexual attraction to trick rats into becoming cat food Could it be love? They really need some good protein, i.e. Rats have adapted to live in various environments all over the world offering them a plethora of different food sources, giving them possibly the most varied diet of all animals. Although rats can and do eat almost everything, not all the foods we eat are safe for them. Cats are often scared by large rodents, such as mice, and there are diseases that rats can carry that can be passed onto your pet. Cats are not the only creatures attracted to cat food. Pet Food – If it’s good enough for your dog or cat, it’s good enough for the rats and mice of your neighborhood. That means they'll take more food than they can eat so they can hold on to it for later. In short, cats do not keep rats away. cat/dog food or hedgehog food (there is very little in the wild for them, this time of year) You might find the rat isn’t so keen on wet cat/dog food, but you may attract cats instead. But then maybe they would catch the rat! Good luck