March, 25, 2025

Can Rats Harm Pets? How To Keep Your Animals Safe From Diseases

At no cost, you want your pet to get infected by a rodent. Yes, those unwanted tiny creatures aren’t only unpleasant for the eyes but are detrimental to your pet’s health as well. From causing them minor inconveniences to becoming life-threatening by spreading diseases like hantavirus, leptospirosis, and salmonellosis. Read this blog as we cover vital information on how rats harm your pets and ways to keep them safe.

Dangers That Rats Pose To Pets’ Health
From visible physical damage through bites and affecting internal organs through diseases like leptospirosis, these small, notorious rodents, if allowed to persist, can prove deadly for your pet.

1. Disease Transmission
Rats can cause it all, from bacterial diseases like salmonella and leptospira to viral diseases like hantavirus, parasitic diseases, and rat bite fever. Your furry companion may involuntarily come into contact with such viruses or pathogens to later get affected by diseases. Even a mere inhalation of rodent dropping or nesting material can lead to disease transmission.

2. Physical Harm
Your dog or cat would never feel welcome to see another animal besides itself. In cases of sudden encounters, your pet, due to its natural instincts, would surely scuffle with the rat, which may result in him getting physical damage. This damage can be either a bite or a scratch that can lead to infection if left untreated. Moreover, the probability of secondary poisoning is always there.

3. Toxin Exposure
In rare cases, your pet might ingest itself with rat poison that was set up for the rat. This chanciness can lead to serious health issues or even death. So look for a professional providing services for pest control in Fort Bend, TX, now to avoid such mishaps.

Ways To Keep Your Pets Safe From Rat Encounters

It’s best to prevent your pets from encountering a rat or other rodent instead of burdening yourself later to find a reliable treatment option. Doing so would not only save your pet from facing such inconvenience but will be beneficial for your whole family as well. Here are some of the best methods that you can use to keep your pets safe from rats.

1. Preventing Access To Rats
You need to aim to prevent rat infestation at your home in the first place to avoid facing unwanted circumstances. For it, try sealing all gaps, seals, or other inadequate openings in your home structure. Be sure to look for such space around windows, doors, pipes, and conduits. As rats are fond of food sources, you need to care for your stored food and leftovers as well. Keep even your pet food secured in tight containers and ensure garbage bins are covered well. Additionally, keep the inside as well as the outside of your home duly cleaned and free from debris, as it might provide shelter for rats.

2. Look For Signs Of Infestation
If you’re susceptible to rat infestation in your locality, you need to keep a close eye on your pests for signs of infestation. See if your pet is showing any unusual signs or symptoms, such as lethargy, fever, or digestive ailments. Make it a habit of duly cleaning any pet waste to avoid it attracting any pests. Besides these factors, you can use live traps, pet-safe repellants, and tamper-resistant stations as a preventive measure to keep your pets safe from any possible encounters.

3. Trusting A Professional Pest Controller
Often looked upon as the last resort, families turn their faces towards a pro only after getting exhausted by making all different efforts to get rid of rats and other pests out of their habitat. But you need not follow the same routine, as you can hire a pest control specialist after noticing the first sign of infestation only. Being experts in their craft, these professionals ace their work and know very well what tailored solutions would suit you the best.

Final Thoughts
For many, their pets are just their other family members. They never want to see them end up struggling with chronic health issues instigated by rats and other rodents. To ensure your furry friends remain in good shape and you spend a good time with them at home, consider tying up with us at Conquest Pest Services. Carrying over an experience of more than 20+ years, we are the go-to choice for everyone searching for a rat exterminator in Rosenberg, Richmond and the surrounding areas in Fort Bend County, TX.