RATS… I think every rock has ‘em and if you don’t count yourself lucky!! I can’t stand them – from their beady little eyes to their gelatinous tail – yuck!! On my rock, you see them wandering around from time to time but as my husband would say in his English accent “They keep themselves to themselves.” Well….. not always!

We have recently moved into a quaint (aka small) beach apartment on the third floor. In my mind, I thought “Rats won’t be a problem. We’re so high up and all the coconut trees have those metal sleeve thingamajigs.” Our rock rats love fruit trees and most coconut palms have metal casing around the trunks to keep the rats from climbing the trees and stealing the coconuts. We do have the odd little bird that thinks it lives here and has flown in for a visit. Not my favourite thing either … birds indoors – they’re scared and I’m petrified!

So a few weeks ago after a few Happy Hour drinks I come home (the local bar is in our parking lot – how handy!). Hubby is sound asleep. I go to the fridge to get a nice glass of water when I hear a noise coming from the corner upper cabinet.

What the…??? I go towards it and listen.

Loud and clear I hear what I think is a winged animal. So what to do? Hmmm…not quite sure… so I video the cupboard and the sound and send it to my daughter away at university. She happens to be at a party but responds with “That’s a Sunday issue.”.  Then she says “Maybe it’s a bat!” Oh great – basically a rat with wings!

I then decide to wake my husband up. He heads into the kitchen, listens and says basically the same as my daughter “sunday issue”.  So I head to bed thinking at least it’s trapped and can’t get out but what is it?? I dream that night that it’s a dragonfly – ahh, that’s better!

Wake up the next morning and my knight in shining armour has emptied all the cupboards and found nothing!!

“What??? You heard it – I heard it – we have video proof!!”

Nothing there and no more sound.

Later that day, I’m on a business Zoom call when I hear it again. I continue the call, albeit with a look of terror in my eyes. I can’t tell this person that I think there is a winged creature trapped in my kitchen cupboard! As soon as I’m done, I tell the knight and he then climbs up on the counters to see if there is anything on top of the cupboards – nope, nada, zilch!!

So, now I think I might be going crazy! No more sounds for the rest of the day. Sunday issue – not resolved.

The following day I am having a lovely pool afternoon with a friend and I tell her the story – still sure that it is a winged animal. Perplexed by the absence of any animal she asked if maybe there is something in the loft/attic… ah yes!!

We do have a large attic space. That’s it – there is a bird/bat/pterodactyl up there!!!

When the knight returns home from his day job, I ask him if he will be brave enough to go into the attic and check. Of course, he is brave enough!  After a few minutes up there (while I am hiding out in the bedroom), he comes down with a plastic container chewed right through.

“It’s a rat.” he says. Instantly, I hear UB40 in my head, “There’s a rat in mi kitchen, what am I gonna do?”

I have a look at the container – protein powder – what?? Great! Now it’s not just any normal rat – now we have a pumped-up, protein-packed rat living in our house!

Sir Mark contacts our condo manager who sends someone up with some traps. At the same time, we realise one of the kitchen lights isn’t working. Manager arrives and checks the light – plastic chewed right through!!

Traps (with cheese and peanut butter – weird combo) are set with string attached so they can’t run away with the trap (that’s a thing??!!! Horrifying!). Rat Patrol leave and within 10 minutes we hear the “Thrappp!!”.

Again I hide in the bedroom as the brave rat trapper returns. Food is gone – and so is the rat!! Of course he is, he’s all hyped up on protein powder – probably pried himself loose very easily and then did a couple of push-ups.

Traps are reset – Sir Mark is set on the quest of checking them everyday. No rat – no dead rat – no more evidence of rat. Hmmmmmmmm… so where did he go?

A few days ago, I’m walking my dog and what crosses our path?? Yep, a buff-looking, bench-pressing rat who I’m sure gave me a look of disdain as he scurried into the bush.

Island Life!! 🙂