Some Observations on the Behaviour of the Rat, with Application to its
Removal from Student Rooms
Author: Church RP, (Dept. Physics, Cambridge University).
Date: 11th June 2003

Abstract
A Norweigan Brown Rat (rattus norvegicus) was confined within a student room
and its behaviour observed over a period of two days.  The effectiveness of
various methods of removal were assessed.  Some preliminary conclusions on
the wiseness of introducing the rat to student rooms are drawn.

Method
A brown rat was serendipitously confined within a student room by means
unknown.  Its behaviour was observed over a period of two days by means of
attempting to sleep in the room whilst the rat was present (it should be
noted that at this point it was believed that the rat was, in fact, a
mouse).  The following methods of removal of the rat were then investigated:
1. Leaving it alone and hoping it would go away.
2. Introducing a domestic cat (felis catus) to the room and encouraging it
   to catch the rat.
3. Introducing an assistant, equipped with a dustpan and brush, to chase the
	rat manically round the room in an attempt to catch it, whilst
	systematically removing the contents of the room via the door.
4. Attempting to stun the rat by throwing heavy objects at it.
5. Trapping the rat in a confined space adjacent to an open window, and
   waiting.
The model of assistant used was the Bursa mark 2.0 (175cm tall, 9inch
dustpan, optional dark glasses fitted).  The domestic cat employed was the
Tequila Mark 1.0 (1.5yrs old, black, optional bell fitted).

Results
The rat was observed to be nocturnal, being largely inactive during the day
but spending large proportions of the night running arround making rattling
noises.  A preference for dark, confined spaces, particularly the backs of
wardrobes and bookcases and the undersides of computer monitors, was noted.
When frightened the rat was observed to emit a high pitched squealing noise,
which was found to be unplesant to humans.

Method 1 was observed to be entirely ineffective, although only limited time
was available for testing.  

Method 2 was also found to be ineffective, as the noise emitted by the rat
frightened the domestic cat used.  We attempted to reduce this problem by
encouraging the cat (sample encouragements may be found in appendix A) but
useful results were not obtained.  It was also noted that the rat could fit
into spaces that were smaller than the width of the cat available, limiting
its effectiveness.  Research council funding for the purchase of a more
advanced model of cat was not available.

Method 3 was more promising but negative results were also obtained.  It was
noted that the rat could move faster than the model of assistant available,
being able to jump to half his height and move from one side of the room to
another in times too small to be recorded by the clock available.  The rat
was also found to be smaller than the assistant, thus limiting his
effectiveness.  Whilst confinement of the rat to a limited subset of the
room was possible, its total removal was not.  Removal of items from the
room was limited by the number of items available.  The dark glasses option
was not observed to significantly improve the performance of the assistant,
which was exhausted after approximately one hour.  Research council funding
for the purchase of a more advanced model of assistant was not available.

Method 4 was found to be unsucessful due to the difficulty of throwing heavy
objects in confined spaces and the ability of the rat to move faster than
the objects.  Investigation into this method was rapidly abandoned due to
impracticality and to avoid damage to the room.

Method 5 was found to be unreliable but ultimitely sucessful.  It should be
noted that the window should be closed as soon as practical after the exit
of the rat to prevent its reentry.

Following this research the author finds that rats are unsuitable for
introduction into student rooms due to their interference with sleep patterns
and difficulty of removal.

Conclusions
A specemin of the brown rat (rattus norvegicus) was introduced to a student
room and various methods of its removal investigated.  Confining the rat
near a window and then allowing it to escape was found to be the most
effective.  More research is needed to extend these results to the black
rat, rattus rattus, and to investigate the use of the domestic dog (canis
familiaris) in rat removal, but this research group does not have sufficient
resorces to carry out the research, nor does it fall within the author's
research interests.

The author would like to thank the Hull LEA and Mr and Mrs P. Church for
providing funding to carry out this research, Mrs V. Bursa for provision of
the room and Mr F. Bursa for his dedicated work as the assistant and ideas
and inspiration during the carrying out of this project.

Appendix A: Encouragements to the Domestic Cat
Two types of encouragements were employed:
1.  Verbal - shouting "There it is - go for it", "It's behind the wardrobe",
    "No, it's not under the bed, you stupid thing" and similar phrases.
2.  Physical - Carrying the cat into the room with the rat and shutting the
    door.
None of these encouragements was noted to have any effect, partly as the
domestic cat does not, in general, fully understand British English.