Every winter, we have set up a bird feeder (we don't leave it up in spring/summer/fall as our big garden provides the birds with plenty of goodies during the growing season). Last winter, the bird feeder/spilled seeds, etc. attracted a rat, who either found or created a hole in a wall of our house and started building a nest. Ultimately, we had to hire someone to get rid of him. We felt absolutely awful about this, since after all its hardly his fault that he's a rat! But they do carry diseases, and if he got into the house it would've been a disaster - he was almost as big as one of my cats, my little tabby Stella, and he could have seriously hurt her (and possibly my Mina too, though she's bigger). So I'm trying to decide if I should set up the bird feeder again, and was wondering if anybody could offer any suggestions on how to have a bird feeder but deter rats? Like I said, last year was the first time this happened, but I REALLY don't want it to happen again. Thanks in advance!