Rats - Grrrr!

I'm so not happy.....

I don't even have my new girls yet (but invested far too heavily to go back now) and I've just noticed evidence of rats in two places in my garden. One where the little blighter has dug up an area of my veg patch (might be something to do with burying kitchen compost where my beans are going next year??) and another where there's a large rat hole in the flower bed some 10-12 feet from the veg patch, going under some perennials. I've had an open compost heap for years and haven't seen this problem before. There must be some "rat intel" going round  alerting them to imminent arrival of chooks!

Any ideas how I can address this? I have 2 cats so am reluctant to use poison in case they get poisoned (I don't think they'd eat a rat, but would go for a dead mouse without question).

Thanks. BG

Can you recommend any particular type? I've seen the sort with jagged teeth - but I haven't had any success with the equivalent mouse one.

http://www.primrose.co.uk/reuseable-trap-p-806.html?cPath=24_25_144

Have to say, I don't relish the thought of disposing of a fat juicy rat from one of these - but then the consequences for the cats or chooks is even worse.

Has anyone heard of eradibait?
http://www.eradibait.com/
It claims there's no danger to pets if they eat the dead rat/mouse. Something to do with a unique digestive system and mode of operation............

Any thoughts out there?

Thanks. BG

Thanks Nicki85.

In your loft? Ugh. I have (?had?) mice between my bedroom ceiling and flat roof, but can't imagine rats. Worst thing is they keep me awake with their gnawing and scurrying. Caught a couple of blighters this week so I hope that's it - useless cats! It's probably them that brought the mice in in the first place! So doubly useless that they didn't kill them!!!

Aren't you worried that baited rats/mice might get eaten by your other animals? Is it the sort of bait where they run away and die somewhere else?
And are you saying rats are only interested in chooks if their food is lying around? That makes me feel a bit better.

eradibait is a rat poison that doesn't affect other animals

http://www.eradibait.com/