Rats are attracted by the smell of rubbish, other animals and their food so you should take care when feeding your pets, or, if you feed wild birds and have bird table. You should also be very careful when you discard rubbish in your bins ensuring that they are closed securely and that rats cannot get into them. Rats need three things to survive: water, food, cover. Your garden will probably provide all of these to any rat in the area. It is therefore important that you keep these to a minimum. Additionally composting provides a warm place for rats to live and a supply of food in the winter.