How to kill a rat

Having recently murdered 4 rats at home in the span of 45 days, I believe I have gathered a crude form of expertise in the art of ending the miserable lives that these minuscule messengers of mayhem lead. This spree of rodenticide started due to a sudden surge in rat population in my neighbour's house following the migration of cats that used to hang around in the vicinity. Cats rock! I like lions. Do watch 'The Ghost and the Darkness'.

Anyways, here are some tips I have gathered thanks to my vast experience in handling rats (Yes. 4! How many you killed man?):

1. The rat is never where you think it is. In accordance with the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, the rat seems to have mastered the art of constant momentum and hence makes its presence in the most probable location infinitely improbable.

2. Open spaces. Rats hate open spaces. They're quite dumb. They just run from one end to another of open spaces with no aim in life. That's where they are most vulnerable.
That's where you kill them.

3. Arm yourself. No, a broomstick is a strict no no. The ideal weapon is a standard broad based size 8+ Hawai Chappal (rubber slippers) or a flexible yet thick rubber based doormat. I cannot stress more on the broadness of the weapon. The larger the area, the better your chances of nailing it. Pun intended.

4. Get an extra pair of eyes. If you think you can handle the rat alone, you're blind. Rats have a knack of finding out all areas lying outside your Line of Sight. Go alone and point 1. will hit you in your face. Hard. Not fast. But much later. By which time your enemy would have exhausted all your stored food in the kitchen.

5. Avoid kitchens. Rats are the kings of kitchens. Nay, they are the Emperors. It is simply impossible to track down a rat in the countless cabinets, that you will be so sure are not required, and hence resistance is futile. You might as well go back to your living room, pretend to watch an Ekta Kapoor soap while slyly watching the kitchen door hoping that the infidel will reemerge. Whence upon you can use Point 2.

6. Throw high pitched yelling women out of the house before you start the hunt. This is for their own good. Your frustration after they have warned the rat of your approach everytime might make you go after them instead.

7. There is no hole small enough for the bastard. Trust me. If you think it couldn't have possibly escaped through the tiny space between the door and the floor, remember that possibility is impossibly and improbably infinite in the insane world of ratdom. For details, refer point 1.

8. Think like a rat. "If I were a small flexible superfast creature running from a Chappal wielding maniacal monster, where would I hide?".
This last tip I haven't used yet. Didn't have to.

Alright then. Hope I have armed you with enough tips to avenge that hole in your mattress last night.

Happy Hunting!