Old School RuneScape: Complete Guide to the Rat Catchers Quest

The Rat Catchers quest in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) offers an engaging mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat through clever use of your feline companions. Completing this quest rewards players with access to the rat pits, the ability to train overgrown cats into wyrm and lazy cats, 4,500 Thieving experience, and two quest points. However, navigating this quest can be tricky, especially with mansion guards ready to thwart your progress. To make preparation easier, some players choose to buy OSRS gold to quickly obtain necessary items and supplies, ensuring a smoother and more efficient questing experience.

Prerequisites and Requirements

Before starting, ensure you have completed Thearren’s Little Helper quest and begun The Giant Dwarf quest for access to Kelligram. There are no skill requirements, but you will need several items:

· An adult cat or hellcat (kittens or overgrown cats will not work). Kittens can be purchased from Gertrude west of Varrock for 100 coins and require three hours of care to mature.

· A Cat Speak amulet.

· Four pieces of cheese and rat poison (available in the Clock Tower basement or craftable using an empty vial, a cleaned quam herb, and red spider’s eggs).

· A cleaned marentail, unicorn horn dust, bucket of milk, tinderbox, empty pot, weeds, and approximately 500 coins for incidental expenses.

· Optional: a snake charm, weight-reducing clothing, two stamina potions, and 10 fish (raw bass or shrimps) to heal your cat.

For teleports, bring three Barrows teleports, two Ardougne teleports (or a charged Skills necklace if Plague City is incomplete), a charged Ring of Wealth, a charged Amulet of Glory, and optionally, two Pest Control teleport scrolls. If you have 20 Construction, a house teleport to a Pollnivneach house can save time.

Quest Start: Gertrude’s House

Begin the quest by talking to Gertrude, located just west of Varrock and south of the Grand Exchange. Accept the quest and follow the dialogue prompts. Once initiated, teleport to Barrows and head northeast to the manhole, then climb down to meet Grime Squit and Fing. Use your weeds on the empty pot to free inventory space and engage in dialogue with the duo.

Chasing Rats

Your cat is central to the quest. Drop your cat and select "Chase" to hunt rats, repeating until your cat catches eight rats. Once completed, retrieve your cat to prevent it from aging mid-quest. After further dialogue with Grime Squit and Fing, you will receive a rat pole.

Navigating Ardougne Mansion

Teleport to Ardougne and head to the mansion near the pub in the northwestern corner of East Ardougne. Carefully navigate past patrolling guards by timing your movements and hiding behind hedges or turrets. Inside, drop your cat in rooms with blue or green rugs and command it to chase rats. Patience is key, as guards’ rotations can force retries. Your cat must catch all rats in designated rooms before proceeding.

Poisoning Rat Holes

Once the mansion rats are caught, travel to Hooknose Jack in Varrock’s southeastern corner. Use rat poison on each of your four cheese pieces, then apply the poisoned cheese to rat holes in a southwestern building. Afterward, speak to Hooknose Jack to discover his cat is sick. Visit the apothecary with milk, ground unicorn horn, and marentail to create cat anti-poison, then return to cure Hooknose’s cat.

Defeating the King Rat

Return to the southwestern building to face the king rat. Use your cat to fight it, healing with fish when its health gets low. Defeating the king rat may take time due to your cat’s limited health. After victory, pick up your cat and report back to Hooknose Jack.

Kelligram and Port Sarum

Travel to Kelligram via the minecart system, then speak to Smok and Joe. Create a smoldering pot from your weeds and tinderbox, and use it to flush rats from their hiding spots. Call your cat as needed to complete the task. Next, travel to Port Sarum and descend into the dungeon to locate Fell Crash. Here, use the snake charm to play a musical sequence that charms all remaining rats into the waters, completing the quest objectives.

Completion and Rewards

Once all dialogue sequences are completed and rats are eliminated, the quest concludes. Players receive:

· Access to the rat pits.

· Ability to train overgrown cats into wyrm and lazy cats.

· 4,500 Thieving XP.

· Two quest points.

Patience and preparation are key for success in Rat Catchers. Following this guide ensures you navigate the guards, manage your cat effectively, and complete the quest without frustration. Additionally, having access to cheap RS gold can help you quickly acquire essential items like an adult cat, cheese, or rat poison, making your questing experience smoother and more efficient.