Ratcatchers Quest Guide
OSRS Ratcatchers walkthrough, requirements and rewards
Updated September 2026
Ratcatchers unlocks the Rat Pits and lets you train overgrown cats into wily and lazy cats. It needs Icthlarin's Little Helper and a cat, and rewards Thieving experience.
On this page
6 sections
Overview
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Length | Medium |
| Quest points | 2 |
| Series | None |
| Start point | Talk to Gertrude west of Varrock. |
Requirements
Quest Requirements
Other Requirements
- Access to Keldagrim (The Giant Dwarf started)
- Your cat must defeat the King rat
Items Needed
- Any cat or hellcat (not overgrown)
- 4 cheese (or 4 poisoned cheese)
- Rat poison or an empty vial, cleaned kwuarm and red spiders' eggs
- Cleaned marrentill, unicorn horn dust and a bucket of milk
- Catspeak amulet, pot of weeds, tinderbox, snake charm and 101 coins
Recommended
- 8-10 fish to heal your cat
- Ring of Charos(a) to spend fewer coins
- Fast travel to Varrock, Port Sarim, Pollnivneach, Ardougne and Keldagrim
Walkthrough
Video walkthrough by Slayermusiq1.
- Varrock rats. Talk to Gertrude, then to Phingspet and Grimesquit in the Varrock Sewers, and catch 8 rats with your cat.
- Jimmy Dazzler's mansion. Talk to Jimmy Dazzler west of the Ardougne pub and catch all 6 mansion rats without being caught.
- Hooknosed Jack's warehouse. Get rat poison from Jack, poison the cheese and use it on the 4 rat holes, then help your cat fight the King rat.
- Smokin' Joe. In Keldagrim, talk to Smokin' Joe, use weeds on a pot and light it, then use the smouldering pot on the rat hole.
- Charm the rats. Talk to Felkrash and The Face in the Port Sarim rat pits, then play the snake charm tune for Ali the Snake Charmer.
- Finish up. Return and talk to Felkrash in the rat pits.
Rewards
- 2 Quest points
- 4,500 Thieving experience
- A rat pole
- Ability to train overgrown cats into wily and lazy cats and name them
- Access to the Rat Pits and their minigame teleports
Related Quests
Related Tools
Ratcatchers FAQ
01What cat should I bring to Ratcatchers?
Any cat or hellcat except an overgrown cat. A wily cat is recommended for its high rat-catching rate.
02How do I reach Keldagrim for Ratcatchers?
You must have started The Giant Dwarf, then use the trapdoor in north-western Grand Exchange or the Blast Furnace minigame teleport.
03What does Ratcatchers unlock?
The Rat Pits, the ability to train overgrown cats into wily and lazy cats, and their minigame teleports.
04What are the Ratcatchers requirements?
There are no skill requirements, but you need Icthlarin's Little Helper and Gertrude's Cat completed, and access to Keldagrim with The Giant Dwarf started.
05How much Thieving experience does Ratcatchers give?
4,500 Thieving experience and 2 Quest points, plus a rat pole and the ability to train and name wily or lazy cats.
06How long does Ratcatchers take?
It is a Medium quest with several cat-based puzzles across Varrock, Ardougne, Port Sarim, Pollnivneach and Keldagrim.
07Does my cat have to fight in Ratcatchers?
Yes. During the Hooknosed Jack section your cat fights the King rat, so use a cat with strong combat stats and bring 8-10 fish to heal it.
Next Quest
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Darren started playing the original RuneScape 2 back in the day and came back when Old School RuneScape launched. He's played on and off over the years and built OSRSToolkit to give players a single place to find reliable tools, calculators, and guides — all informed by real in-game experience.