Revenge of the Vermin

I suppose it was somewhat eccentric of me to get all excited about jet washing the yard.  Some people suggested I should get out a bit more and go to the pub, which is fine, but there is nothing like a bit of therapy now and again.
Thai people are not renowned for keeping the yard tidy, and our family is no exception.  Nothing is thrown away, or re-cycled as we now like to call it.  We have an old bike, rusty piping, cans, tubs, bits of old wood and even straightened out nails.  Those of you connected to a Thai family will know exactly what I mean, but can I get Khamma to at least tidy up never mind go down to the tip?  No chance.  So it was that the jet washer was left outside until we went away to Chiang Mai.
On the morning we left I picked up the jet washer only to find that a rat had chewed through the electric cable.  The cable was OK the day before because I had in fact used the jet wash again for a short burst of satisfaction!  But overnight the pesky vermin had wreaked its revenge on me for cleaning the place up.  Not even the dogs woke us up, which leads to me to think they might all be conspiring against me.

Any advice on how to catch Thai rats will be greatly appreciated.