On Rats and Ahimsa

So the other night I woke up to noise coming from down stairs.  I got up, went downstairs and crept through the living room.  I could hear rustling behind some boxes (we are moving) in the dining room.  I grabbed a broom, and went over to the boxes.  The noise stopped.  Using the broom I pushed the boxes to the side when suddenly a rat jumped out and ran right at me.  I hit it with the broom twice, and it ran off to the the side.  Somehow I had ended up in the kitchen defending the rat hole with the broom.  The rat tried to run into the kitchen but I again landed the broom on it.  It flew off to the side and ducked behind the stove.  I pulled the stove away from the wall, but the rat wasn't there.  I looked under the stove, but it wasn't there... Then I heard it.  the rat had crawled up inside the stove.  I pulled the bottom drawer out of the stove and low and behold I could see the rats tail hanging
down.  "Scissors" I though, but luckily I couldn't find any.  I found a kitchen knife though.  With out