They found mainstream success with their extended play, Tingles (October 1990), album Blind Love (June 1991) and the single, "Don't Go Now" (April), which all reached No.

[1][2] Ratcat "built-up a strong live following by playing the local haunts of the Sydney skate-punk scene alongside the likes of Massappeal, The Hellmenn, The Hard-ons and Happy Hate Me Nots."

The group signed to Waterfront Records, and released a self-titled extended play in December 1987, which "contained four of the band's self-penned stage favourites plus a cover of "I Think We're Alone Now".

[1] According to Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane, the album "contained a treasure-trove of witty, effervescent Day-penned tracks like "Go Go", "True Lust", "Baby's Got a Gun" and "The Killing Joke", plus a cover of UK band The Darling Buds' "If I Said".

"[3] In February 1990, Ratcat supported English group Buzzcocks and fellow Australian band Falling Joys,[4] before signing with the rooArt label, distributed by PolyGram.

[1] On 14 October 1990, the group released a six-track EP entitled, Tingles, which was produced by Nick Mainsbridge (Tall Tales and True, Martha's Vineyard).

[1][5] "That Ain't Bad", the lead track, was Day's "simple attempt to mix noisy guitars and the words 'I love you' together in a song without one contradicting the other.

For recording, at Paradise Studios, Day, Polin and Zaid were joined by St. Clare and Margaret Urlich on backing vocals;[9] they were produced by Mainsbridge, again.

"[1] In January 1995, the band released "Rain", which was produced by Tony Cohen, and EP The Smiler in August 1995, and started work on a new album, Easy Rider.

They also collaborated with John Paul Young – who supplied backing vocals – on a cover version of his earlier single, "I Hate the Music" (September 1998).

A 2010 TV ad for Bonds' brassieres featured a group of women dressed in the branded underwear performing a cover version of Ratcat's "That Ain't Bad" on a street float.

The band played as part of the A Day on the Green concert series in March 2016, with Hoodoo Gurus, Sunnyboys, Violent Femmes and Died Pretty.