displacedyankee

I live in a small city, but on a double lot, so I have a lot of grass clippings and leaves in the fall. I mulch the grass back into the lawn most of the year, but in the fall I chop up the leaves with the lawn mower first to reduce the bulk, then mow again with a bag to pick everything up. I know enough to add some dirt to the pile as I build it, to accelerate the decomposition. Is there anything else I should be doing? I've tried adding kitchen scraps (no meat, of course), but there were signs that rats were getting attracted. How do I avoid that? Just keep to lawn clippings and garden waste?