Rat-catcher

The rat-catcher was a profession centered around catching rats as a form of pest control.

Related Topics:
Profession - Rat - Pest control

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Keeping the rat population under control was important since rats can spread diseases to men, most notoriously the Black Plague. Rats were also blamed for damaging food supplies.

Related Topics:
Disease - Black Plague

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It is said that some rat-catchers would raise rats instead of catching them in order to get more money from the towns. This, and the practice of rat-fights, would have led to rat-breeding and the adoption of the rat as a pet - the fancy rat. This alleged activity is explored in the Discworld novel The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett.

Related Topics:
Fancy rat - Discworld - The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents - Terry Pratchett

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A famous rat-catcher from Victorian England was Jack Black. A famous legendary rat-catcher was The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Related Topics:
Victorian - England - Jack Black - The Pied Piper of Hamelin

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