WILLOWICK, Ohio — Rats appear to be becoming the new deer in Willowick, and residents are grossed out.
RELATED: 'Disgusting': Willowick, Eastlake respond to rat problems
Since our first story on the reported rat takeover, the City of Willowick confirms it has received a dozen complaints of rats.
As of Tuesday night, there are now 13 recent complaints of rodents, as Cathy Pappin alerted the city to the unwanted pests in her backyard.
Pappin said she noticed "rubble" by her back door's steps about a week ago — unsure of what it was or where it came from.
"What we ended up doing was setting up cameras pointed right at that [spot]. Not even two hours later and they went off in the evening time. There was this little face there and that's how I knew I had rats," Pappin said.
The rubble ended up being pieces of her home's foundation, as the rats had been caught on surveillance scurrying under the home and inside the vinyl siding.
Pappin explained how she didn't fully know if it was a rat at first due to the size.
"Is that a rat or is that a cat?," she recalled asking. "I was horrified at the size of it. I have not been able to really get a good night's sleep. Can they get in the house? It's very anxiety provoking. It's awful."
Pappin and her husband, Greg, said they immediately went into "rat mode," buying all sorts of traps, both lethal and not.
The Pappins estimate they've spent roughly $300 on traps.
They've set out a handful of traps near their back door with fat-reduced peanut butter layered on each one.
So far, they've managed to catch and kill one.
"I actually felt a little elated. They had outsmarted me five nights in a row. We actually have one that walked up, I'm watching him on the camera, and I'm like, 'Close! Snap! Close!' He ate the peanut butter and walked away, so yeah, I felt pretty vindicated that it had actually snapped," Pappin said.
She believes there is at least one more living on her property. She said she has seen one run from her house to another.
Once she alerted the city Tuesday night by email, Pappin said both the mayor and the chief zoning and housing inspector came to her home Wednesday morning to inspect the property.
"I cannot tell you how impressed I was," she said.
Pappin told me she was especially impressed hearing that the mayor moved his schedule around to be present for the inspection.
"My husband FaceTimed me. The four of us, they walked the perimeter of the property. Prior to that, they had looked at the homes around us and said, 'We have some work to do in your neighborhood.' [The mayor] put his hand up my siding right where that rat had been and I was like, 'Oh God bless you for doing that.' They were wonderful. They were absolutely wonderful," Pappin said.
Pappin said she had heard rumors that the rat issue was the cause of the city working on sewers, but that the mayor explained it could be due to the water line work the city has been doing.
I reached out to the city again for updates. This is the statement I received Tuesday afternoon:
Since the airing of your story, we have received approximately 12 rat related complaints, all of which have been promptly responded to. In response, informational materials (that includes removing food/water sources) have been distributed both to the affected properties and to neighboring properties in order to raise awareness and provide prevention guidance.
We are strongly encouraging property owners to follow the recommendations provided by the Lake County Health department to help reduce contributing factors. Additionally we have cited certain properties where conditions such as yard debris or other issues were identified as contributing to the problem, requiring cleanup and corrective actions.
We will continue to monitor these concerns closely and continue to take proactive measures to ensure they are properly managed.
The city did provide the Pappins with some educational information for now, which they say they have already changed their day-to-day habits because of it.
"My husband and I are nature lovers. We had already taken down our bird feeders, our squirrel feeders. We thought we were okay," she said.
However, she admitted to still hand-feeding squirrels, but said the city told her even the leftover bits of that food would attract rats.
She no longer does that.
It's also recommended that dog feces be picked up, lawns be maintained, and trash not be overflowing. All of which the Pappins already make sure of.
"We're not dirty people and we have rats. Don't be embarrassed, go ahead and call. The city's very responsive," Pappin said.
The Pappins will continue laying traps in hopes of killing their rodent issue.
While they don't see a refund for rat traps in the future, Greg said if they have to hire an exterminator, they'd certainly ask the city for compensation.
"It really just surprises me that all of a sudden now they're coming up the driveway and having dinner at our house. It's just a kind of appalling, but it seems like it's been a problem. It's been noted as being a problem. We just never lived that problem until now," Greg said.
If you live in Willowick and have rodent problems, please call City Hall at 440-585-3700.
We'd also like to hear from you if you, too, are seeing rats on your property. You can email me at Kaylee.Olivas@WEWS.com.
