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Saturday, March 15, 2008

Time to Move

Ugh. Just got some very disturbing news from a neighbor. I was planning to go back to sleep after walking the dog, but now I'm so freaked out I can't at all. Turns out, according to my neighbor, nearly all the apartments on my side of the building have RATS or have heard them crawling in the walls. Not mice, but big gigantic rats. I'm going to cry. Or throw up. Or both at the same time.

THAT IS NOT OKAY. I so can't handle the idea of rats in the apartment. Going to see if I can sleep in a hotel for the next few weeks until the rats are gone.

I woke Max up just now to tell him we have to move. He seemed nonplussed - argh!! I did make him promise that we'll "rat proof" the apartment today. I don't know what that really entails, but we should at least look around and make sure there aren't any little cracks or openings that nasty nasty nasty things can get through. Time to give the apartment a really thorough cleaning too. We've been so busy that the apartment has gotten filthy. Maybe that's another reason to move - just start over in a nice clean apartment.

I tried to google and look up sites on how to get rid of rats or prevent them from entering your apartment, but it's been a stressful process because these sites often have pictures of rats and I totally freak out when I see the pics. I mean, under normal circumstances, I can't really even look at pictures of rats or other rodents, but under these circumstances - when they're pictures of what could actually be LIVING in my apartment - I just can't bear them at all. I have to sort of scroll slowly and peek to see if there are any rat pics. It's been a painful and frightening process - like watching a scary movie or walking through a haunted house.

Ugh. UGH!!!

The only thing I can think of to console myself is that I haven't seen them yet, and if my building is infested, you'd think I'd have seen one by now; and also that Pig is a mighty fine rat catcher and I'd know if there was something in here. I don't think I blogged about this b/c I've been too busy but about 6 weeks ago, she was acting all weird - really obsessed with the bathroom, and it turns out, accoording to my apartment manager, they poisoned and trapped "one mouse" (interesting how "one mouse" becomes a "bunch of rats") in the walls, which was why Pig kept sniffing and staring at the walls. I've given Pig strict instructions to "kill on sight." Of course, what worries me most is that nearly all the apartments that have had a problem have dogs!! And some with big ones. You'd think that would scare them away.

If I see one in here, I'm going to die. I seriously will die of heart attack. Death by Rat. Sounds like a mystery novel, except the ending is so obvious. Ugh. It will be a horrible and senseless tragedy, but I swear, a rat is not something I can tolerate at all.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

don't get poison- that can hurt pig. you can get traps, but those are really mean, and pretty messy. feel pretty good- they probably can't get into your actual apartment. living in nyc, they tell people about this because pretty much everyone gets mice from time to time. no one gets rats. for either one, small cracks don't matter, but pipes do- you can go under your sink (or make max) and take like caulking that goes in the bathtub and fill in the spaces around where the pipes come into your apartment or your cabinets. do it in the kitchen and the bathroom, and if you have radiator pipes do it there too. there are laws about your landlord taking care of it too. don't worry- it's not as scary as it seems. i do relate, though. i saw a mouse in here once, and the cat killed one and left it on the floor another time. i figure two in almost 4 yrs isn't bad, especially living upstairs from 2 restaurants. it's terrifying, but really, not as scary as it seems- promise!

8:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can totally relate--I would feel the same way. Someday when you're here, remind me to tell you my bat story--and how Randy reacted to it. It may help explain Max's nonchalance.

11:55 AM  
Blogger kate g said...

oh my god.
seriously.
OH! MY! GOD!
i would be freaking out too sareet! you have got to talk to the landlord and tell them to take care of it. this is on them, they need to provide a safe place and one that is rodent...hell, one that is completely NOT infested with anything. his job. not yours.
but i am with you on the freaking out.
dear one, i'm praying this gets fixed ASAP!

5:52 PM  
Blogger 3am wanderer - said...

i think the only thing you can do is burn the building down and ask your landlord to start over politely. that's what i would do

7:57 PM  
Blogger 3am wanderer - said...

sorry, this is julia. i'm trying to be stalker proof. :)

7:57 PM  

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