Rat infestations are nothing new to New York, after all, as the city ranks among the top 5 where the rodent population is the highest. In fact, the prevalence of rats running around the city became an embedded token into NY culture, even landing itself a spot in the New Yorker—-often Staten Islander—-lingo when referring to someone as a “snitch” or “deceptive individual”. While most New Yorkers are aware of the city’s high rat population, it doesn’t mean that they plan to make any extra space for the furry creatures any time soon.
Cora Robinson lives in an apartment in the Bronx, and it seems as if her once peaceful living experience has been completely disrupted by persistent rat invasions. Robinson, after several complaints, has reached her wits end as she is now concerned that the infestation may be impacting her health.
In an attempt to protect her household, Robinson placed a piece of plywood around her baseboards to stop the pests from entering. Despite her high hopes, the rats found a way around the obstacle, hopping over the wood and making themselves feel at home yet again. The infestation has gotten so bad, according to Robinson, that her routine lifestyle has been altered and she finds herself struggling to eat and sleep in the midst of the chaos. She is forced to clean rat poop from her stove quite frequently, and she even smells the leftover rat feces when she turns on the oven as a result of the rats running wild through her kitchen.
Robinson is a survivor of breast cancer, but the ongoing rat infestation in her Bronx apartment is creating immense discomfort for her as recognizes just how hazardous the situation is—and with her not being able to eat or sleep comfortably, it makes matters far more difficult. She is also concerned for the well being of her dog, stating that she was forced to hide its food in her room because if she didn’t, the rats would get into it.
Robinson’s frustrations have reached an all time high as she has admitted that despite her strong desire to move to a new environment, she can’t afford to move. While she has complained to both the landlord and the city about the issue, the infestation has persisted leaving her with little to no hope. She is currently trying her absolute best to live normally again, but with the conditions she’s enduring along with the undying persistence of the rats, it looks like her problems won’t be solved anytime soon.
