Washington state officials warn of toilet rats after floods: ‘Try to stay calm’

Residents in Washington state have been told to be aware of unwanted festive visitors before Santa comes down the chimney – rats coming up from the toilet.Health officials in Washington warned that recent flooding in the state “may sweep rodents into the sewer systems”. In a Facebook post, the Seattle and King county public health department wrote: “If a rat visits your toilet, take a deep breath and follow these tips,” before outlining the steps to take if a rodent emerges from your commode.Unsurprisingly, the first tip provided is: “Try to stay calm. That might not be easy under the circumstances.” The Facebook post advises people to flush the rat down the toilet or squeeze washing up liquid into the toilet to grease the reviled furry mammal’s path back into the sewer.If the rat is too large to be vanquished this way, the health officials say, residents should close the toilet lid and call a pest control company. Presumably, using other places of convenience would be advisable if caught short in the meantime.Rats are surprisingly strong swimmers and can hold their breath for several minutes, meaning that, along with their tenacity and ability to squeeze into small spaces, they can easily enter someone’s home via the toilet.Such a scenario, a nightmare for people with musophobia, is more common in older buildings with dilapidated pipes following heavy rainfall.Washington state has been dealing with some of its worst ever flooding this month, with several days of torrential rain causing thousands of people to be evacuated as floodwater inundated homes, washed away roads and triggered landslides.