Rat Problem Plagues Louisville Neighborhood And Residents Are Fed Up

Residents in the Okolona neighborhood in Louisville say they're fed up with their neighbor's rat problem.

The rats are digging through yards, chewing through wires, and running around in people's garages.

”It’s becoming a major problem for everybody on the street, across the street. I live four houses down, and in the last two days, I’ve killed four rats," homeowner Scott Sparks told WAVE.

The unwelcome rodents come from a neglected house on Blue Lick Road house, and the pests have been an issue for the last eight months.

Someone owns the home but no one lives there. Neighbors say the empty building is attracting squatters, and piles of trash in and around the house are attracting rats.

So far, it doesn't appear that the property's owner has done anything to fix the rat problem. Only an empty dumpster was placed in front of the house earlier this week.

Sparks contacted his council member and the station reached out to the city's codes and regulations department.

Rat infestations can happen anywhere, but they're not as widespread of a problem in Louisville like in Chicago or New York. No Kentucky city made Okrin's 2020 list of the 50 most rattiest cities.