Just the other evening, my husband and I were walking through the business area of El Cajon, on our way to a steakhouse, when a rat ran right in front of us. Doesn't that just make you want to eat dinner?

A few weeks ago there was a dead rat lying in the street in my neighborhood. These are just the ones I see. What about the ones I don’t see?

This seems to be a normal sight in El Cajon recently. I’ve chatted with my neighbors and only one or two will acknowledge that there is a problem. The thing is, with mice and rats, by the time you can see them, it’s a bigger problem than you think. They procreate fast.

I live in a neighborhood of nice ranch-style homes on large lots. We are bound to have critters — raccoons, possums, rabbits, snakes, coyotes, and more. But now the rats are abundant, which brings more snakes and coyotes. Most people here seem to think they don't have rats and just want to ignore it. But it is a problem.

Now, I know many people are going to say, “It’s El Cajon. What do you expect?” But I’ve seen baited rat traps in La Jolla, too!

The other day I was speaking with a pest-control employee. He lives in Clairemont, and as we chatted about rats and traps he told me about his neighbors. How, even though the rats run along the brick walls between the houses late at night, they don’t see them so it’s not a problem.