4 Ways a Rat Can Kill You

Rats are more than just an annoyance. They can cause irreversible damage to your property — and in extreme cases, put lives at risk. Not for the faint of heart, here are four ways a rat can kill you and what you can do to avoid that outcome.

1. Burning Down the House

Rats frequently chew electrical wiring and even gas lines to wear down their continuously growing incisors (they can grow 4.5–5.5 inches per year). In attics and wall voids, a gnawed live wire near dry wood can spark a fire; damaged appliance cords pose similar risks. Chewed gas pipes can also lead to dangerous leaks and explosions.

2. Structural Damage

Rats will gnaw through framing, joists, studs, roof trusses, drywall, and even softer masonry to access food and shelter. This destruction is costly and hazardous—compromised supports can fail. One analysis estimated rats caused $19 billion in urban damage in 2000 alone.

3. Rat-Bite Fever

Rat-bite fever (RBF) doesn’t require a bite—handling infected rats or consuming food/water they’ve contaminated can transmit Streptobacillus moniliformis (North America) or Spirillum minus (more common in Asia). The food-borne form is called Haverhill fever. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, and joint pain; severe cases can involve the heart, brain, lungs, or internal abscesses. RBF is treatable with antibiotics, but without treatment it can be fatal. Learn more from the CDC.

4. Other Serious Diseases

• Leptospirosis: contracted via contact with urine from infected rats; can cause kidney/liver failure and cardiovascular issues if untreated (e.g., a notable Bronx cluster in 2017).
• Typhus: fleas on rats can transmit typhus and other pathogens to humans.
• Hantavirus: exposure via aerosolized particles from urine/droppings, direct contact, or bites; early symptoms mimic flu, and delayed treatment can be life-threatening.
• Plague: still present in some regions via infected fleas or contact with infected animals; see recent maps from the CDC and background from National Geographic.

These scenarios are rare but real—and preventable. If you want a humane, toxin-free solution, consider the A24 automatic trap. The A24 rodent solution resets after each strike, works on rats and mice, kills instantly with a CO₂-powered striker, contains no poisons, and is built to last.

For more on effective rodent solutions and humane trapping, explore humane rat traps and our latest articles.