buglady wrote:

John Doe wrote:

My guess is that depending on cats to kill rats was one of their
problems. Using cats is probably better than using poison and traps,
but better would be cleaning up after themselves. Avoid attracting
the rats in the first place.

this was the Middle Ages. Just how clean do you think it was?

Don't really know. I'm sure it varied from one locale to another.

And they did not understand the connection between filth and germs or
pests.

But seriously. Noticing that breadcrumbs attract ants, cockroaches, or
rats is not a high level process.