US-WASHINGTON-RATS

Rue is seen inside the Greenstreet Garden gardening center in Alexandria, Virginia, on June 1, 2023. Blue Collar Cats are part of a Humane Rescue Alliance program which finds shelter for cats at businesses to help with pest control. The District of Columbia consistently makes the top five list of America's rattiest cities, a problem made worse by warming winters, a rising population, and outdoor dining areas made permanent after the Covid pandemic. There were nearly 13,400 calls to a city hotline for rat issues in 2022, up around 2,000 on the year before, according to local media reports. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)