A woman was left in a state of panic after discovering a giant rat scurrying around her while she was using the toilet.
Horrifying images show the huge rodent lodged at the bottom of the toilet, with its long claws and whiskers sticking out of the water.
The woman was left ‘screaming’ after the rat, which then drowned face down in the water, climbed up the drains and hid at the bottom of the toilet.
Kieran Sampler, a professional rat catcher, said: ‘The rat went up another drain line and into the toilet, while a woman was on the toilet.
‘So we had to take him out, he was pretty bad, I’d never had him come out of the toilet before.
“She was screaming. Imagine being in the bathroom and something brushes against you.”
Shocking images show the rodent lodged at the bottom of the toilet with its long claws and whiskers sticking out of the water.
Professional rat catcher Kieran Sampler (pictured) claims to have killed more than 65,000 rodents
The 30-year-old, who claims to have killed more than 65,000 animals, added: ‘I had a client who had a rat that was living in the wooden slats of a bed – it’s crazy what I’ve seen.
‘I had a case where a cat brought the rat in during the night, so the family trapped it inside the bedroom.
‘I brought my dog and he identified it immediately, but the rat ran into the drawers of the nightstand.’
Mr Sampler set up a Facebook page called Yorkshire Rat Pack in 2018, where he shares work and supports other rat catchers.
The father-of-one then set up his own business called Vermicure Pest Control, which covers South and West Yorkshire.
He avoids using traps that would keep rodents in a cage because he says this traumatizes them.
Mr Sampler, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, has trained his two Lakeland Terriers, Poppy and Penny, to track down and kill rats as humanely as possible.
He said: ‘They kill rats in seconds.
‘In my opinion, it is more humane than using poison, and that is why it has never been made illegal.
“Plus, it works faster than poison, and in a good way.”
The woman was left “screaming” after the rat, which then drowned face down in water, climbed up her drains and hid at the bottom of her toilet.
Mr Sampler, who sees about ten customers a day, says there has been an increase in the number of people finding rats in recent months.
He recommends that people trim their garden leaves, rat-proof their patios and pick up after their dogs regularly to prevent them from entering their property.
Mr Sampler said: ‘This winter is going to be bad, I’m already getting farmers calling me two months in advance.
‘Winter is a vital time for rats – they love foliage, so if you have a lot of foliage in your garden, I recommend cutting it back.
‘I would try to reduce the bird feeders, you can’t force people to get rid of them because everyone likes them, but I would try to protect them from rats as best I could.
‘The flooring is a nightmare because rats love it. Try to waterproof it because they will get under it.
‘Many people don’t pick up their dog’s poop right away, but it attracts them.
‘If they enter the property, there is most likely a problem with the drains.
“When they get into the drains, they eat waste and human feces.”
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