PASADENA, Texas – Residents in the Parkview South neighborhood said they have been dealing with their neighbor’s rats infestation issue for years.
Videos show dozens of rats climbing fences and trees.
Resident Vichien Kittiwanich, whose house neighbors say is the cause of the rat infestation, said he and his wife have lived in their home on Thistledown for 44 years.
“It’s starting to get rotten and crack,” said Kittiwanich.
He said the rats crawl out of the holes in his home, and a neighbor said the dead rats end up in his yard.
“I noticed that they have found a way into the attic, and I’ve caught them before, and it seems like you can’t ever get rid of them,” said the neighbor who did not want to be identified.
City officials said Kittiwanich told them the rats were his pets. Kittiwanich said that is not true and his only pets are cats and dogs. He also denied feeding the rats.
The city responded to neighbors’ complaints by citing Kittiwanich on June 19.
KPRC 2 saw code enforcement knocking on Kittiwanich’s door Wednesday morning.
“The city enforcement, two or three of them, came in and gave me the citation for violation of the city code. I said I did not have any violation. I did not have the intention to violate. It was due to my house getting old and rotten,” Kittiwanich said.
Kittiwanich said he did not want to exterminate.
“I don’t try exterminating because I have one of the 10 commandments, ‘Thou shall not kill,’ in my mind and I stick to that,” said Kittiwanich.
Kittiwanich said he postponed his hernia surgery to pay for supplies to patch up the holes. He said some of the rats still get out.
“Naturally, because I closed up all the holes, the rats cannot make an entry or an exit, so they hang around, but it will take a while for them to disappear,” said Kittiwanich.
The city also cited the owner for having 25 cats in cages inside the home. Kittiwanich said he reached out to Pasadena animal control who agreed to remove the cats from his home.
Officials said the health department has also contacted Adult Protective Services. Kittiwanich is expected to appear in court in September.
On Thursday, the City of Pasadena released a statement on the matter.
“Representatives from our Health and Animal Control departments had a lengthy meeting this afternoon with the elderly homeowner of 3935 Thistledown. Compliance issues were discussed.
Based on the City code of ordinances, the homeowner has until Monday to show significant progress in mitigating the rat infestation.
In the interim, the city is preparing our next steps for an abatement process, should he not comply by Monday.”