Man living with 1,000 rats

A man in the US was found to be living with up to 1,000 pet rats.

Authorities discovered the rodents in Roger Dier’s filthy, dilapidated cottage after a neighbour complained about the stench.

Some were running loose but most were in cages – in some cases six deep, officials said.

Dier, 67, of Petaluma, California, faces animal cruelty charges.

“I can’t even describe it. It was the most horrible smell,” Jeff Charter, an animal control officer who was among the first to go into the house, told local newspaper the Press Democrat.

“I can’t believe anybody could live in those circumstances.”

An investigation by the city’s animal services department found that Dier had been buying 250 pounds of feed for the rats at a local supplier every five days, the newspaper reported.

Nancee Tavares, Petaluma’s director of animal services, said Mr Tavares said the “horrible overcrowding” inflicted serious suffering on the rats.

He said Dier was cited for misdemeanour animal cruelty, an offence that carries a maximum of a year in jail.

Six or seven cats were also found in his home.

The rats are being kept temporarily at the city’s animal shelter.

Most will be put down, but a few dozen will be kept at the shelter in the hope people will adopt them.