Mr. Zhou feeds the rats noodles. (photo/CQNEWS)

Rats are seen everywhere in Mr. Zhou's apartment. (photo/CQNEWS)

Pest control professionals treat Mr. Zhou's apartment. (photo/CQNEWS)

Mr. Zhou, an elderly man in his seventies, was recently found to be keeping over 200 rats in his apartment in the city of Chongqing.

Zhou Xunlu, Mr. Zhou's neighbor, was the one to discover the secret. On the morning of April 24, he saw Mr. Zhou walking home with two big bags in his hands. Zhou Xunlu offered to help and asked what were in the bags. Mr. Zhou said it was food for his rats. 

"People keep dogs or cats. I have never heard of anyone keeping rats!" Zhou Xunlu commented. Skeptical, he came to Mr. Zhou's home to see the situation for himself. When he saw hundreds of rats swarming around the food that Mr. Zhou put on the floor, he was totally stunned. 

According to Mr. Zhou, he has had the rats for the last two months. Pitying them, he began to offer them food. As a result, the rats rapidly reproduced in his apartment. 

Worried neighbors ultimately persuaded Mr. Zhou to get rid of his rats. 

On May 6, thanks to arrangements made by the residential community's service center, Mr. Zhou and his family were temporarily moved to a nursing home. Pest control professionals were then invited to remove the rats from the apartment. One pest control worker said that he had never seen so many rats in one place before. 

Social workers and volunteers from the community will visit and take care of the old man after he moves back. With more care and attention, his neighbors hope he will cut off his psychological reliance on the rats.