Here's a short story that will do nothing to resolve the OP's issue but may put a smile on your face.
Many years ago in the hotel, it was too hot to sleep in the rig.
So I stretched out on a bed in sn apartment wide open to the ocean's afternoon breezes.
I had my hands above my head beneath a pillow...and was starting to dozzzzzze...
PINCH!
****!
What the hell?
I moved my hands
And out ran a gray rat! Not a mouse. But a foot long nose to tail rat!
I looked at my index finger and found four points in a box shape that could only have come from a pinch. I squeezed hard on the marks but they did not redden or have a trace of blood. Not even close. Thank god, no rabies.
I looked up. There sat the rat ten or twelve feet distant. It ran ten or so feet then turned around. "squeak squeak" It ran another few feet then did the same thing.
There it sat looking at me, whiskers bobbing.
By god, it wanted me to chase it.
So I chased it.
"Squeaky squeaky, squeak squeak squeak squeaky..." it ran just fast enough just to stay out of reach.
I could go no further than the edge of the patio
We played "Chase me! Chase Me" for several days. The rat squealed with obvious joy.
Then he disappeared. I have no idea why.
I set rat capture traps. On the way out of town 10 miles, I would release them.
Then one night I caught a monster.
As I approached the trap it hissed at me and flung itself again and again at the wires. Teeth bared.
Jesus came the next morning and he carried the cage to the gravel area in front of the hotel. Yaqui and negro out two dogs got set. The cage door was opened. The rat charged negro and bit him on the side of the muzzle. Negro started yelping. Yaqui who was much quicker charged the nasty rodent
And that was that.
These rats ate tomatoes. Their overwhelming preference. They remain unclassified although they were definitely not Norway rats.
When I think of the first encounter it brings a smile.
