Are you never more than 6ft away from a rat?

[n2doc]

By Charlotte Pritchard
BBC News

The old adage has it that we're never more than six feet away from a rat - but how was this worked out, and is it true?

It's a saying that seems almost deliberately contrived to get a reaction, but isn't exactly clear where the adage comes from.

It may derive from the former Ministry of Agriculture, suggests rodent expert Prof Rob Smith from the University of Huddersfield. They circulated many public health announcements to promote hygiene in homes.

It is also associated with another commonly quoted statistic, that the population of rats outnumbers the population of humans.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20716625

[JI7]

1. ewww

[hobbit709]

2. i wouldn't doubt it, especially in urban areas.

[Glassunion]

3. No

My desk at work is up against a Rebublican's.

[Siwsan]

4. Does that include some of the people I work with?

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. I heard that about spiders, and am more inclined to believe that one.

[petronius]

6. I've heard that about spiders, but in that case it's probably more like 6"

I don't buy that there's a rat within 6' - if there was, the cat wouldn't be sleeping...

(No difficulty at all believing there's one within 50 m however.)

[mainer]

7. Well, I'm sure that's true about mice

I have a feeling I'm surrounded by them right now.

[The Straight Story]

8. If standing in the middle of large, empty warehouse

Probably.

[Trailrider1951]

9. I wouldn't doubt it

given the number of republicans in this county.........