When rats attack - a history of rodents biting Montrealers

Tues. 18 Oct 1881 A three-year-old child of Mrs. Stainesley, who resides on Dalhouse street, while asleep last night, was severely bitten by rats. Two of the fingers on the right hand were badly lacerated. The screams of the child awoke the mother.

Fri. 13 June 1883 An unusual occurrence took place in the residents of Mr. G. Lefaivre, 21 Richmond Square in the house before dawn. Being awakened from sleep by the screams of one of his children, a little girls three years old, Mr. Lefaivre went into the child's room to ascertain the cause and found an enormous rat perched on the little one's forehead apparently eating into it. When the father attempted to drive the animal away it attacked him and attempted to bite his legs but was finally driven off. The rat had made a terrible wound on her brow and parted one of the veins that had been sucking the blood. A child next door was bitten by a rat no less than five times during the past week and in each case the rat showed fight before being driven away.

 Thu 16 Nov. 1893 Oscar Coolstan, 85 St. Maurice street, a boy of three years of age, was taken to the General Hospital yesterday suffering from blood poisoning. The little fellow suffered great pain and died at six o'clock last night, a few hours after his admission to that institution. It is surmised that he got the blood poisoning by being bitten by a rat.

Tues. 31 July 1883 On Sunday a little boy named Slater, Point St. Charles, while asleep, had his hand badly bitten by rats.

Wed 6 September 1905 A three-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Culbert was badly bitten about the face and disfigured on Saturday night. The mother, who is staying with Mr. Culbert Sr. on Mackay street, went up town leaving the little one asleep in an upstairs room while another child was being attended to downstairs by the grandmother. A young woman who happened to call in was attracted by the cries of the little girl and going upstairs was horrified to find the child's face bitten in several places and covered with blood, while the rat which had seen in the house had just made its disappearance.

Tues. 26 Nov. 1907 Rats invaded the little cot where the 15-moth old baby of Mrs. Rebecca Yanofsky, 601 St Lawrence Street was sleeping on Sunday night and before the child's screams had attracted the attention of the mother, sleeping in the next room, her little hands were badly lacerated. The child was carried to the General Hospital where wounds were disinfected and treated.

Monday 10 Aug 1908 Laurie Finkelstein, the six-month-old boy who was bitten by rats a couple of weeks ago while asleep at his home Mount Charles Place off St. Dominique street, died yesterday in the General Hospital. The baby was bitten on the legs, hips and stomach and his death was due to abscesses caused by the bites. The coroner will order an investigation.

23 September1939 Saturday Suffering from two badly bitten fingers on the left hand, one-year-old Marcel Crepeau of 6408 St. Lawrence boulevard, who was bitten by a rat during his sleep, was admitted ot the Ste. Justine Hospital early yesterday morning. The hospital authorities and police of the St. Dominique street station were told that the child was in his cot and that it suddenly gave a cry-of pain. His parents rushed to him in time to see a large rat escaping.

Tuesday 9 June 1942 William Ouimet, 39, 1235 Panet street, was treated at St. Luke Hospital yesterday for a slight wound on his left hand. Ouimet told hospital authorities the rat sprang at him and bit him as he entered the bathroom of his home.

Tues. 10 Oct 1944 Jean Claude Turenne, two month old victim of an attack by a big rat as he lay in his carriage on the back gallery of 5320 Esplanade was back with his parents yesterday with marks still showing on his forehead and hand where the rodent bit him. The youngster was put out on the gallery late Saturday morning and within a few minutes his mother found a giant rat atop the infant, biting his head. It was rumoured among friends that the youngster had lost an eye but authorities said injures were confined to bruises and scratch.

4 June 1956 Ten-month-old Rose Pellala of 3914 De Bullion St. was bitten on the upper lip by a rat at her home on Saturday morning and treated at the St. Luke Hospital. 

Monday 5 Aug 1957  Down the hill from the former NDG dump lies a long narrow stretch of stagnant water. Here children go swimming every day, despite its greenish color and the litter of wod, tires, iron, bottles and other debris which surrounds its edges. One nearby resident said children had been bitten by rats there.  Several paths and a winding road lead down the steep hill to the strip of water the children call "the creek."

Thurs. 29 June 1961 Bitten by a rat in a cell at Montreal jail was a young armed robber's explanation for his use of crutches. Real Chartrand, 19 of Des Rocellets St. hobbled into court to hear sentence for participation in a midnight armed robbery. 

Wed. 2 Aug. 1961 Frank Hanley, city councillor and independent MPP said it costs him $100 a year to fumigate his home for rats. He lives at Favard and Dublin Sts, 500 streets from Alexandra dump, one of the causes of the rodents. He complained two children in his district were bitten very seriously by rats last week. "It is become quite an emergency."

Thurs 19 July 1973 the rat-infested field in the Chomedey area of Laval, where a child was bitten last Friday, will be torn up today. Workmen will spread rat poison in the field, known as Sablon Park.  City workers will cover all the open manholes int he field through which children have descended to the underground sewage system. it is planned to erect fences to keep children from wandering into the field about he length of 10 city blocks. Laval is taking action after a four-year-old was bitten by a rat  while playing in the field. Rawna-Lyn Thrift of 4845 4th St. Chomedey is undergoing long and painful treatment for the bite because of the possibility of the rat being rabid. Yesterday she came home in tears. Some neighbors turned her away and told their children not to play with her. 

Wed 6 Oct 2010 Melba Guelos was asleep when her 2-year-old son began crying and kicking his leg. Guelos then felt a rodent run across her leg. It jumped off the bed and scurried away. Doctors told her to notify the owner of her Cote des Neiges apartment building.