Once feared as child-killers and plague vectors, rats have developed a terrible reputation through the years. Running wild in the 19th century, rats created the necessity for rat catchers, paid professionals who were employed to capture and kill rats. It is here, in the tale of the rat-catcher, that the Brothers Grimm found inspiration for their sad and grizzly story The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Oddly enough, however, this may