After research and trial and error, the family found some success thanks to a Chicago “rat expert.” They have since caught more than a dozen rats, and Stewart said they feel like they are “finally on the other side of this.”

But the infestations across Wilmette are not, according to the Village of Wilmette, which this week mailed a letter to potentially affected residents, informing them of problem areas in their neighborhoods and detailing steps to combat the issue.